The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association will once again host its popular “Celebration of Harvest” festival, this year highlighting the amazing variety of food, as well as wine produced in Santa Barbara County . “Harvest is such an exciting time for everyone working here in the Valley” states Michael Larner, President of the Vintners’ Association. “Not just for the winegrape harvest, but also for apples, pears, and other fruits as well as pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, greens- you name it. We thought it would be really enjoyable for our visitors to experience the harvest as a whole.” The stunning grounds of the Rancho Sisquoc Winery will provide a perfect venue for the festival, to be held on Saturday, October 8, 2011.
The 100+ winery members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association will all be pouring their wines at the festival and will be joined by local caterers and restaurants, many of whom are partnering with the grower members of the Santa Rosa Hills CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to create appetizers with a truly local flair. To keep the action lively, Margie Nelson’s jazz/swing band and Sean Wiggins & One Lone Goat (R&B/Blues) will provide swinging music for the event, and author Rex Pickett returns to sign copies of his Sideways and Vertical, his new novel. The always popular silent auction will benefit local charity, People Helping People.
Vintners are also planning special events to enhance the festival at the many tasting rooms in Santa Barbara County. The “Vintners’ Visa”, a 4-day passport to 12 participating wineries will be available for sale through the Vintners’ Association, and a detailed listing of events hosted by member wineries will be posted on the website at www.sbcountywines.com.
The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association is a non-profit trade association which promotes Santa Barbara County as a premier winegrowing region. There are currently over 100 winery and grower members. For more information, contact the Vintners’ Association at (805) 688-0881 or via email at information@sbcountywines.com.
