May 18th – Los Olivos, CA – The Fess Parker family is pleased to announce the arrival of The Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit to Los Olivos this July 15-17 – an event co-founded by the late Fess Parker that has historically taken place in Texas since debuting 15 years ago.
The Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit was founded by Parker and his friends Tom and Lisa Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse and Dr. Richard Becker of Becker Vineyards, who established the Texas non-profit to further cultivate the appreciation of fine wine and food through education and industry discussion. Though it has always been a three-day event in Buffalo Gap, Texas, for the first time ever the Summit will be venturing to Los Olivos as part of the California leg of the Summit’s three city tour, for an experience called The Rhône Rodeo.
The Rhône Rodeo weekend will kick off Friday, July 15 with a Grand Entry Reception at Epiphany tasting room in Los Olivos, featuring a casual evening of wine and appetizers in the garden. The fun continues on Saturday, July 16 with the Rhône Rodeo Symposium, a seminar showcasing flights of California and Texas Rhône wines in a head-to-head educational discussion. Panelists from both Santa Barbara County and Texas will be represented, including Blair Fox, of the Fess Parker Family Portfolio and Blair Fox Cellars; Tyler Eck of the Fess Parker Family Portfolio and Dunites; Bryan Babcock of Babcock Winery & Vineyards; Matt Dees of Kimsey Vineyard; Jon Leahy of Becker Vineyards; Kassandra Mcpherson of Kim Mcpherson Wines; and Ron Yates of Spicewood Vineyards and Ron Yates Wine. Following the seminar, attendees will experience a behind-the-scenes tour of Fess Parker Winery, as well as a Santa Maria style BBQ lunch at the picturesque Rodney’s Vineyard.
The Saturday portion of the Summit will conclude with a sparkling wine reception on the Fess Parker Winery terrace, followed by a multi-course wine dinner prepared by Bouchon Santa Barbara. And to close the weekend out, on Sunday, July 17 attendees will enjoy a Bonne Journee Brunch in the garden, featuring delectable food from Los Olivos’ Nella Kitchen & Bar.
All access tickets for the whole weekend are available for $800. Individual tickets for the Saturday Rhône Rodeo Symposium are also available a la carte for $200, which includes the winery tour and BBQ lunch. Please visit http://www.buffalogapsummit.com/events/ or call 800-367-1721 to purchase.
About The Fess Parker Family Portfolio
Since the late 1980s, Fess Parker and his family have cultivated a world-class hospitality portfolio around the beauty and bounty of Santa Barbara County. The Fess Parker Winery is focused on the grape varieties best suited to the region’s unique growing conditions – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rhone wines – with its vintages consistently earning 90+ point ratings from top critics around the world. In addition to a waterfront hotel in Santa Barbara, the family honors their late patriarch’s legacy by hosting guests at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos, the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. For more information, please visit www.fessparker.com.
