I just went to Santa Barbara for a day of fabulous wine, amazing food, and gorgeous surroundings! If you’ve never spent time in the Santa Barbara wine country, you really need to add this to your to-do list! I try to get there as often as possible… and if you are in the Los Angeles area, it’s only one tank of gas, and a couple hours away… but you will feel like you are on vacation!
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Never mind the movie Sideways , you can find tips, information and maps to help plan your own grape escape through the Santa Barbara Wine Region. Go to Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association . Or log onto Wine Country.com
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Of course, I enjoy the wine tasting. They have wines that compete with the best.. and win! But they also have sumptuous artisian foods you can pair with your favorite wine. Los Olivos Grocery is one of the best places to pick up a sandwich, fresh pasta salad or cheese and crackers for your wine trail picnic.
Los Olivos Grocery is a small country store that offers you the best of gourmet and specialty foods as well as the basics of everyday life. Stop in for European style hearth breads, artisian cheeses from around the world, charcuterie’, local and rare wines, and the freshest locally grown and organic produce available. They are committed to discovering the finest sources of quality, artisian and specialty foods from our own backyard and around the world.
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Los Olivos Grocery should definitely be a stop on your trip through Santa Barbara wine country!
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Los Olivos Grocery is located at 2621 Highway 154, Santa Ynez, CA.
While you are in the town of Los Olivos, you will see many small tasting rooms and fun places to shop!
Our first tasting of the day was at Tre Anelli . They specialize in Old World Italian and Spanish style wines. Two of the wines I enjoyed the most were the 2005 Tempranillo and the 2006 Sangiovese. Tempranillo is the flagship grape that put Spain on the map. This pride of Spain was one of the first grapes introduced to California soil some 300 years ago, and has found a home in the specific climate of the Santa Ynez Valley. The full bodied characteristics of this wine go VERY well with BBQ meat!! And the 2006 Sagiovese holds up extremely well with steak… I can’t wait to try it with Gayle’s BBQ sauce! Yum!
Our next stop was Stolpman Vinyards tasting room. Melanie was pouring that day, and she was as delightful as the wine. Very informed, Melanie gave us great details about each of their wines. Stolpman’s 2006 Sangiovese is made in the same way as Italy’s best Riservas, picked at optimum ripeness and then oak-aged for 30 months. This wine pairs wonderfully with Tomtato and vinegar based foods… of course I instantly thought of Gayle’s Apple Cider Smoke BBQ Sauce!!!!
Our next stop took us to Demetria Estate Vinyards. This fabulous vinyard farms organic and biodynamic wines. They also use ceramic egg shaped vessels instead of oak or steel for their processing. Wine is a living thing, and the processes used by Demetria bring out the best in their fruit. I was told the 2006 “North Slope” Syrah was strong enough to pair well with any BBQ dish… even BBQ Rhinoceros! I’m sure he was teasing me… but I know this will be another perfect pair with any of Gayle’s BBQ sauces!!
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We finished our day of tasting at one of my favorites, Artiste’ Winery and Tasting Studio . Here they encourage you to get creative and paint while sipping wine. Their philosophy of winemaking is an artistic expression and you can see that by looking at their impressionist art on each bottle label. Since I’m a regular, I can already tell you they have great wines that go perfect with Gayle’s BBQ sauces! Stop by to try their amazing blends.. and create your own masterpiece!
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For more information on Gayle’s BBQ Sauces and fantastic recipes, visit their website at www.gaylesbbq.com
-Enjoy
