Bacchus
Last weekend I made a visit to Jaffurs Wine Cellars, but not before grabbing a bite at the much-raved about taco stand “La Super Rica,” which was apparently Julia Child’s favorite. Hey, if it’s good enough for Julia, it’s good enough for me- and it WAS. I definitely recommend checking this place out and getting some super unhealthy, delish, and cheap food before you hit up the Urban Wine Trail. And hey, with the money you save on food you can spend on wine ;)
Mmmm Mexican feast!
The winery itself was open, airy and industrial. CON: There was no where to sit while you tasted.
PRO: I particularly loved the surfboards mounted over the barrel room, which gave a nice “hey, don’t be intimidated- we’re cool” message to all who enter… too bad that message wasn’t conveyed by the two women who were running the tasting that day…
…which brings me to CON #2: The two ladies running the tasting that day didn’t really give you the time of day unless you were older than 40 and looked like you would buy a ton of wine. (At least that’s how I felt.) Who knows, perhaps they were overwhelmed or having a bad day but it was the first cold reception I’ve gotten on the Urban Wine Trail and the shame of it all is I absolutely would have bought a bottle or more of wine (their wines were incredible!) but I was just so turned off by their aloofness that I made the decision not to buy a bottle. What’s worse is I brought two girlfriends, both of whom had never gone wine tasting before, and I hated that this was their first experience (they didn’t appreciate the aloofness either.) Fortunately after Jaffurs we went to Carr, Kunin, and Municipal and were met with a warm reception as always and I was able to renew their faith in the tasting experience. I spoke to some of the folks at Kunin about our experience at Jaffurs and they assured me that when they taste with the winemakers or one of the managers, it’s an incredibly fun and pleasant experience. So go on a day where one of the main gang is tasting and you’ll be good to go. I’m definitely willing to give them another chance in the future because…
…PRO #2: Their wine is out-of-control good. For $10 you get to taste the 2008 Grenache Blanc, The 2008 Viognier, The 2007 Mourvedre, The 2008 Santa Barbara County Syrah (WHICH I LOVED):
and finally the 2007 Thompson Vineyard Syrah (WHICH I LOOOOOVED):
Also, you get to take home your wine glass, which is always fun. All in all, I’d say it’s definitely worth it to make the trip up to taste at Jaffurs next time you’re in Santa Barbara- their wines are just that good.
