Riding Santa Barbara’s Urban Wave

I’ll never forget the first time I fell in love with Grenache. I was at a fancy restaurant on an otherwise unmemorable date, and I decided to splurge on the tasting menu with wine pairing. The main course came with a glass of red wine, and upon my first sip my taste buds ignited with…

[vc_row padding_setting=”1″ desktop_padding=”no-padding-tb”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] 2018 Harvest Notes [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]In the past week, winter has finally set in along the Central Californian coast and rain is soaking the now-dormant vineyards. The harvest is officially in the bag, even for those vintners that like to let the grapes hang late. Lumen’s wines were tucked away in their barrels…

The first glass of wine that I liked was a White Zinfandel.  As hard as that is to admit, many people come to love this beverage (and yes, it is just a beverage) by starting at the bottom.  That glass of White Zinfandel appealed to me at a young age because it was sweet and…

The 2013 harvest began in Sierra Madre vineyard with the picking of Pinot Noir Clone 667 on September 4.  Woohoo!  As usual, Lane Tanner (winemaker and co-owner) was the first to pick in the area – it’s her style, and what you get is a wine that is naturally lower in alcohol but beautiful, graceful,…

The Controversy over Wine Scores For many decades now, wine critics have been reviewing wines, and wine consumers have been following their guidance.  This fact is hardly surprising given the sheer number of wines on our supermarket shelves, and the high prices we encounter when walking down the aisles.  None of us likes to make…

SMV is Ripe on the Vine When Lane puts on her magic yellow boot, we know it’s almost time for harvest.  Lane has donned this fine piece of footwear ever since 1982, early in her wine career, and damn near the infancy of Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir.  “I lost the other boot somewhere along…