Wednesday, January 18th @ 7 PM, A virtual & interactive presentation between you and the experts!
December 21st – Santa Barbara has come a L-O-N-G way in wine and is now recognized as one of California’s PREMIER locations for exceptional hand crafted artisan wines. The fact is, even top level Napa Valley producers are making Santa Barbara renditions and the list of long term wine pioneers has expanded tenfold over the past 20 years. The Sideways effect has morphed into something else as the young wine drinkers have not even seen the movie and the region continues to add fans for an expanding set of reasons.
On January 18th LearnAboutWine will gather six prominent wine producers to discuss the wines of Santa Barbara and to reflect on the past and peer into the future. Wine expert Ian Blackburn will host the 1.25 hour tasting experience alongside six top name brand Santa Barbara wine icons. Explore Santa Barbara from the comfort of your own home and learn from the trend setters themselves – Jeff Nelson, Ernst Storm, Kris Curran, Bruno D’Alfonso, Paul Lato, Matt Dees, and newcomers Mireia Taribó & Tara Gomez! Participants will have a choice of (a) tasting flight kit (six x 2.0 oz) or (b) six bottle kit delivered right to your door. Early Bird tickets are on sale now – limited to 50 guests. Prices increase as the event date approaches! Visit ZOOMINTOWINE.COM for tickets and information.
Wine List:
- Liquid Farm, Golden Slope Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, California, 2018
- 94 Points – Presented by Jeff Nelson (Owner/CEO)
- Donnachadh Family Vineyards, Estate Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills, 2019
- 94 Points – Presented by Ernst Storm (Winemaker)
- D’Alfonso-Curran, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, California, 2018
- Presented by Bruno D’Alfonso & Kris Curran (Winemakers)
- Paul Lato, ‘Ora de Labora’ Bien Nacido Vineyard Grenache Santa Maria Valley, 2018
- 93 Points – Presented by Paul Lato (Owner/Winemaker)
- Mail Road, Mount Carmel Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, California, 2015
- 96 Points – Presented by Matt Dees (Winemaker)
- Camins 2 Dreams, Syrah, Zotovich Vineyard, Santa Barbara, California, 2018
- 95 Points – Presented by Mireia Taribó & Tara Gomez (Co-Owners/Co-Winemakers)
For a higher tier (highest?) tasting – see our TASTE OF THE BEST on Dec 28th
ABOUT IAN TODD BLACKBURN
Wine Educator, Professional Sommelier / Host and Master of Wine Student – Ian discovered the wine industry at the ripe age of 21 while working for famous chefs such as Thomas Keller and Joachim Splichal in the top dining rooms of Los Angeles. The discovery of wine and his endless need for knowledge quickly engulfed Ian’s life. His passion would eventually redirect his career from restaurants and hotels to vineyards and education. In 1995 LearnAboutWine.com was born, becoming the first website dedicated to wine education.
With over 25-years of experience traveling the wine world, Ian is a published author (Wiley Publications, 2002), has 10 vintages of top level winemaking on his resume at Beekeeper Cellars, and is considered one of the region’s best wine educators. Ian’s push to evolve and his ability to pivot has produced a strata of new concepts such as, ZoomIntoWine.com (virtual education), MerchantofWine.com (the family’s online wine store), and now the return of in-person gatherings with LearnAboutWine.com. Ian maintains high levels of entertainment and enthusiasm at his events by using all the great gathering spots in LA as potential venues. All while making a name for himself in the wine industry, Ian has never forgotten to give back to the community. Over the last few years he has raised over $650,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation, which donates to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to help fund research to cure cancer in children. The combined charity efforts of LearnAboutWine have raised over a million dollars for a variety of causes throughout Los Angeles and beyond.
