A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg
The annual Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest events include something for just about every wine lover. From special harvest tastings, lunches and dinners with winemakers and Master Sommeliers, to a grape stomping festival and a movie premiere, the Celebration of Harvest weekend is an ideal opportunity to explore Santa Barbara County wine country, and it’s all taking place on the weekend of October 12-14.
One of weekend’s highlights is the first public premiere of SOMM 3, the latest addition to the successful SOMM film franchise. Premiering under the stars at the lovely Solvang Festival Theater on Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m., under the stars, the festivities also include a post-film Q&A with cast members and Producer Jackson Myers. The premiere is being presented by Santa Barbara Vintners and Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau and net proceeds will benefit the Santa Barbara Vintners.
The story of SOMM 3—the highly anticipated follow-up to the influential films SOMM and its sequel SOMM: Into the Bottle—has been described as follows: “While three of the greatest legends of wine meet in Paris to drink the rarest bottles of their careers, the best blind tasters in the world gather in New York City to settle an age-old argument about wine. In the end, the past and present slam into each other and the results could change the world of wine forever. The all-star cast includes some of the wine world’s most respected figures including Steven Spurrier, the man responsible for staging the 1976 “Judgment of Paris,” wine critic Jancis Robinson MW, renowned Master Sommelier Fred Dame, as well as Santa Barbara County’s own Rajat Parr, Partner/Proprietor of Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte (and a partner at Bibi Ji, Downtown Santa Barbara’s terrific new Indian Restaurant).”
The Celebration of Harvest schedule also includes:
Friday, October 12
Open House with futures tasting and complimentary appetizers at Lions Peak tasting room (all weekend)
Special harvest wine flight tastings at Foxen Vineyard & Winery (all weekend)
Saturday, October 13
Solvang Grape Stomp Festival, a harvest street festival in downtown Solvang complete with a traditional grape stomp where participants can taste from dozens of area wineries, dance to two live bands, drink pink in the “I Love Rosé Lounge” and purchase food from popular area eateries. Participating wineries include: Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, Carivintas Winery, CrossHatch Winery, D. Volk Wines, Feliz Noche Cellars, Fiddlehead Cellars, Grace + Wine, Hilliard Bruce, J. Wilkes Wines, Kita Wines, Lafond Winery and Vineyard, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Lions Peak Vineyards, Lucas & Lewellen/Toccata, Lucky Dogg Winery, Lumen, Martellotto Winery, Melville Vineyards & Winery, Rancho Sisquoc Winery, Royal Oaks Winery , Sanford Winery & Vineyards, Santa Barbara Winery, Sevtap Winery, The Sanger Family of Wines, and Twenty Mile Winery. This fun, new event takes place from 2-5 p.m. in downtown Solvang on First Street (between Mission Drive/Hwy. 246 & Copenhagen Drive).
A Harvest Lunch with winemaker Justin Willet at Tyler Winery (includes a welcome reception, wine tasting & lunch).
A Master Sommelier Dinner with Will Costello at Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills Estates.
Winemaker Dinner with Wes Hagen and J.Wilkes at Root 246.
Winemakers Greg Brewer, Lane Tanner and Dick Doré in a food pairing dinner with library pinots from Santa Barbara County at Pico at The Los Alamos General Store, by reservation only.
Lucas & Lewellen in a Winemaker Dinner with Megan McGrath Gates at Petros in Solvang.
Sunday, October 14
Live Music by Kimber Springs and Jess Jones at Riverbench Vineyard.
For additional information on events happening during Celebration of Harvest please visit: celebrationofharvest.com.
Cheers! Hope to see some of you there. Click here for more Cocktail Corner columns.
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 believes variety is the spice of life. Send your suggestions to Leslie@sbseasons.com.
Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 28, 2018.