2nd Annual Santa Barbara Wine Futures Event

If you ever get the chance to attend a wine futures tasting – Go!

For those who don’t know, a futures tasting is where winemakers let you sample their wine well before they’re released and can purchase whatever wine you like in advance.

We had a blast Saturday night at the 2nd annual event hosted by one of our favorite restaurants Elements at the SB County Courthouse.

There are three reasons why we tend to love futures events more than others:

First, it’s a chance to learn more about wine itself. It’s not often you experience wine in its infancy and you begin to understand how it evolves. Regardless of your palate’s experience, you will recognize and appreciate the subtle differences between the wine you normally drink and wine that is still maturing.

Second, the winemakers are usually the people pouring the wines. Who doesn’t want to know the person behind their favorite wine or hear THE story about why someone devoted their life to making wine.

Finally, these are great events to discover new talent. We were surprised how many new winemakers were showcasing their barrels and how incredibly talented everybody was. We thought we knew this area well, but there’s a lot more going on in Santa Barbara County than most people know about.

Here’s a list of the wines that blew us away. (Just give us credit when some of these people become HUGE!)

'07 Ampelos Syrah/Grenache "Syrache"
'07 Pisoni Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (Arcadian Winery)
'07 Stolpman Syrah (Arcadian Winery)
'07 Blair Fox Syrah, Purisima Mountain
'07 Demetria Cuvee Papou (Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier)
'07 Demetria Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
'06 Demetria Syrah
'07 Dragonette Cellars Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
'08 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
'06 Happy Canyon Vineyards Piocho (Cab Franc based Bourdeaux blend)
'06 Happy Canyon Vineyards "Ten-Goal" (Cab Sauv based, Cab Franc, Merlot)
'05 Jonata El Corazon de Jonata (the kitchen sink)
'08 Municipal Winemakers Bright Red (Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah)
'07 Municipal Winemakers Best Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon