Winter feast

The inspired wine pairings of Julienne’s Emma West

By angela Borda

dence Syrah blend of “Parea.” Think plums and blackberries with a tart snap, cuts through the succulent density of braised lamb. For the vegetarian palate, winter might inspire the cauliflower floret salad with pickled carrots, Pecorino Romano, and lemongarlic oil. Try a light, fresh Grenache Rosé with this dish. Emma particularly favors the 2014 Rancho Boa Vista Grenache Rosé that Potek Wines is serving straight from the barrel. With richer winter dishes, such as stewed lentils with herbed goat cheese, Emma suggests a glass of 2013 Tatomer Pinot Noir. Grown in the Duvarita Vineyard and aged in French oak barrels, expect a smooth, floral bouquet of autumn berries to complement the earthy lentils and tangy goat cheese.

When speaking about Santa Barbara wines, Emma clearly values the relationships she has with the winemakers, her familiarity with their methods, and the sense of culinary family that pervades Santa Barbara. She especially favors Tatomer Rieslings, made by friend Graham Tatomer, who served as the original sommelier at Julienne before he left to pursue wine-making full time. When she speaks of Santa Barbara’s Palmina Wines, it is not just the wine she appreciates, but owner Steve Clifton’s generosity in the time he spent wine tasting with her and the risotto he cooked for her to highlight the wine’s flavor. Transcendence wines are also staples on her list, not only for taste, but due to the fact that the winery gives a percentage of their proceeds to local nonprofits.

Relationships seem to be behind Emma’s impeccable sense of local wine. This extends to her emphasis on hospitality as the key to enjoying wine and food pair- ings. “We eat with our eyes first. But we also drink with our eyes first,” Emma says, noting that presenting the bottle at the table, and explaining its origins and qualities will create a connection between the wine and the customer. Just as Emma has a personal resonance with the winemakers of Santa Barbara, she likes her guests to have a layered understanding of what makes for an amazing glass of wine.

After an evening of dynamic wine selections and eclectic seasonal dishes, Emma hopes to impart a sense of satiety, that includes experiencing food and wine together in new ways, combined with the sense that your meal was “just right”…meaning that everything was as it should be. A good wine pairing will give you that: widening and exploring your palate while giving you the incontrovertible sense that you’ve been welcomed to the table and well-fed. Ambitious? Perhaps. But Emma is just getting started. She and her husband recently opened Wildwood Kitchen on Haley Street, a barbecue restaurant featuring local wine and craft beer, including those from the neighboring Potek Winery tasting room and Third Window Brewery.

A Taste of The Valley: Los Olivos

Whether you day trip or spend the weekend, you won’t run out of wine tasting options

By leslie a . westBrook

In once-upon-a-time sleepy Los Olivos, it is just about impossible to turn around these days without bumping into a wine tasting room. No matter which way you point your wine-sniffing nose— from the town’s iconic center flagpole roundabout – north, east, south or west – you will discover knowledgeable tasting room hosts, fantastic wines from the region and camaraderie with like-minded visitors.

Days open at wine tasting rooms, as well as retail business, vary – some are only open weekends, others seven days a week. If you visit on a weekday rather then bustling weekends, you might experience the Los Olivos of yesteryear: more often less crowded, with relieved residents picking up their mail or sipping a cup of java at Corner Coffee, just a stone’s throw from the town’s iconic flagpole, where the flag flies at half staff for locals only.

Tasting room venues decor runs the gamut from small and cozy to hip, open and airy – some even have lovely outdoor patios. Your hosts will be equally unique.

Take Sandra, for instance, who, while pouring tasty Syrah from inside the red barn with a persimmon tree out front at Stolpman Vineyards Tasting Room, pontificated soup-to-nuts info, including dry farming and crop sharing practices that takes place on the winery’s 92-acre organic vineyard. Sandra, like many others in town, filled our ears with a Jeroboam of wine speak—much more than I could absorb in one lesson. Stolpman’s profit sharing program with their workers is reason enough to pick up a bottle of the tasty 2014 Para Maria de los Tecolotes, named for the vineyard forewoman.

At Epiphany Cellars, a different Maria was beyond helpful in making us feel right at home in the tasting room. It’s hard not to be impressed by Epiphany’s stylish, bright, light environment. Sink into the bright orange couches or share a table with friends and let Eli (son of Fess “Davey Crockett”) Parker’s wines seduce. On the same property, with a lovely shared outdoor patio for tasting, you’ll discover the recently opened Bubble Shack, where sparkling wines are poured in a weathered barn open weekends only (sadly closed at the time of my weekday visit).

A few friends and I had begun our after lunch tastings at Byron ($10 tasting fee, waived with purchase of two bottles) known for its Chardonnays and Pinot Noir. We especially liked Julia’s 2012 Pinot Noir from winery founder Ken Brown.

Three stops were more than plenty for one afternoon of tasting. Generally speaking, you’d be fine visiting two or three tasting rooms tops (you can always spit or sip and dump) as most pour 6 (six), one-ounce tastes, which equals one glass of wine. If you are a wine club member or guest of a member, tastings are free.

“If you spit or pour, you can do four” makes a good motto.

But man and woman cannot live on wine alone.

There’s eating, shopping and yes, even coffee drinking and olive oil tasting to be done. Porch sitting at Corner House Coffee makes for pleasant pastime—and the gelato makes for a tasty palette cleanser. It’s a struggle passing up the clothing and gift sales at Bonita, Avec Moi, and Pierre La Fond —and not to forget Toro for men, among other boutiques in town. Be sure to pop upstairs to check out “rock and roll chic” vintage re-runs and one-of-a-kind blue chip designer clothing at The Style Junction, Sue TurnerCray’s playbox (the lively mother of one is married to Grammy award winning musician Robert Cray).

When you tire of wine and shopping, stretch your legs and take a stroll less than a mile down Grand Avenue to the curve in the road and hang at Global Gardens, where olive maven Theo Stephan presides over her charming olive oil tasting garden and patio (open Fridays-Sundays or by appointment and www.globalgardensonline.com) for tastings, picnicking and titillating conversation. Just a bit further, on the opposite side of Alamo Pintado Road, Douglas Dittmar hawks three varieties of his delicious organic apples from at his Greenhaven Apple Orchard stand, adding to the farm-totable experience.

In Los Olivos town, hearty fare at Sides Hardware and Shoes (don’t be tricked by the name) is super popular (we love the killer pork belly tacos on Taco Tuesdays and fried Brussels sprouts any day of the week). Or take a break from wine and hit the “Fig Brewery” (Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.) and have a pizza delivered from Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe.

There’s also great grub in nearby Santa Ynez (S.Y. Kitchen, Trattoria Grappolo and Brothers Restaurant at The Red Barn); Solvang (Mad & Vin, the excellent new restaurant at The Landsby Hotel); and Buellton (Industrial Eats).

If you manage to make the rounds of the more than 40 tasting rooms in Los Olivos, there’s always Solvang, which has another 20 tasting rooms to be explored on a future visit.

We are lucky to have the pleasures of the Santa Ynez Valley as Santa Barbara’s backyard. Although close, one feels so far away, making Los Olivos a perfect weekend getaway.

Don’t drink and drive. A D.U.I. could cost you $10,000, not to mention the risk of harming others and yourself. Savoir Faire Wine Tours and Santa Barbara Airbus, among many others, offer day trips. The UBER Wine app is especially cost effective with a group, with your designated driver who waits, while you sip.

Better yet, spend the night.

Fess Parker Wine County Inn & Spa. Set in the heart of Los Olivos and perfect for not having to drive, the Parker family’s inn is a lovely option if $600-$900 per night (before tax) is within your budget. 2869 Grand Avenue. Los Olivos, phone: (805) 688-7788.www.fessparkerinn.com

The Landsby Hotel. More affordable, with rates starting at $225 per night, is The Landsby Hotel, which opened last spring and is expanding this year. Set in the heart of Solvang, the small hotel sits one short block from the bus ($1.50) that runs to Los Olivos for wine tasting. Contemporary Scandinavian-style with modern wooden furnishings and wool knit and furry throws makes this cool and stylish 41-room inn a fresh choice. The restaurant, Mad & Vin (“food and wine” in Danish) under the wise hand of uber chef Matthew Nathan, is definitely worth a detour. The Lobby bar “Happy Hour” is popular with locals and guests alike for snacks and $5 wines from Lucas & Lewellan or cocktail of the evening. “Autumn Leaves”, a tasty rum concoction made with The Landsby creative team’s apricot/vinegar/sugar shrub and named for the jazz standard, provided a refreshing break from wine tasting. 1576 Mission Drive, Solvang, (805) 688-3121.www.thelandsby.com.

EAT.

Sides Hardware and Shoes, a Brothers restaurant, Comfort food in a historic comfort building. 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, (805) 6884820

S.Y. Kitchen. Hearty Italian cuisine includes homemade pastas; lamb shank and daily specials served in a lively atmosphere, with excellent cocktails from mixologist Alberto Battaglini and possibly the best tiramisu on the planet. 1110 Faraday Street, Santa Ynez, phone: (805) 691-9794 www. sykitchen.com

VIN & MAD, The Landsby Hotel (see above). Chef Seth Nathan has traveled the globe and it shows in his imaginative, tasty cuisine. Delicious fare from homemade granola in the morning to a killer Cauliflower Rice Bowl (with Eastern herbs and local mushrooms) and everything in-between, satisfies. The Landsby Hotel, 1576 Mission Dr, Solvang, (805) 688-3121.www.thelandsby.com.

Santa Barbara Style

The ultra chic and modern Stanza Round Coffee Table ($2,095.00, 36” x 19”) features bronze legs with marble top. The new 7’ long Modern Tufted Beverly Sofa ($6,9995) is shown in cream Ultra Suede available custom in a variety of colors and fabrics.

Santa Barbara Design Center, 410 Olive St, (805) 962-8555. www. santabarbaradc.com