Santa Barbara Wine Tasting

 

There is an interesting event happening on Sunday, May 22: an outdoor wine tasting at Rideau Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. More precisely, Rideau Vineyards is located in Solvang, in the beautiful and bucolic Santa Ynez Valley. Rideau is renowned both for its beauty and being one of the best spots for a wine and tasties picnic in the Santa Barbara Wine Country. The wine tasting is being hosted by the Chumash, a local band of Native Americans who have lived in the Santa Ynez Mountains since time immemorial, and it’s been dubbed the “Neighbor Day Wine Tasting.”

 

This is the inaugural of what is planned to be an annual event, and it sounds like quite a party: The food is being handled by Big Tom’s Backyard BBQ, the live jazz music by Jeanne Tatum & Co., the Native American dances by the Chumash themselves, and the wine of course by Rideau – which is famous for its outstanding Rhone varietals.

And this is not just a Bacchanal (n. a drunken and riotous celebration – though it may well turn out to resemble that definition), it’s for a good cause. The proceeds will be donated to Hillside House, a non-profit residential facility for people with developmental disabilities. Click on the link for details: Neighbor Day Wine Tasting