{"id":7678,"date":"2016-09-23T18:21:50","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T01:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7678"},"modified":"2016-09-23T10:24:10","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T17:24:10","slug":"cocktail-corner-celebration-of-harvest-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=7678","title":{"rendered":"Cocktail Corner: Celebration of Harvest Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Rodney's

Rodney’s Vineyard, photo by Rob Brown courtesy Santa Barbara Vintners.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Spirited Toast to All Things Alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our local winemakers have been hard at work amongst\u00a0the\u00a0vines, but now it\u2019s time for them to take a break for the annual celebration of the year\u2019s bounty. The annual\u00a0Celebration of Harvest Weekend <\/a>is a time to enjoy the fruits of those labors, when vintners pour their wines, and if you\u2019re lucky, share their harvest tales with\u00a0us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Celebration of Harvest Festival is celebrating its 25<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> year and a return to the Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang,” says Morgen McLaughlin<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Executive Director, Santa Barbara Vintners<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>The Grand Tasting features only Santa Barbara County wines, and is one of the longest running wine events in California.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The Festival Grand Tasting is Saturday, October 8\u00a0from noon-4 p.m. at Old Mission Santa Ines<\/a> in Solvang<\/a>.\u00a0All\u00a0100+ winery members\u00a0of Santa Barbara Vintners<\/a> will gather to present their wines, which are often poured by the winemakers themselves. A ticket gets you unlimited wine tastings from 100 Santa Barbara County wineries,\u00a0food samplings from\u00a0two dozen restaurants and food purveyors. Add in live music and wine\/cooking demos and you have a great festival.<\/p>\n

\"Grape

Grape Stomping at Saarloos, photo by Jose Villa, courtesy Santa Barbara Vintners.<\/p><\/div>\n

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“Many winemakers are in the middle of harvest this time of the year, so they will have lots of stories from the cellar to share. In the Connoisseur Club (individually ticketed) we have a wine and food pairing experience with the Ballard Inn<\/a> featuring wines from all of our different AVAs,” says McLaughlin.<\/p>\n

In addition, she says, “This year we are excited to feature a Women in Santa Barbara County Wine seminar <\/a>on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. In the afternoon, we have 100 winery members pouring nearly 500 different wines.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Moderated by\u00a0<\/span>Gabe Saglie<\/a> (Senior Editor for Travelzoo and a respected travel\/wine contributor for dozens of TV news programs and national shows), panelists include: Tara Gomez of\u00a0Kita<\/a>,\u00a0Kathy Joseph<\/a> of\u00a0Fiddlehead<\/a>,\u00a0Sonja Magdevski<\/a> of\u00a0Casa Dumetz<\/a>,\u00a0Erika Maldonado<\/a> of\u00a0Runway<\/a>,\u00a0Laura Roach of\u00a0Sanford <\/a>and\u00a0Denise Shurtleff of\u00a0Cambria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo courtesy Santa Barbara Vintners.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are also a number of special events throughout the weekend, including the dinner on Friday Evening (Oct. 7), when\u00a0the Santa Barbara County wine community will take a small respite from the harvest, along with attending wine lovers, who will all reach deep into their personal cellars,\u00a0to attend the Harvest\u00a0Dinner at Root 246<\/a> in the Fountain Courtyard, in downtown Solvang. Here, wine lovers will enjoy a\u00a0grazing meal with multiple food stations alongside wines brought and shared by fellow dinner guests and wine makers.\u00a0Each guest brings special\u00a0bottle of wine to share with fellow guests in the La Paul\u00e9e<\/a> style.<\/p>\n

Many of the wineries are hosting special events throughout the festival. Also available just for the weekend are an\u00a0all-inclusive tasting pass. \u00a0For all the details on the Grand Tasting and special events, and to purchase tickets click here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Cheers! Click here<\/a> for more cocktail corner columns.<\/p>\n

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\"Leslie<\/p>\n

When she\u2019s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes<\/i>\u00a0magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a \u201cgoal-oriented drinker.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine<\/em><\/a> on September 23, 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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