Santa Barbara’s Home Winemakers
Carrying on Long, Celebrated Tradition of Making Wine for Passion’s Sake
Home winemaking in Santa Barbara stretches back to the colonial era, but the modern era kicked off in grand fashion in the 1950s, when bacchanalian grape stomps went down on Mountain Drive. Many uphold that tradition today, and here are three passion-driven projects that have stood true tests of time.
In a rare public showing, all three will be participating in the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience at the Hotel Californian on Sunday, March 15, speaking about their experiences and pouring selected wines at 11 a.m. Tickets are $30. See sbce.events/events/home-winemakers. [Due to public health concerns, the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience has been postponed to March 2021.]
Companeros
“It was our church,” explained Antonio Gardella of the early days of Companeros, the project he started in 1985 with Sid Ackert, Luis Goena, and, eventually, Art Morel. “Every other week, we’d get together on Sunday and spend four hours together. We just enjoyed the friendship, and getting your hands dirty with grapes is always so much fun.”
