Cocktail Corner: Lafond Winery Tasting Room Opens

Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Pioneering Santa Barbara winemaker Pierre Lafond opened a second tasting room in the buzzy Funk Zone neighborhood this week. Lafond Winery, at 111 Yananoli St., now shares the block—as well as a wine production and bottling facility—with Santa Barbara Winery, his first label, founded in 1962.

“The Lafond Winery label was started in 1996,” says Pierre’s daughter Michelle Lafond, who is the marketing director for both brands. “The Lafond label is what we consider the premium label, first pick,” she says.

“Not that Santa Barbara Winery isn’t,” says Pierre, with a laugh. “We have two different styles of wine, basically,” he explains. “One is mostly from Sta. Rita Hills, which is Lafond, and the other one is from different parts of Santa Barbara County.”

Sisters Mirella Ramirez (left) and Liz Morello run the new Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

Sisters Mirella Ramirez (left) and Liz Morello run the new Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

“Santa Barbara Winery produces more varietals,” explains Mirella Ramirez, who manages the new tasting room as well as the Lafond Winery & Vineyards tasting room at 6855 Santa Rosa Rd. in Buellton. “Lafond is smaller production, and we produce Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, and some dry Riesling and Riesling,” says Mirella, who has been running the Buellton tasting room for 12 years and working with Pierre for 25 years.

“She was 8 years old,” laughs Pierre. “She was real cute, so we hired her.”

Mirella’s sister, Liz Morello, serves as assistant manager of the Funk Zone spot. She also has a long history with the Lafonds.” I worked there for a couple years when I was 15 or 16 and now I’m back,” says Liz.

“We definitely have lots and lots of long-term employees. People don’t leave often,” says Michelle.

Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

Pierre moved his business into the neighborhood in 1964, and says he’s had plans in the works to give the Lafond label its own tasting room for quite some time. He subleased the space to a number of companies over the years, including the most recent tenant, Compuwest, who moved out last June. “That’s why they moved out. We had decided quite a while ago to open the second tasting room, and it was just a question of timing. And with the development of the Funk Zone it seemed like a logical thing to do,” says Pierre.

Having been in the Funk Zone for so many decades, I asked him if he ever envisioned that it would look like the busy, hip neighborhood it is today. “The place was a dump,” he laughs. “The Castagnolas were our landlords, they bought a lot of different buildings here and they’re the ones that actually developed the area. They were a fishing family, as you probably know.”

The new tasting room is definitely a huge step up from the old days. Beautiful custom made wood cabinets (designed and built by Gary Atkins of Mesa Cabinets) line the walls to house the wine, alongside local art and shelves laden with unique gift items specially selected by Shelley Koury, whose keen sense of style is also on view at Upstairs at Pierre Lafond (516 San Ysidro Rd. in Montecito).

Sisters Mirella Ramirez (left) and Liz Morello run the new Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

Sisters Mirella Ramirez (left) and Liz Morello run the new Lafond Winery tasting room, photo by Mercedes Lowe

In addition to wine tasting there’s also a window into the wine production facility. “People will be able to be here and see some of the bottling, production and forklifts going and picking up wine and moving it around. It’s fun,” says Mirella.

She explains that It’s a real working winery. All of the wines for both labels are bottle there, and the white wines are all made on site, with the reds aged in Buellton before being transferred to Santa Barbara when they’re ready for bottling.

The Lafond team is optimistic about the future of the Funk Zone. “You kind of think that it could go either way with all of the different wineries here you could deplete the customers or disperse them and it doesn’t seem to,” says Michelle. “It just keeps growing and growing and growing. It feels like the new downtown almost.”

“I hope down here there’s more art galleries and other things besides tasting rooms, they seem to be in an abundance right now but it’s important to have other things here too,” says Pierre.

The Lafond Winery tasting room is open  from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday -Thursday, and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on May 2, 2014.

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.”

 

Fall Artfully Back to School

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

Back to School Get Creative!

There’s nothing quite like the creative inspiration found in the inviting smell of a fresh package of crayons or the satisfying sound you get from cracking the spine of a brand new notebook.

Whether you’re going back to school or simply back to work after Labor Day, why not lift your spirits—and expand your vocabulary—with something new, like fair trade messenger bags by Handmade Expressions, available from Folio (4437 Hollister Ave., 805/964-6800). The rules of geometry take on a whole new meaning with this Areaware Strida bike from Imagine (11 W. Canon Perdido St., 805/899-3700) which magically folds down to just the right size to stow, while the lessons of ingenuity are literally right at your fingertips with this bright diary and notebook from Upstairs at Pierre Lafond (516 San Ysidro Rd., Montecito, 805/565-1502).

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

See below for information about the rest of our finds from Folio, Imagine, Upstairs at Pierre Lafond, UCSB (University Center, 805/893-8321), Westmont College (955 La Paz Rd., Montecito, 805/565-6064) and SBCC (721 Cliff Dr., 805/730-4047).

Clockwise from top: hand woven jute and cotton Handmade Expressions messenger bags from Folio; recycled packaging material diary and notebook from Upstairs at Pierre Lafond; foldable Areaware Strida bike from Imagine; Forgotten Shanghai “Desk in a Bag” from Folio; and Cavallini & Co. Can o Clips clothespins and Chipiola curlicue paper clips from Folio.

Bike folds up and fits in knapsack.

PHOTOS: JULIA MEHLER, AREAWARE STRIDA BIKE COURTESY OF IMAGINE/AREAWARE

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

Santa Barbara Seasons, Local Lowdown, Fall 2010

A is for All-Ages Education

BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIME isn’t just for kids. Santa Barbara offers a plethora of educational opportunities for learners of all ages. Do you have a passion for plants? UCCE and Botanic Garden offers a master gardener training program this fall (mgsantab@ucdavis.edu). Participants learn about sustainable landscapes, identifying and managing pests, soil and plant nutrition, plant management practices and diagnosing plant problems, then apply their knowledge to assist schools, parks, retirement communities and Botanic Garden with various garden projects.

Why not indulge your artistic impulses and support the environment with a Saturday morning workshop at Art From Scrap (302 E. Cota St., 805/884-0459, www.artfromscrap.org). Almost every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, local artists like Dug Uyesaka, Holly Mackay and Bill McVicar lead workshops for children and adults to explore their creativity, all at the bargain price of $6, supplies included.

Want to learn more about art? Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1130 State St., 805/963-4364, www.sbmuseart.org) offers docent-led tours of special exhibitions Tuesday through Sunday at noon and an overview of the collection at 1 p.m. (free to members or with paid admission).

Want to learn to dance the tango, shape up with fitness classes, explore your musical side or teach your dog to stay off the couch? Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation (www.sbparksandrecreation.com/) offers low-cost classes in all of these things and more.

Don’t see anything that tickles your fancy here? Check out Santa Barbara City College Adult Education (http://omni.sbcc.edu/adulted/) and UCSB Extension (www.extension.ucsb.edu/), both of which offer hundreds of classes for lifelong learners.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Top–bottom: Covent Garden Newgate alarm clock and Acme Pens Studio Crayon Retractable Ballpoint Pens designed by Adrian Olabuenaga, all from Imagine; Illustrator’s Sketchbook and “The Game” youth hat from UCSB Bookstore; embroidered hat from Westmont College Bookstore; zippered hoodie from SBCC Bookstore; floral laptop case by Pylones will hold up to a 17” laptop, from Imagine; and Toms Shoes in brown plaid—for every pair of shoes purchased, this company gives new pair of shoes to a child in need—from Westmont College Bookstore.

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine, Fall 2010. Cover photo by Jim Bartsch.

Cover photo by Jim Bartsch.

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine, Fall 2010. Cover photo by Jim Bartsch.