I have a friend in Santa Barbara, just now trying to learn about wine. We are separated by an ocean and a continent, so I can’t help her in person. To start, I steered her towards Beringer Knights Valley cabernet, Lodi Ravenswood zin, and Melville Syrah and Pinot, to give here a rough idea of what to expect from the different varieties. She also intends to visit the ABC tasting room, soon.
She has asked me what else she should buy to learn more about the red varieties. The problem is I have no idea what decent wines are in the supermarkets in her area.
Does anybody have any reccos of what she should try that has a high probability of being in Albertsons or Whole Foods? I’m targeting good, but reasonably priced wines that are representative of their variety.
Is there a good wine shop with knowledgeable staff (names please!) in Santa Barbara? She doesn’t drive much, so it would need to be local.
Any other ideas? I’d describe her as slightly more than casually interested, but probably not ready to join wine-geek culture… yet.
A good friend lived there for several years. Trader Joe’s was their “go to” Supermarket for affordable bargains. Big rotating selection. She won’t get much in the way of advice.
If she wants a few good pointers at a reputable shop, refer her to the “Wine Hound”.
Ask her to take a few photos of her local supermarket’s selection, and email them to you.
Or you could call the supermarket and ask to speak with someone in their wine department. Not that such a person likely exists, but whoever they ultimately transfer you to could likely help much more than we can on this forum.
Do the supermarkets in Santa Barbara feature SB wines? If so, that would be awesome, and make it much easier to make recommendations. Fess Parker has huge distribution and is always a solid choice, regardless of the varietal, but to have some of the smaller local wineries represented would be great.
Also, there is an urban wine trail in the city itself with some really good wineries (Jaffurs for instance). She could go tasting and learn quite a bit.
The Albertsons in Solvang / Buellton USED to be the bomb. They still have a huge local selection, dedicated area actually, but the price isnt great anymore.
Trying to think of pretty good and representative/educational wines that you’d find at a supermarket.
Seghesio zinfandel
Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc
Ferrari Carano fume blanc
Mondavi Napa cabernet
Villa Antinori
Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Buehler cabernet Napa
Pretty hard to guess what is going to be at a given supermarket, though. And your premium ones like Whole Foods and Bristol Farms have quite good selections of wine (albeit usually at inflated prices).