Last night I got a stamp in my passport, and I did not even have to leave Santa Barbara. My passport to the world of wine has a red star stamped onto November’s Syrah page as evidence of my attendance to last night’s tasting at the Bistro. The event, which will be held on the first Wednesday of every month, is a sort of unveiling of the Bistro’s new wine list that features a healthy selection of wines from exceptional growing regions all over the world.
Walking into the restaurant, guests trade payment for a passport and a glass then head over to the first table where they are served the first of five wines. First stop was Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley: 2006 Santa Barbara Winery Syrah and 2006 Lafond SRH Syrah. Now, I taste these two wines all of the time in the tasting room, but it is very rare that I taste them next to each other. The Lafond Syrah is memorable for its characteristic fruit forwardness and balance, while the SBW Syrah has a more pronounced jammy fruit character complements of the warmer eastern valley. Each station had a food pairing for the wines (I was stuffed by the end of the night!), and the first was a bleu cheese and sauteed mushroom tart.
Half of the restaurant was sectioned off to provide plenty of room to spread out the stations and allow guests to stand up and mingle. There were also a few small tables set up along the outside of the space. I went out of order and after the California Syrah made my way over to Australia. Talk about a mouthful of fruit – big, dense, rich was the 2006 R Wines Boarding Pass Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. Lamb pops rested on a bed of mixed greens, and were bone lickingly delicious with the chewy New World wine.
Next on the list was Spain, which was represented by the 2005 Finca Antigua Syrah from La Mancha. This wine was a favorite with the most tannin of the bunch. While it was definitely a big wine it had a more refined edge than the Barossa Valley Syrah. It was appropriately served with a Manchego cheese quiche (Manchego also comes from La Mancha), which was rich and spilling out of its pastry shell.
And lastly, from France’s Northern Rhone Valley, was the 2005 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage - more subdued and elegant, and the most complex of the night. An old world style seamless integration of tannin, fruit, and pencil lead that is made in a completely different style than all of the other Syrahs that were poured. This wine was served with small crostini topped with smoked duck and dense chutney sauce.
Next month’s theme is Grenache. All wine selections are made by Bistro Sommelier, Zach Blair, and culinary selections prepared by Nathan Heil.
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Attention locals – are you looking for a last minute holiday party idea? The Santa Barbara Winery is the perfect intimate space to hold family and friend receptions and private wine tastings after hours. The barrel room offers a rustic space to catch up and you sip and taste among recently 2008 vintage filled oak barrels. Teaming up with The Bistro to offer the perfect pairings of tasty nibbles to go with the Santa Barbara Winery tasting everything is taken care of for you by our experienced staff. Private tastings are available and include the daily tasting selection for you and your guests to sip through. The tasting room staff will walk you through the winery’s background and provide you with more information than you ever wanted to know about each of the varietals produced. The winery’s barrel room is also open for private sit down dinners or fundraising events. It’s not too late to reserve a space. 
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