The Garagiste Festival hits Santa Barbara wine country

Small-lot producers of wine - often on the vanguard of winemaking and marketing trends - remind me of my passion for following new music. So I can think of no better venue for a group of "garagiste" wine producers than a veteran's hall. Longtime "DIY" venues for aspiring underground rock musicians, the veteran's hall is quite the utilitarian setting to help grow a network. The Solvang Veteran's Memorial Hall in Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley will be the site for the Southern Exposure festival on Saturday February 16th, put on by Garagiste Events.

Garagiste Events began as a group of new winemakers and enthusiasts based around Paso Robles. Their Garagiste Festival grew to become a notable and important event on the California wine landscape. The idea was to promote the innovation of up-and-coming California winemakers by providing a dynamic venue for their exposure. They now operate as a non-profit benefiting the Cal Poly viticulture program, and are expanding their footprint beyond Paso Robles into Santa Barbara County.

The festival features many new names, as well as burgeoning Santa Barbara producers such as Baehner Fournier, Kessler-Haak, La Fenêtre, Piedrasassi and Tercero. The aforementioned alone representing a great cross-section of Santa Barbara County terroirs - from cool-climate Pinot and Chardonnay sites throughout the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley, to the many Rhône varietal sites throughout the county, all the way to Happy Canyon where Bordeaux varietals are taking root.

So if you're looking for a reason to get out to Santa Barbara wine country, then mark your calendar. This looks like a great beginning to the 2013 wine season.