Cocktail Corner: Seek and Ye Shall Find

Seeker's wine & beer tour packages let you visit a variety of venues at a bargain price, photo courtesy Seeker.

Seeker’s wine & beer tour packages let you visit a variety of venues at a bargain price, photo courtesy Seeker.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic!  By Leslie Dinaberg

In search of a fun way to navigate Santa Barbara’s burgeoning craft beer scene? Last weekend we checked out the newly dubbed “Lagoon District” Lagoon Loop Craft Beer Trail with a package from Seeker (http://seeker.co/), and it was a surprisingly great way to do some beer tasting.

Seeker, which launched this concept in January, is a local company offering all-inclusive, self-guided tour packages in various areas in Santa Barbara.  But unlike many of the tasting tours, this one works equally well for tourists or locals because once you purchase the tour, it lives on your phone and can be redeemed for up to a year. In other words, if you only want to taste one beer, or a couple of wines in a day, you can do that and return and still continue to use your package. This versatility also makes it a great gift for some of those hard-to-buy-for friends (or employees!). 

This is the map for Seeker's Lagoon Loop package, courtesy photo.

This is the map for Seeker’s Lagoon Loop package, courtesy photo.

Our package (retail price $34.99) included a stop at Pure Order Brewing Company (410 N. Quarantina St., 805/966-2881), where we received a pint of our choice, as well as a 64 oz. growler to take home filled with our choice of beer. As a bonus, Pure Order had a lively party with a band going on that day. I liked the extra pale SBA and the Santa Barbara Lager, while my husband preferred the darker Black Gull Porter.

A short walk away is the 2nd Stop, Telegraph Brewing Company  (418 N. Salsipuedes St., 805/963-5018), a roomy tasting room that appeals to many a beer aficionado. There we got a pint of our choice, as part of the Seeker package. Normally, I really like the White Ale, but I was trying to pace myself, so I skipped the beer (and snuck a few sips from Hubby) and now I have a free one waiting to use next time.

Our third stop was the new Third Window Brewing Company (406 E. Haley St. #3, 805/979-5090), which we’d been dying to try. It’s a beautiful space in the Mill, housed within a restored old barn/feed mill originally built in 1904. With the Seeker package we got a Tasting Flight with five beers of our choice, and honestly, there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. Unusually, my husband and I had the same favorite this time, Walkabout, a chocolate orange stout that was absolutely yummy! I also especially favored the Batch 2, a Belgian lager with orange blossoms and loquats—but honestly, all ten of our tasters were good. At some point, Third Window will have its own kitchen, but right now you can order take-out at Wildwood Kitchen (410 E. Haley St., 805/845-3995) next door, (which we did, and it was delicious as always) and they’ll deliver to you at the brewery. A perfect, barbecued end to our adventure on the Lagoon Loop!

If beer’s not your thing, Seeker also offers two different wine tasting packages. Both the Anacapa Wine Walk package and the Funk Zone Uncorked package let you hop from winery to winery, receiving items at each stop (tastings, glasses, etc.).  Just like the beer package, you just show the web app on your phone to staff at each location to receive the included items.

And by the way, I’m always a little bit nervous when I have to show an app or a coupon to get something, but all of the breweries recognized our beer tasting package immediately, were very friendly and made the whole experience a breeze. 

I’d definitely recommend the Seeker packages as a fun way to taste wine or beer, and enjoy the day in Santa Barbara.

Cheers! Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

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 Magazine on July 8, 2016.

Cocktail Corner: Potek Winery Launches in The Mill

Potek Winery opens Aug. 20 at The Mill (Haley and Laguna Streets). Photo by Cara Robbins.

Potek Winery opens Aug. 20 at The Mill (Haley and Laguna Streets). Photo by Cara Robbins.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

It seems rather fitting that Dave Potter‘s new wine venture, Potek Winery, is the first of several farm-to-table ventures launching in The Mill. If you haven’t heard about Darrell and Kirsten Becker‘s cool new project, trust me, you will! Located at the corner of Laguna and Haley streets, The Mill is a stunning modern spin on The Feed Mill originally constructed in 1904 by the Boykin family and now converted into a very unique artisan marketplace with onsite manufacturing.

I predict both locals and visitors will flock to this cool, new mixed-use venue, which will eventually feature a production winery and tasting bar (that’s Potek), a craft brewery and tap room (Third Window Brewery), specialty restaurant (from Justin and Emma West of Julienne) and event center—all connected by a beautiful and practical shared-space, tree-shaded courtyard. The Mill is also home to creative businesses Becker Studios Design/Construction, Pelago and AB Design Studio.

Potter—who is best known as the affable winemaker and proprietor of Municipal Winemakers in the Funk Zone—began handcrafting wines for the Potek label in 2012. “The whole principal behind Muni Wine was to be as approachable as possible, accessible to anyone,” Potter told me when we chatted at Potek last month.

Potek is more serious, upscale venture, “focused on tiny bottlings from individual ranches.” The new winery is founded on a commitment to produce the best possible wines from Santa Barbara’s world-class vineyards, rooted in traditional techniques with a reverence for site.

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

The first five releases include:

2013 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir, $60

“Making wine from Sanford & Benedict is a privilege,” says Potter.   “The fruit for this wine is from the original 1971 own-rooted plantings—the genesis of Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. This vineyard has been tended from the start with love and care, resulting in vines that produce wines of amazing complexity and striking purity.”

2013 Rancho La Vina Pinot Noir, $50

Potter says, “2013 Pinot Noir Rancho La Vina is laced with spice, dark plum and menthol, all of which blossoms in the glass effortlessly. Savory and floral notes are just beginning to develop in what looks to be a hugely promising Pinot to drink over the next several years.”

2012 Tierra Alta Syrah, $45

“Iron, smoke, tobacco, black olives, cedar and black cherries meld together in the 2012 Syrah Tierra Alta,” says Potter. ” It’s rich and explosive through to the finish. The 2012 boasts terrific depth and density in a meaty, full- bodied style.   This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered in April of 2014.”

2012 Tierra Alta Grenache, $40

Potter says this wine, “boasts notable depth, but the inclusion of the whole clusters adds an attractive element of lift to balance the richness and fruit. 2012 is hugely varietal, but the flavors and textures are all amped up—kirsch, spice-box, cured meats and dried licorice-like qualities.”

2013 Kick on Ranch Riesling, $30

“Kick On Ranch is, in my opinion, the top Riesling site in Santa Barbara County,” says Potter.  “We bottled 94 cases and are releasing the wine after a year of bottle aging. Riesling wines from this ranch tend to stay really primary until about one year of bottle age. At this point, they begin to develop those curiously tasty, mineral and kerosene characters unique to the varietal. Green apples, sage and a hint of spice are all present and nicely compliment that fascinating mineral character specific to Riesling. Above all else, this is a wine that speaks of texture; it is crisp, fresh and steely, while simultaneously creamy, supple and generous.”

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

Potter explains that the origin of the name Potek is from his great grandfather, who immigrated from Romania to the United States with the name Berl Potek, which was changed to Benjamin Potter, as he passed through Ellis Island in 1917. Potek’s bravery to search for a better life, and the immigrants’ experience of adaptation in a new environment inspires his great grandson’s approach to winemaking with traditional French techniques and grapes, grown in California.

“I could not be more excited about my first release of Potek wines. The bottlings are from vineyard sites that I have been working with for years, and represent what I feel to be some of the strongest expressions of these special places in Santa Barbara County,” says Potter.

The wines are available for sale online now, and the winery, at 406 E. Haley St., will be open to the general public starting Aug. 20. For more information, visit Potek.com or call 805/598 1896.Cheers! Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

Potek Winery, photo by Christian Thomas Hynes

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 Magazine on August 14, 2015.