October 6, 2004
Bounty of the CountyThe Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association will once again host its popular "Celebration of Harvest" festival, embracing the excitement of harvest and diversity of what the region offers. It will be held this Saturday afternoon, October 9th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the stunning grounds of Rancho Sisquoc Winery located in the Santa Maria Valley.
With the theme of “Bounty of the County”, over 100 wineries and wine growers will be featured along local farmers, ranchers, caterers, and restaurants who will be preparing dishes made from the area’s finest, fresh ingredients.
"Harvest is such an exciting time for everyone working here in the Valley," states Michael Hartmann, President of the Vintners’ Association. “All year long we prepare for this moment. The air is electric with anticipation. And it’s not just for wine grapes but also apples, strawberries, avocados, pumpkins, olives, you name it. We thought it would be really enjoyable for our visitors get a taste of the harvest experience as a whole and share the community spirit."
Festival goers will also see winemaking demonstrations, challenge their palates with wine grape varietal sampling, be able to learn about local agriculture, and visit vendor and artist booths. A silent auction and live, foot-stomping music rounds out the event. Additional activities are also being planned. Tickets for the festival are available for sale through the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association, and local wineries.
To enhance the festival experience, many of the wineries in Santa Barbara County are planning a special welcome with open houses, winemaker dinners, tastings of limited edition wines, and great festival-only pricing at their tasting rooms and wine shops. A detailed listing of events hosted by member wineries and wine growers 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 SBCVA at (805) 688-0881 or via e-mail at info@sbcountywines.com.
The Santa Barbara Vintners’ Association has chosen a watercolor painting by award-winning artist James Pratt to grace the 2004 Celebration of Harvest poster. Pratt’s watercolor of a wine barrel in the midst of harvest crops epitomized the “Bounty of the County” theme of this year’s event.
“The members of the Vintners’ Association are, of course, primarily concerned with the wine grape harvest” states Michael Hartmann, President of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association. “But the excitement of harvest is so much bigger than just wine grapes. We wanted to provide our visitors with a wine and food experience, all centered on Santa Barbara County’s agricultural diversity. That idea grew into our ‘Bounty of the County’ theme for this year’s Celebration of Harvest. We think James’ painting visually imparts that feeling.”
Bon appetit!
Wine lover and Santa Maria Times Wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the bucolic Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
