Cocktail Corner: California Wine Festival, Bacon and Barrels & More!

California Wine Festival, courtesy photo

California Wine Festival, courtesy photo

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

California Wine Festival returns to Santa Barbara this week (July 16-18), bringing the opportunity to sip and savor nearly 250 wines from over 70 wineries and 30 fine dining restaurants and gourmet food purveyors. This festival was recently named one of the 2015 Top Culinary Festivals and Wine Events around the U.S. and the World by Gayot.

The first event is “Old Spanish Nights Wine Tasting,” a celebration of wines, foods and music true to Santa Barbara’s Spanish roots. Taking place at the historic De La Guerra Adobe Courtyard Thursday, July 16, from 6:30-9 p.m., this tasting is a showcase for world-class wines accompanied by a spicy array of appetizers from top local restaurants and colorful Flamenco dancers, accompanied by blazing guitars and hot Latin sounds.

Courtesy California Wine Festival

Courtesy California Wine Festival

Unique to the California Wine Festival this year is a special wine-experience seminar, where 40  lucky guests will enjoy a Cabernet Clinic and Tasting Seminar conducted by winemakers from the Paso Robles Cab Collective and moderated by Matt Kettmann. The event takes place on Friday, July 17, from 5-6 p.m. at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort.

Immediately following, just down the road at the charming old-world carousel at Chase Palm Park Plaza is the “Sunset Rare & Reserve Wine Tasting” where California’s best winemakers dust off their rare and reserve bottles and let lucky guests sip the good stuff! Some of the wines being poured are impossible to buy and are no longer in distribution. Guests are greeted with champagne, then treated to Napa trophy cabs, rare bottles from Sonoma, old vine wines from the high Sierras and the best from California’s Central Coast and Santa Barbara County. There are also gourmet appetizers from top local chefs, live music and a silent auction of fine wines, exotic super-sized-wine bottles including dozens of magnums, double magnums and special luxury wine trips will raise money for The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. It all takes place on Friday, July 17, from 6:30-9 p.m. and is limited to just 500 ticket holders.

Courtesy California Wine Festival

Courtesy California Wine Festival

The finale of the festivities is the “Beachside Food & Wine Fest” on Saturday, July 18, from 1-4 p.m., when thousands of wine lovers pour into Santa Barbara’s sun-splashed beachside location for a day of sun, sea, wine, food and music. Hundreds of premium California wines are served up along with the best of the regional microbreweries, local top chefs, food purveyors and vendors of all things related to wine. VIP entry at is at noon, and new this year is an expanded  VIP Pavilion sponsored by Santa Barbara Public Market and features public market vendors Belcampo Meat, Green Star Coffee, Foragers Pantry, I’a Fish Market & Cafe, Crazy Good Bread, Empty Bowl Noodle Bar, Flag Stone Pantry, Il Fustino and Rori’s Ice Cream.

Print-at-home tickets are available on the Festival website: californiawinefestival.com.

Photo by Jeremy Ball/Bottle Branding

Bacon and Barrels. Photo by Jeremy Ball/Bottle Branding

Also back in town next weekend is Bacon & Barrels, which moves to Buttonwood Farm this year. Named “Top Bacon Festival in the U.S.” by A Luxury Blog, and “Top 5 California Festival” by The Huffington Post, the three-day event is a must-attend for bacon obsessed foodies and those who prefer their drinks from a barrel.

Attendees will savor creative bacon dishes, and libations surrounded by the farm’s bounty of olives, pomegranates, peaches, herbs, and summer vegetables. The event kicks off with a Midsummer Night’s Bacon Dream Dinner at Buttonwood Farm on July 17, where attendees are treated to a four-course all pork dinner paired with Buttonwood Farm Wines.  The Grand Tasting at Buttonwood Farm will take place July 18 and will feature chef and mixologist demonstrations as well as access to tastings featuring leading winemakers, small production distilleries, craft breweries, artisan food purveyors and the sounds of Moonshiner Collective. Purchase tickets or get more information at http://www.baconandbarrels.com/tickets.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns. Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on July 10, 2015.

Leslie DinabergWhen she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Don’t Miss Fiesta’s Wildest Party

Celebracion de la DignatariosAs longtime locals know, Celebración de Los Dignatarios—Fiesta’s wildest party at the Santa Barbara Zoo—is the hot place to dance the night away alongside lions, snow leopards, elephants and elected officials!

With live entertainment, dancing to King Bee (a personal favorite), mariachis, margaritas and tempting treats from more than 20 local restaurants, not to mention loads of lovely señors and señoritas in beautiful costumes, this is without a doubt one of the best places for party animals to strut their stuff.

Need further convincing? Celebración de Los Dignatarios is also a joint fundraiser for Old Spanish Days and Santa Barbara Zoo. And it’s this Thursday night, July 31, from 5–10 p.m. Santa Barbara Zoo, 500 Niños Dr. 805/962-8101, oldspanishdays-fiesta.org.

Courtesy of Old Spanish Days

Courtesy of Old Spanish Days

Buy tickets at local Albertsons, at the Santa Barbara Zoo or online.

You can park at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort and catch the Dignatarios shuttle in the parking lot.

Hope to see you there!

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on July 30, 2014.

National Charity League of Santa Barbara, Senior Presents Class of 2014

For more than 50 years, National Charity League of Santa Barbara (NCL) has brought mothers and daughters together working on philanthropic projects. This year’s NCL Senior Presents takes place on April 6 at 5:30 p.m. at The Fess Parker Resort.

The graduating seniors of 2014, along with their mothers, gave an impressive 5,856 volunteer hours over their six years in National Charity League to local nonprofits in Santa Barbara.  Nonprofits included Dream Foundation, Safety Town, Special Olympics, CADA, Storyteller Children’s Center, Children’s Creative Project, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Ridley Tree Education Center and more.

National Charity League Senior Class of 2014 (courtesy photo)

National Charity League Senior Class of 2014 (courtesy photo)

The graduating senior girls, known as “Ticktockers”  pictured include: (Top row from left to right) Sara Ashlin Doyle, Grace Copeland, Emma Eccles, Grace Jordan Woolf, Britten Barbara Ann Vilander, Clara Mae Madsen, Julia Rene’e McClintock; (Middle row from left to right) Madeleine Wall, Milana Rose Skiff, Sammi Schurmer, Rachel Rene Fay, Susan Madeline Marquis, Nicole Kristine-Marie Larson, Brenna Claire Geiger; (Bottom row from left to right) Hannah Rose Brisby, Olivia Jane Pickett, Olivia Belle Caesar, Kayla Zola, Caterina Jacquelyn Lafitte and Madeline Grace Frohling.

Says Ticktocker, Milana Skiff,  who has volunteered an inspiring 921 hours, “the Oncology Department at Cottage Hospital is my favorite place to volunteer.  I love it and everyone there is so kind.  It’s a good experience for me and because of it I will pursue a career as an oncologist in college.  My mom and I have also volunteered in the pasta booth at the I Madonnari every year for the past six years and we really enjoy it.  It gives us the chance to participate in community service together.”

Ticktocker Kayla Zola and Patroness Belinda Zola enjoyed volunteering together making flower arrangements for the Dream Foundation.  Belinda shares, “it feels more like we are sharing a hobby than anything else.  Kayla is very creative, and I have learned so much from her about just letting go and having fun!  Not only are we able to bring some joy to terminally ill people, but we can also share the joy of our efforts with other volunteers, with each other and ourselves!  This is just one example of how NCL has helped teach our three daughters how to get involved and give back to their community while strengthening mother, daughter and sibling relationships”

The NCL Senior Presentation Event is an opportunity for the girls not only be recognized for their service, but it is also the chance for them to share how these experiences have shaped their lives.  “It has been an privilege to work with the Class of 2014 NCL Ticktockers to help them achieve these outstanding goals,” say Luann Caesar and Ann Marquis,  co-chairs for the event.  “It has been an honor to work alongside our daughters for the past six years, to see them grow and mature while giving back through volunteer work to the the Santa Barbara community.”

Founded in 1962, the Santa Barbara chapter of NCL currently supports the works of 19 local philanthropies, often providing a valuable volunteer workforce for local organizations such as Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, Direct Relief International, Santa Barbara Public Library,Unity Shoppe, Cottage Hospital, McKinley School and many more.  The local chapter is an “hours only” chapter, meaning that members donate their time only, and do not raise funds to assist the charities.   Each mother and daughter member is required to fulfill a minimum of both league and philanthropy hours, or community service.  Each Ticktocker is part of an age-level class that conducts a monthly meeting, has guest speakers on various age-appropriate topics, and often does an off-site philanthropy project as a part of their meeting.   For more information click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on March 20, 2014.