Monthly Archives: October 2014

Cocktail Corner: Celebration of Harvest

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Celebration of Harvest, photo by Gary Coon, courtesy SB Vintners

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Gary Coon, courtesy SB Vintners

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Local winemakers have been hard at work amongst the vines for the last few weeks, but now it’s time for them to take a break for the annual celebration of the year’s bounty. Celebration of Harvest Weekend is a time to enjoy the fruits of those labors, when vintners pour their wines, relax a little bit, and if you’re lucky, share their harvest tales with the winehounds among us.

The Festival Grand Tasting is Saturday, October 11 from 1-4 p.m. at Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang. All 100+ winery members of Santa Barbara Vintners will gather to present their wines, which are often poured by the winemakers themselves. A ticket gets you unlimited wine tastings from Santa Barbara County wineries, food samplings from local restaurants, caterers, and food creators, pop-up wine seminars and live music from the Occasional Mustache and Donna Green and the Roadhouse Daddies.

Everyone from Alma Rosa to Zotovich will be pouring, with food from a number of favorites, including The Willows, Trattoria Grappolo, Hitching Post II and Global Gardens.

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Tenley Fohl Photography, courtesy SB Vintners

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Tenley Fohl Photography, courtesy SB Vintners

There are also a number of special events throughout the weekend, everything from winemaker dinners, library tastings, new wine releases and barrel tastings. On Saturday night there’s a special concert at Solvang Festival Theatre starring Toad the Wet Sprocket with special guests Jonathan Kingham and Tommy & the High Pilots.

Also available just for the weekend are an all-inclusive tasting pass.  You can purchase a Vintners Visa for unique and complimentary offerings at your choice of tasting rooms. For all the details on the Grand Tasting and special events, and to purchase tickets click here.

Cheers!

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Leslie Dinaberg

Leslie Dinaberg

When 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.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on October 3, 2014.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Comes to the Lobero

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Mary Chapin Carpenter, courtesy Lobero Theatre

Mary Chapin Carpenter, courtesy Lobero Theatre

Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and 2012 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Mary Chapin Carpenter embarks on a unique series of intimate, acoustic performances this fall.

Lucky for us, this includes a stop at the Lobero Theatre on October 10 at 8 p.m.

The tour marks Carpenter’s return to singing both timeless hits and deep cuts from her expansive and beloved 13-album catalog after performing with orchestras in early 2014. Carpenter will be joined on stage by longtime friends Jon Carroll (piano) and John Doyle (guitars, bouzouki).

Carpenter has spent the past year performing alongside world-renowned orchestras since the release of her debut orchestral album, Songs From the Movie (Zoë /Rounder), which was conducted and arranged by six-time Grammy Award winner Vince Mendoza. Carpenter’s world debut orchestral concert took place on January 24 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In March, she performed two milestone concerts at New York’s Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Mendoza, and was joined by special guests Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Jerry Douglas, Tift Merritt and Aoife O’Donovan.

Over the course of her career, Carpenter has sold over 13 million records. With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” she has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations), two CMA awards and two Academy of Country Music awards for her vocals. Her songs speak to the most personal of life’s details and the most universal.

The Lobero is located at 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 30, 2014.