California Wine Festival: Part One

There are a lot of great wine events in Southern California, but my favorite has got to be the annual California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara. With dozens of wineries pouring under white tents just yards from the Pacific Ocean, an always-festive atmosphere and a completely reasonable entrance fee of $65, it's no wonder this tasting is jam-packed with people as soon as the doors open. And don't get me started on the copious restaurant, cheese and chocolate representatives showing off their wares or we'll be here all day!

The California Wine Festival gets a nice mix of widely-distributed and boutique wineries, as well as a  nice mix of price ranges. You can try a $7.99 Chardonnay in one tent and go next door for a $60 Cabernet blend. My goal in attending this year was to sniff out the wines with the best QPR: Quality/Price Ratio.

Read on for the highlights!

Most Exciting Wine Discovery - Cynthus Wines

Somehow this winery has been flying under the radar a bit, but with wines like these that can't last long! Owner James Murphy gave everyone a real treat by pouring a vertical of five consecutive years of his Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet, as well as an 01 Chardonnay that was still drinking beautifully. A lot of wineries offer day-of-the-festival specials and Cynthus was no exception. The 02 Cab, normally $53.99, could be ordered for just $24.99 per bottle and the 01 Chard was being blown out for just $7.99. Truly amazing prices for the high quality Napa and Russian River Valley fruit you're getting!


Most Exciting Non-Wine Discovery - BottleHood

BottleHood makes absolutely gorgeous tumblers and vases out of re-purposed bottles. This being a wine tasting, most of the glasses on display were made from wine bottles and they were just striking! I especially liked the glasses made from Four Vines and Kenwood Jack London bottles. A really memorable gift at $30 a pair. That's Steve from BottleHood making a quick cameo in the video.


Biggest Bargains - Barefoot Bubbly and Wily Jack

For bargain sparkling wines, you simply cannot beat Barefoot Bubbly. The Brut sells for just $8-10 per bottle and is the perfect accompaniment to your summer picnic. In terms of non-sparkling wines, I was happy to stumble upon Wily Jack, a fun new brand from wine and spirits behemoth Diageo. The Chardonnay had some nice tropical fruits and was not too oaky, and the Cab possessed some big, bold fruit that belied its under-$10 price tag. Both Barefoot and Wily Jack are available to us Southern California consumers in most major grocery stores.

Hear more from Michelle from Barefoot and Noelle from Wily Jack in the vid below.

The third winery featured in the video is One Hope Wine, a great operation that gives 50% of its profits to partner charities. That's Vice President Sarah giving us the altruistic low down.

Tune in next time for part two of my California Wine Festival wrap-up, including Best Boutique Winery, Best in Show and Best Chocolate and Cheese, yum! Until then, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @SavingsHSimas.