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(Santa Barbara, CA) November 10, 2008 – Whoever said it is socially unacceptable to drink before noon was not only immensely misguided, but was also missing out on tons of fun! Rather than lazily lying in bed during my weekend get-away, it was an early rise and shine as my alarm buzzed obnoxiously at 8:30am for a whole day of wine beginning at 9:50am with
Wine Edventures in beautiful
Santa Barbara.
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Each Wine Edventure tour van is eco-friendly and biodiesel fuelled
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Wine Edventures is the longest standing
wine tour company in Santa Barbara, as its owner,
Shawn Farrell, and three other wine connoisseurs have been leading daily tours of the
Santa Ynez Valley for over seven years. These “
Grape Escape” excursions are
fully guided tours that focus on education of everything relating to wine, including the history, viticulture (production process) and “proper” tasting methods as you visit four personally chosen wineries, each providing six to eight tastings (with pours generous enough to get anyone feeling more than just “tipsy” by the end).
As mentioned,
Shawn picked my boyfriend, Ryan, and me up at
Hotel Mar Monte (to read my review on Hotel Mar Monte, click here), where we were staying, bright and early to begin our
Daily Deluxe Excursion in the
Wine Edventures eco-friendly, biodiesel-fulled giant purple van.
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Our group consisted of four couples from across the country and one couple all the way down from Canada
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The tour officially began after getting the remaining four couples, which were also staying in
Santa Barbara, although door-to-door service is available for
Solvang, Ventura and at the
Amtrak station upon request.
Shawn played the greatest music – a calming mix of
Jack Johnson and
John Mayor, with a bit of
Death Cab for Cutie shuffled in sporadically – and was like a jukebox of wine knowledge.
From the first to the fourth winery visited was about a 45 minutes drive, giving
Shawn just enough time to tell us about the
history of wineries in Santa Barbara (originally needed to produce the wine for services when Spanish missionaries converted local Chumash Indians to Christianity), share fun facts and point out interesting sights, such as the shack where the original
Ranch dressing was invented,
Firestone winery & brewery and
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
Koehler Winery: Mastering the Basics and then Warming Up for the Day
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Our 19 ounce tasting glasses were large enough for half a bottle of wine
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Upon arriving at
Koehler,
Shawn passed out
inscribed wine glasses (which were more like goblets since each is large enough to hold half a bottle of wine) and then taught us the
“proper” tasting technique.
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Shawn demonstrated how to swirl properly
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In order to get the most accurate impression of the wine, you must follow the three “Ss:”
1.
Swirl to release the wine's natural aromas.
2.
Smell by sticking your nose far into the glass and breathing in deeply.
3.
Sip three times:
First, to adjust your palette and cleanse it of all the day’s substances that are lingering on your taste buds.
Second, to spread the wine throughout your mouth and release its true flavors.
Third, to coat your palette, which will allow you to truly experience the wine’s essence.
Though
Koehler is the #1 producer of
Cabernet Sauvignon in the area, I found the 2005
Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (
estate: entire wine-making process, from growing the grapes to bottling the wine, is owned by the winery and done on-site) to be my least favorite of all the wines tasted there. Because it was fermented in an
oak barrel (versus
steel barrel) and all of the grapes’ sugars were converted to alcohol, this wine is what’s known as “dry” and described as having a “rich, creamy finish.”
After tasting two whites and three reds, I found my favorite in the sixth tasting: the 2007
Riesling Estate. This white wine was extremely sweet, with “notes of
Granny Smith apples” and
1% residual sugar (
residual sugar: remaining sugar in the grapes that is not fermented completely into alcohol). Interestingly, a higher residual sugar percentage does not necessarily coincide with lower alcohol content, since both alcohol and residual sugar levels can be manipulated via various viticulture and fermentation techniques.
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Fermenting grapes into wine can be done in oak barrels (left) or steel barrels (right)
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Koehler was Ryan’s and my favorite out of all four wineries, not only because it is was the most educational in terms of learning how to distinguish between various types of wines and getting first-hand glimpses of the grape juicers, fermentation barrels and other production machines, but also because my two favorite wines of the entire day were from this vineyard: the 2007
Riesling Estate and a 2005 red mix of
Sangiovese and
Cabernet Sauvignon called the
Magia Nera “Black Magic” Estate.
Roblar Winery & Vineyard: Pacing Yourself for Endurance
Outside
Roblar, we first saw the seemingly never-ending vineyard and learned about the
special wiring techniques used for grape wines, before entering the spacious tasting room of the winery.
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Roblar's vineyard extended for miles
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The room was centered on the high-countered wooden bar, which was garnished with unique art pieces, wine accessories and gourmet crackers available for sale or snacking. Though the high wooden ceilings, faux painted walls and gorgeous stone fireplace felt a bit too perfect, as if designed by
Martha Stuart herself,
Roblar truly offered the full wine tasting experience, especially since it is the
only winery in county with a working kitchen.
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You would never guess by looking at Roblar's outside the log cabin style that its inside houses a huge wine tasting room and the only winery kitchen in the county
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After tasting two dry, fruity whites and four reds (my favorite was once again the sixth tasting: 2006
Meule Rouge, a “blend with vanilla and violet”), we ate lunch, in order to prepare for the long run of libations. For lunch, we each had a choice of a veggie, turkey or roast beef sandwich on French roll, and also received a homemade brownie, mixed berries, Kettle chips, artichoke heart and pasta salad, and of course, a water bottle for maintained hydration. Once stuffed and satisfied,
Shawn took us to
Buttonwood Farm in
Solvang to get a glimpse of the
old Dutch town and sample a variety of new wines.
Buttonwood Farm: Almost at the Finish Line, but Don't Go Too Quickly
Buttonwood began as a ranch in the 1960s, was converted into a winery in the 1980s and is currently best known for its production of
Sauvignon Blanc. Before entering the tiny, light blue barnyard, however,
Shawn warned that
Sauvignon Blanc is traditionally very acidic and
Buttonwood’s is no exception, so in order to release as much of the flavoring as possible, we were advised to “swirl the hell out of the wine.”
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This quaint barnyard was transformed into Buttonwood's tasting room
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Maybe the high acidity levels threw off my palette. Maybe the speedy pace of the wine pourer made all eight tastings blend together into a wine oblivion. Or, maybe
Buttonwood wines are just not my preference, but I left this winery with a feeling of disappointment. Clearly I am no expert, but all the wines tasted incredibly oak-y and left my mouth as dry as
Vegas in a heat wave.
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Ryan and I liked the 2007 Syrah Rose at Buttonwood
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I hate turning down alcohol, but by the time I was on my eighth wine, I could barely take more than half a sip before pouring the rest out. Sad, I know, but the silver lining is that I did enjoy the 2007
Syrah Rose, which revealed a consistency with my wine preferences throughout the day.
Presidio Vineyard & Winery:
The Best Part About Cooling Down is Drinking Up
Presidio is unique in that it is a
certified organic and biodynamic vineyard (
biodynamic: uses lunar cycle for farming and also follows biodynamic week, consisting of only four days: flour, water, root and leaf).
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Getting up-close and personal with the grape leaves in the vineyard
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This winery felt warm and welcoming, and the friendly old man guiding our tastings made
Presidio feel even more like being at your grandparents’ cabin. More importantly, I loved nearly all ten of the wines tasted, as each was bursting with fresh, natural aromas that slid down your throat, leaving you craving more!
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I wish every wine were organic and biodynamic - my 2005 Syrah Rose was so fabulous that I requested a 2nd tasting
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I enjoyed the crisp strawberry flavor of 2007
Syrah Rose so much, that I requested a second tasting and then bought a bottle to bring home. Ryan’s favorites were the 2005
Syrah, a dry, spicy red with “jammy, fruit flavors and big tannins” and the 2004
Port, a smooth dessert wine with
8% residual sugar, making it both a perfect end to a meal and a perfect end to a day of “
Wine Edventures” throughout the
Santa Ynez Valley.
For more information on wine tasting tours, visit the following sites:
Wine Edventures www.welovewines.com
(805) 965-WINE (9463)
$110 / person for Daily Deluxe Excursion: door-to-door pick up / drop off, 19 oz wine glass, 4 winery tours with personal guide and made-to-order lunch
* Private / personalized tours, upgraded lunches, specified wineries and other special accommodations available upon request (rates vary)
Koehler www.koehlerwinery.com
(805) 693-8384
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Me and Shawn Farrell, wine connoisseur and owner of Wine Edventures
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$10 / person for Koehler logo glass and 6 tastings
Roblar www.roblarwinery.com
(805) 868-2603
$12 / person for 6 tastings
* The only winery in Santa Barbara County with a working kitchen
Buttonwood www.buttonwoodwinery.com
(800) 715-1404
$10 / person for Riedel glass and 7-8 tastings
Presidio www.presidiowinery.com
(888) 930-WINE (9463)
$7.50 / person (Presidio logo glass) or $10 / person (Riedel glass) and 6 tastings
* All estate wines are produced from certified organic and biodynamic grapes
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