Paul Tahut looks a little confused. He has a wine glass in his hand. He’s surrounded by booths in the ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara resort, where more than a hundred wine producers are pouring samples. Which one to try next? But the type of wine is simple. It’s all Pinot Noir.
"This is overwhelming," said the Phoenix man. "I grew up in Michigan, and was always a Cabernet guy, but after this, I think I'm a Pinot guy," said Tahut. This stuff is amazing."
We're at the 24th annual World of Pinot Noir, billed by organizers as the largest Pinot Noir event in the world.
"We have about 100 wineries pouring wine, and about 900 people in the room," said Stacy Jacob, who is the is the Executive Director of the three day long event.
It includes everything from winemaker dinners to grand tastings. Jacob said in addition to the events aimed at Pinot lovers, there are things like seminars for wine makers.
"For the Central Coast, it's the most premiere wine event...I like to call it the Super Bowl for the wine industry," said Collette Smith, who works for a wine storage company in San Luis Obispo.
Pinot lovers said it’s a fun way to experience new variations of the wine. Joann Marshall is sampling some of the offerings. "I love Pinot. It's my favorite," said Marshall. "It's just easy to drink."
Winemaker Adrian Bolshoi, with Brick Barn Wine Estate in Buellton, pours one of his reserve wines.
"We age this wine for three years, and there's only two barrels made per year, What we're drinking right now is from 2019," said Bolshoi.
Alicia Sylvester is a winemaker with Banshee Wines, in the Northern California Community of Geyserville.
"I would describe my wines as fruit forward, with balanced acidity, and nice texture. I like there to be weight, and texture on my wine so you are feeling my wine on your palette."
Pinot has been a part of the Central Coast winemaking scene for decades. The environment is idea. Bob Bath is with San Luis Obispo County’s Tolosa Winery.
The Edna Valley is a very special place," said Bath. "It has one of the coolest climates of all of California for Pinot Noirs. If I'm Pinot Noir, this is where I want to live."
Alison Laslett is CEO of the Santa Barbara Vintners Association. "We were raised on Cab, but the American palette has really expanded to embrace Pinot."
20 years ago, the region’s wine industry, and its pinots got a boost from the movie “Sideways." The acclaimed drama and comedy is set in the Santa Ynez Valley. It featured the locally made “Hitching Post” labeled wines. Winemakers Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini are represented at this tasting event by Gray’s son, Weston Hartley.
"It's so fun to see people loving Hitching Post wines, as well as reliving Sideways."
The World of Pinot Noir has just wrapped up for 2024, but plans are already in the works for a big 2025 event. Executive Director Stacy Jacob said it will be special, because they are celebrating their 25th anniversary.
Even those who aren’t die-hard Pinot lovers, like Michelle Schneider of Santa Barbara, are on board with the event. "I don't discriminate. I like whites, I like reds, and I like rose. But, at the World of Pinot...I only drink Pinot."
