Society 805

MAY

California's Central Coast Wine

By Shawn Burgert

in Fine Wines

Throughout California, there are many wine appellations or AVA's. Each is broken down by distinctions like climate and soil that produce both growing and wine differentiation's. The French word terroir will not be used because I do not speak French and, well, mainly for fear of civil unrest among the hard-core. Many of the regions are known to produce and specialize in different wines. The Central Coast includes over 30 different AVA's (American Viticulture Areas). Having some familiarity with these regions, there are key distinctions that often can be blanketed with the term "Central Coast."

The Unknown Santa Barbara

By Shawn Burgert

in Fine Wines

(Recently Re-Uploaded)

The movie "Sideways" seems to be a beaten dead horse amongst the wine industry, so much so, it could be called the "S-word." They say perception is reality and many people's knowledge base sometimes falls on a simple movie. As exasperated as the discussions might be, the impact has been a lasting one. A well known winemaker called it the "Sideways bump." The Santa Barbara region was heavily blessed with a lot of wine travelers seeking the much talked about Pinot Noir with cash in hand. While Santa Barbara county may produce some of the best Pinot Noir in the country, that I consume by the barrel, there is much more to the area than Pinot Noir.

Discover The Undiscovered - Cimarone

By Shawn Burgert

in Fine Wines

Discover The Undiscovered - Cimarone

If you've had the pleasure of touring Santa Barbara's wine country, you’ve likely visited some combination of the Santa Maria Valley, the Foxen Trail, Los Olivos, the Sta Rita Hills, the downtown "funk-zone," or the Santa Ynez Valley. These fantastic wine trails are posted clearly on most wine maps. But not all of the great spots are included on the maps for mainstream wine travelers to visit, and not all spots are open to the public. Santa Barbara’s wine business has grown and evolved over the years, and now includes some recent discoveries and new AVA's. One of the younger AVA's in California, and more specifically Santa Barbara County, is Happy Canyon, which officially earned its AVA designation in 2009.