Ep 154: Wines of Santa Barbara, California

Feb 22, 2016

Santa Barbara is a cool climate wine region in CA's Central Coast. At 34˚ latitude, it doesn't seem like Pinot & Chardonnay would thrive here, but weird geology, geography, & a big ocean make the area one of CA's best & most unique cool climate hubs.

First we cover the basics on Santa Barbara:

• 5 hours north of LA
• It's separated from the rest of the United States by the San Andreas Fault, giving it different geology from much of inland California – soils here are more marine
• Shallow soils are well suited to viticulture, stress in the vines, low vigor, excellent concentration of flavor.
• 34˚N Latitude – should be almost too hot for grapegrowing but valleys are transverse -- they run east-west rather than north-south
  • Geologic oddity, the ocean breezes sweep eastward and are funneled in, helped by the hills and mountains that ring the region.
  • East into foothills: warm during the day, cool during the night,
  • West valley - ocean enjoy a mild and moderate climate.

• Main grapes – Pinot, Chard, Syrah
• The area took off in the 1970s and 1980s, but it's real tipping point was in 2004:  the movie Sideways was set and filmed in the AVA

 Then we discuss the American Viticultural Areas: 

• Santa Maria Valley
• Sta Rita Hills
• Santa Ynez Valley
• Ballard Canyon
• Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
• Potential new ones coming:
  • Los Alamos region
  • The Los Olivos District
  • The Santa Maria Bench

 If you haven't dipped a toe in to Santa Barbara's wines and you have access to them (especially those from the sub-AVAs) this podcast should get you motivated to do it!