Champagne tasting!
Horses, cows and pigs 🙂
Beautiful scenery and walks…
Yes, that’s what our life in Santa Ynez Valley has consisted of recently!
Living an amazing life in Santa Ynez Valley!
Category: Wine
Amazing weekend of fun at Taste of Santa Ynez Valley
Steve and I attended a great wine and food weekend in the Santa Barbara wine country a few weeks ago. The Taste of Santa Ynez Valley is a four day, six town celebration of the restaurants, wineries and activities across my new home. I’ve written before about how much I love this area. And the wonderful November weather makes this a don’t-miss event!
Wine and warmth at the International Pinot Noir Celebration
The International Pinot Noir Celebration is a big deal amongst serious wine drinkers. We have gone a couple of times to this event over the years, but this was the first time since COVID. It’s basically summer camp for adult wine drinkers. We had a fantastic time!
Tasty pinot and panini at Van Duzer Winery
We were recently up in Oregon wine country for a Pinot Noir festival (more to come on that soon!) Our good friends who live up there took us to Van Duzer Winery. Wow! It was incredibly beautiful, I highly recommend it when you are in the area.
A wonderful day of wine at the World of Pinot Noir
I think you all know by now that I love wine, and most importantly, I love pinot noir. Every year, there is an event called World of Pinot Noir. It is 3 days of education and enjoyment of this amazing grape! And this year it took place at the Ritz Carlton Bacara here in Santa Barbara County in early March.
Summer Friday off with wine tasting at Grassini Winery
From my previous posts, you likely know that I enjoy wine, and I enjoy wine tasting. Earlier this year, my friend Lauren and I joined the wine club at Grassini Winery mainly for its excellent Sauvignon Blanc. And it didn’t hurt that they have a great tasting room in Santa Barbara for us to visit! But it was time for a trip to the actual winery in Santa Ynez, about 45 minutes away. On a recent Friday off, Steve and I made a reservation at the winery and made a day of wine tasting at Grassini Winery.
Beautiful glassware to add some sparkle to your home
I have always loved glassware. Beautiful glassware is a great way to add some sparkle to your house, from wine glasses to candle hurricanes. And frequently, the price for great glassware is very reasonable, for the beauty and functionality it provides.
Kate is also a fan of nice glassware– I wonder if we picked this up from our mom? Kate has (and I am not exaggerating) at least 60 wine/cocktail glasses, including some gorgeous Tiffany highballs and DOFs. We both got married in the last generation that registered for things like wine glasses, silver, and china. So we’ve both got plenty of all of it!
I don’t envy my poor daughter when she inherits all this! The one positive is that all the glassware she’ll be getting will be timeless, sparkly additions to her house one day. She may not want the 12 Raynaud china chargers (heck, I think I’ve only used them once!) but I’m pretty sure she’ll still need wine glasses.
Continue reading “Beautiful glassware to add some sparkle to your home”Santa Barbara summer weekend with old friends
In late August, I had two friends visit us in Santa Barbara for the weekend. It was a great excuse to plan a few fun activities.
Wine tasting at home
I bought a wine tasting evening at a wine auction this past winter with Sweetzer Winery. Sweetzer is a Santa Ynez Valley winery specializing in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They have a tasting room in Lompoc. The auction item was a wine tasting for 10 people in their tasting room or at your home. I asked if they would be willing to come to our home and do the tasting outside for the group, in the spirit of social distancing. The winemaker and his wife who is the face of the brand were game to come bearing masks and some great wines.
Continue reading “Santa Barbara summer weekend with old friends”Amuse bouche*: wine tumblers
I’ve found the perfect everyday wine tumbler- Riedel wine tumblers. If you haven’t figured it out yet from my posts, I drink a lot of wine! A bit of trivia about me: I am a trained Sommelier. But these days all I do is enjoy wine- from wine tasting to buying wine to sharing wine with my friends and family. I’ve been looking for the perfect everyday wine glass and finally found it!
Continue reading “Amuse bouche*: wine tumblers”Wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley
Steve and I ventured out for some wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley this past weekend. After reading our blog for a while, you probably have guessed that we love wine tasting; you can check out our earlier post on tasting at Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara earlier this summer.
Social distancing rules
At most wineries you need to make appointments so they can ensure social distancing.
It was a great day, and it almost felt like “normal”. Whatever that means! We’ve been wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley for years now, and it was great to see the wineries open and bustling.
Continue reading “Wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley”