{"id":8407,"date":"2018-01-20T12:58:26","date_gmt":"2018-01-20T20:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=8407"},"modified":"2018-01-19T16:02:48","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T00:02:48","slug":"cocktail-corner-southern-exposure-garagiste-wine-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=8407","title":{"rendered":"Cocktail Corner: Southern Exposure\u00a0Garagiste Wine Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Southern

Southern Exposure\u00a0Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Solvang Feb. 9-11, featuring just about every varietal of small production wines. Courtesy photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! \u00a0By\u00a0Leslie Dinaberg<\/a><\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

The Garagiste Festival is back in Solvang next month and I am so excited to taste what they have in store for us this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

A fun and very unique wine festival celebrating small production wines and their makers (who are usually there to pour and talk about all things vino),\u00a0Garagistes<\/em><\/a> (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to put down renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their \u201cgarages\u201d (anything not a chateau), who refused to follow the rules, and has now become a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2018 Southern Exposure Garagiste Wine Festiva<\/a>l, which features more than 30 of California\u2019s best micro-production wineries, takes place on Feb. 9-11\u00a0<\/span>at the Veterans\u2019 Memorial Hall<\/a> in Solvang\u00a0(1745 Mission Dr.).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New this year, the festival\u2019s sixth in Santa Barbara County, is a seminar series that pays tribute to the \u201cOriginal Garagistes,\u201d featuring a Q&A and wine tasting with Central Coast winemaking pioneer, Bob Lindquist<\/a> of Qup\u00e9<\/a>.\u00a0 An original Rh\u00f4ne Ranger<\/a>\u00a0(America’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines) and recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award, Lindquist was one of the first in the wine industry to advocate American-made Syrah and other Rh\u00f4ne varietals. His winery Qup\u00e9 has been named one of the Wineries of the Year for Wine & Spirits Magazine <\/i><\/a>every year since 1999.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA true original garagiste, Bob is an inspiration to micro-production winemakers everywhere and epitomizes everything that the American Garagiste movement is about\u2014handcrafting stunning wines from under-appreciated grapes, ignoring established rules, innovating and taking risks and generously sharing knowledge with peers,\u201d says Garagiste Festival Co-founder Doug Minnick<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cThere would be no Garagiste movement, no Rhone Rangers\u2014and the Central Coast would still be a blip on the way to Napa\u2014without visionary winemakers like Bob.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Southern

Southern Exposure\u00a0Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Solvang Feb. 9-11, for its sixth annual festival. Courtesy photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

The weekend’s fun kicks off\u00a0on Friday\u00a0night, Feb. 9<\/span>, with a “No Repeats, Rare and Reserve” tasting and BBQ, featuring food from local favorite Neighbor Tim\u2019s BBQ<\/a>\u00a0(6480 Calle Real, Goleta). The “Original Garagiste” event with\u00a0Lindquist<\/span>\u00a0takes place on\u00a0Saturday, Feb. 10, immediately preceding the Grand Tasting, at Veterans Memorial Hall. Sunday, Feb. 11\u00a0<\/span><\/span>marks the return of Passport Day, which offers special deals at participating local wineries for Garagiste Festival ticket holders who want to further explore the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Winemakers already scheduled to pour include:<\/span><\/p>\n

Ann Albert Wines<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n

Ascension Cellars<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Bevela Wines<\/a>, Central Coast<\/p>\n

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\"Courtesy

Courtesy photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bradley Family Winery<\/a>, Santa Ynez Valley<\/p>\n

Buscador Wine<\/a>, Buellton<\/p>\n

Byron Blatty<\/a>\u00a0Wines, Los Angeles<\/p>\n

Caliza Winery<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Camlow Cellars<\/a>, Russian River Valley<\/span><\/p>\n

Cavaletti Vineyards<\/a>, Southern California<\/p>\n

Cholame Vineyard<\/a>, Buellton<\/p>\n

Cloak & Dagger Wines<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Clos de Amis Winery<\/a>, Ventura County<\/p>\n

Cordon Wine<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n

D. Volk Wines<\/a>, Santa Ynez Valley\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Courtesy

Courtesy Garagiste Festival.<\/p><\/div>\n

Diablo Paso<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Dunites Wine Co.<\/a>, San Luis Obispo County<\/span><\/p>\n

Dusty Nabor Wines<\/a>, Westlake Village<\/p>\n

El Lugar Wines<\/a>, San Luis Obispo<\/span><\/p>\n

Elwood Wines<\/a>, Santa Maria Valley<\/p>\n

Golden Triangle<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Ground Truth Wine<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n

Hoi Polloi Wines<\/a>, Central Coast<\/span><\/p>\n

Kimsey Vineyards<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/span><\/p>\n

Luna Hart Wines<\/a>, Buellton<\/span><\/p>\n

March Wines<\/a>, Napa Valley<\/p>\n

Marin\u2019s Vineyard<\/a>, Lockwood\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Courtesy Garagiste Festival<\/p><\/div>\n

MCV Wines<\/a>, Morro Bay<\/span><\/p>\n

Metrick Wines<\/a>, throughout California<\/span><\/p>\n

Mollie Wines<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/span><\/p>\n

Montagne Russe<\/a>, Mill Valley<\/p>\n

Montemar Winery<\/a>, Lompoc<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan Cochrane Wines<\/a>, Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n

Serrano Wine<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/p>\n

Sycamore Ranch Winery<\/a>, Crestline<\/span><\/p>\n

TLO Wines<\/a>,\u00a0 Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Torch Cellars<\/a>, Paso Robles\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TW Fermentation Co.<\/a>, Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Velvet Bee Wine<\/a>, Santa Ynez Valley<\/span><\/p>\n

Vino Vargas<\/a>, San Miguel<\/span><\/p>\n

Volatus Wines,\u00a0<\/a>Paso Robles<\/span><\/p>\n

Weatherborne Wine Co.,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n

Called \u201cwildly exuberant and fun,\u201d \u201cwine tasting Nirvana\u201d and \u201cnot-to-be missed\u2019 by the Los Angeles Times<\/em>, Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure has showcased hundreds of micro-production winemakers from Santa Barbara\/Santa Ynez area, many of who poured their first vintage at the festival and have gone on to greater renown.<\/p>\n

Garagiste Festivals Inc. is a nonprofit organization and benefits the Garagiste Scholarship at Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Department<\/a>, so not only can you drink great wine and meeting interesting winemakers, your ticket also gives back to local youth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information, visit\u00a0californiagaragistes.com<\/a>. Hope to see some of you there.\u00a0\u00a0Cheers! Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for 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>\u00a0mag<\/i>azine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a \u201cgoal-oriented drinker.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons<\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n

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