Food and Wine Scene in Santa Barbara

In many ways, being Food Editor at Touring and Tasting is a dream job. One of the most enjoyable tasks has been putting together the recipe section of our website and receiving wine pairing recipes from wineries and wine country restaurants. Often, there is not an accompanying photo, so I need to cook and photograph the dish. This has been a tremendously educational experience for me as a person interested in food and wine pairing. I've relished the opportunity to learn from the choices winemakers, chefs and winery owners have made when creating a recipe to complement the flavors of a particular wine. Two of my many favorites: the Winderlea Vineyard and Winery’s Peach Caprese Salad and the Oysters with Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Blancs Mignonette.

Outside of work, when I'm not posting fabulous wine pairing recipes from wineries and accommodations in Touring and Tasting magazine, I run a wine tasting Meetup group in Touring and Tasting's home base of Santa Barbara. I started Inside Wine Santa Barbara with my friend Lila Brown, a terrific cook who also works in the wine business. We met in culinary school and became "baking buddies" and friends, based on our mutual love of all things food and wine.

From our first event in September of last year, we have been fortunate to have a number of winemakers come to pour their wine for the group. One of the highlights was Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard, which is a must-visit in the Santa Ynez Valley, with 106 acres lovingly planted to vine, herbs, vegetables and fruit using organic and sustainable methods. Winemaker Karen Steinwachs charmed us with her wit as well as her carefully crafted wines. Another highlight was Clay and Fredericka Thompson of Claiborne and Churchill Vintner's in Edna Valley who poured their delicious Pinot Noir and Alsatian-style whites while regaling us with stories from their exceptionally interesting history. In January, we all enjoyed the rich and powerful Paso Robles wines poured by winemaker/owner Donald Thiessen of Stacked Stone Cellars.

Touring and Tasting has generously sponsored several of our Inside Wine events, including our inaugural wine tasting in the open-air, Spanish-style courtyard of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and at the classy ocean-view Hyatt Santa Barbara. Our members have appreciated tasting many of the fine wines that are offered in Touring and Tasting's diverse wine club levels, like the 2009 Rodney Strong Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2009 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, and 2008 Tamber Bey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Lucky raffle winners at our Holiday Party took home big wine gift baskets from Touring and Tasting stuffed with gourmet treats and delicious wines, and all enjoyed the Roxo Port tasting paired with chocolate desserts from Bistro 1111 in the Hyatt Santa Barbara.

Our next event is March 23rd, when we'll have a picnic and wine tasting in the pastoral vineyards of Refugio Ranch, an expansive site with lovely views, normally not open to the general public. Once part of one of the original Spanish land grants, the 415 acre estate vineyard is now owned by Kevin Gleason and his family who have the land sustainably farmed and the grapes hand-harvested to insure optimum quality. Under winemaker Ryan Deovlet's guidance, the wines are complex and beautifully balanced.

On May 30th, Brian McClintic and Eric Railsback, fresh from the hit film "Somm", will host a varietal tasting for Inside Wine Santa Barbara at their new wine bar. The "wine ghetto" or "funk zone" in Santa Barbara stretches along E. Cabrillo from State Street to Garden. It has been slowly developing into a wine destination over the last several years. Now, it is poised to become a wine pairing destination as well, with several new businesses going in, the most exciting of which is Caveau Bar a' Vins opening this spring at 131 Anacapa Street. Brian and Eric are bringing their kitchen team from San Francisco to whip up tasty creations to pair with their local and international wines.

The documentary "Somm" which debuted at the Napa Film Festival, sold out at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival and was bought by Samuel Goldwyn for theatrical distribution, follows a group of young sommeliers studying for the test to become a Master Sommelier. Only 186 people in the world have earned the title of Master Sommelier in the four decades the test has been in place. The test is that difficult! Applicants have to pass a rigorous written exam, a test of their wine service skills, and a test in which they need to identify the varietal, vintage, region and perhaps the brand of six wines--in a blind tasting with a total time of just 25 minutes.

One of the successful candidates to receive the coveted title of Master Sommelier is the tall, dark and broodingly handsome Brian McClintic. Brian began his wine service at Morton's Steakhouse in Costa Mesa, California, going on to work at Marche Moderne in the same area, then The Little Nell, Il Mulino and Matsuhisa, in Aspen, Colorado before passing the rigorous Master Sommelier exam. He is partnering with Eric Railsback, an Advanced Sommelier, in Caveau Bar a' Vins. Eric began his distinguished career selling wine at the venerable Wine Cask of Santa Barbara, moving on to be the wine director of the hip Hungry Cat, then Osteria Mozza and Gordon Ramsey in Los Angeles. He was asked to help open Michael Mina's RN 74 wine bar and restaurant in San Francisco where he led a team of sommeliers before starting the new Santa Barbara venture. The wine bar is slated to open mid-May, but Brian joked that our Inside Wine event may be "a hard hat party". Stay tuned!