We’re in the middle of a ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara and it’s packed with hundreds of people. They've come from around the world for wine. It’s the Super Bowl for Pinot Noir lovers.
Bonnie Lee of Goleta is in wine heaven as she holds not one, but two glasses of wine.
"So, one glass is to taste and one glass is to hold on to when I find something that is just spectacular. Right now I am at Inumero (one of the wineries with a booth at the event) and he's offering a Chardonnay over to a very open fruit-forward Pinot," said Lee.
It's the 25th anniversary of the World of Pinot Noir. The three-day-long event includes mores than 150 wineries with wine lunches and dinners, seminars, and the massive celebration we attended, one of two Grand Tastings. Pinot fans are wandering through the more than 100 booths sampling some of the hundreds of wines being poured.
"Can you hear the buzz?" asked Stacy Jacob, with the World of Pinot Noir. "We've got great wine flowing from amazing producers that are here. A lot of great folks from Santa Barbara County. Sonoma County's going to be our next largest conglomerate of Pinot Noir producers. We've got folks here from the Willamette (Oregon) area and a lot of international folks. Wines from Chile, wines from Austrialia, wines from New Zealand."
"In the wine world, we talk a lot about community," said Jacob. "There's the community of our customers that are coming and the fun aspect. But there's the community of the winemakers coming together. Peer opportunity to come together, talk through challenges, talk through opportunities. Because wine is ever-changing and evolving."
Gabe Saglie is a TV host and wine and travel writer who has covered the Central Coast wine scene for decades. He talked about the popularity of the 25-year-old event.
"It's the ability to connect with these personalities," Saglie explained. "You're talking to real folks who are behind these labels you might see as you walk past the wine section of the supermarket. It puts a face behind these labels and brands."
The event brought out some true wine diehards. Margaret Foster of Glendale was scouting out wines to add to her home collection. "I have like 150 bottles in my wine fridge at home, predominantly Pinots," said Foster. It's her eight time at the World Of Pinot Noir event.
"I enjoy tasting several things together, you can really compare them," said Katheryn Harris of Orange County. "I've learned a little bit. I'm not an expert. The nice thing is there is such a wide variety."
A number of wineries from the Tri-Counties are represented. Katy Lewis is with Aequorea from San Luis Obispo County. Aequorea in Latin means "of the sea."
"The winery is located in Paso Robles and we source all of our fruit from the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA," Lewis explained. AVA means American Viticultural Area.
Perhaps one of the best known wineries represented her today is Hitching Post, which became famous because of its role in the movie Sideways.
"There are so many wonderful Santa Barbara County Pinot Noirs," said Gray Hartley. He and his winemaking partner Frank Ostini are wine legends. Their Hitching Post wine has boomed in popularity. "We've got a 45-year history of making it from the wonderful vineyards of Santa Barbara County."
You can even buy it at the Hollywood Bowl.
"The most exciting part for Frank and I is when we get to go harvest the fruit and make the wine. Our wives only say 'See you after harvest.' Wine pays the bills, but when somebody opens up the bottle, and says 'Oh, my,' that's the payment."
Wine sales in general have dipped post-pandemic. But Pinot Noir lovers like her say there’s always a place and a market for a good wine and they say the options, especially ones grown on the Central Coast, are better than ever.
