Feature Article   

Wine Festivals - A Great "Mini" Vacation

Sometimes, it's really hard to get away from our everyday routines and commitments for a week or two at a time. Research shows, however, that it's very good for our physical and mental health to remove ourselves from work and take a time out. even if it's for a long weekend.

I did just that a few weeks ago.  Running a business means vacations are rare and extremely precious.  So, when a friend in the wine business suggested I join her on a trip to the California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara for a few days, I jumped at the chance ( after checking with my partner of course!)  What could be nicer than a long weekend in the California sun, sipping wines and tasting great food with a girlfriend?  Oh, and did I mention shopping at outlet malls?  After all, our Canadian dollar is actually worth something these days!

We booked flights to LAX on a seat saver fare, rented a reasonably priced car to get around, booked a fabulous 2 bedroom condo online that cost us less than the hotel rooms we were checking out, and purchased our VIP tickets to all the wine events and set off on our adventure.

The California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara is now in it's 7th year. It is a 3 day celebration of wine, food and music in one of the most beautiful areas of the state. The events on Thursday and Friday take place in the evening allowing lots of time to enjoy the surrounding areas - whether it's visiting wineries in the Santa Ynez valley,(which we did), strolling the charming town's shops in Santa Barbara          (which we also did) or relaxing on the picturesque beaches.

Thursday night was Old Spanish Nights - an outdoor tapas and tasting at the Casa de la Geurra Adobe Courtyard in Santa Barbara.  Latin music, flamenco dancers, 35 plus wineries and beverage purveyors and delicious food samples made for a fabulous introduction to this festival. In chatting with some of the participants, we were fascinated that people had travelled from Arizona, Alabama, southern California,  and Washington State just to attend this wine festival.  It appeared that we were the only two lucky Canadians!

Friday night casual elegance met retro-cool at the Sunset Rare and Reserve Wine Tasting.  It was held at romantic Chase Palm Park under the stars near the charming old-world carousel and right near the ocean, listening to "dry martini" style live blues band. Extremely rare and limited reserve wines are matched with gourmet appetizers from top local chefs, artisan cheeses even chocolate dipped strawberries.  Many wines tasted are not available in Canada so it was a real treat to sample some of the best that California has to offer. (We hope to see some here within the next few months).

Saturday was an all afternoon affair at The Beachside Wine & Food Festival.  Here is the quintessential California experience - wine, food, sea, sand, and  regae/soca music right on the beach!  Over 80 wineries pouring hundreds of premium wines, gourmet appetizers, and exotic treats.  Although over 4000 people attended this event, the crowd was relaxed, having fun and line ups were few, rest areas and shade was plentiful in the hot sunshine.  We met so many interesting people who claim that out of all of the wine festivals held around the USA, this one is their favourite.

Sunday, we relaxed, shopped a bit, dined out in a charming outside restaurant and heading back to Canada on Monday feeling happy, refreshed and ready to get back to work......until the next wine festival comes along!

For a listing of wine festivals worldwide throughout the year visit our website and click on the link  for local wine events.