Santa Barbara Independent's Grapevine Wine Archive

Bob Senn got his first taste of journalism writing for the Sunnyvale Standard while attending college in northern California. Later, as Program Director of KTMS-FM, a Santa Barbara radio station, he started a short nightly wine feature, the KTMS-FM Wine Show. Jim Fiolek, now with Zaca Mesa Winery was the show's original host. When he left, Bob got friend, wine merchant and advertiser, and, later on, mentor, Chris Whitcraft to do the show. In print publications, he has covered the local wine scene since 1984, and has written extensively for publications including the Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara Magazine, Montecito Magazine, Santa Barbara Independent and the Ventura Independ Newspaper. His reports currently appear weekly in the Santa Maria Times. We'll reprint them here for your information and reading pleasure. Be sure to check back regularly for his latest reports!

The Santa Maria Times Wine Column Weekly


April 27, 2005		Reprint.
April 20, 2005		A Smashing Success


April 6, 2005		23rd Annual Vintners' Festival in *Sideways* Country
March 31, 2005		Julia's Vineyard. Rain and Frost.
March 23, 2005		Hancock College
March 16, 2005		Pinot Noir: A Love for Many. Hancock College Acreage Study.
March 9, 2005		Just a month away: Vintners' Festival.
March 2, 2005		Dumbing Down of Pinot. Santa Barbara Grape Acreage Surprises.
February 23, 2005		Pride in Place.
February 16, 2005		Impact of the Rain. More Beginnings.
February 9, 2005		Sharing Stories About Sharing Wine.
February 2, 2005		Festival Time! Other Vintner's News. Upcoming Events.
January 26, 2005		Things My Father Taught Me. Oops.
January 19, 2005		Getting the Most Out of Yost.
January 12, 2005		North American Pinot Noir. Syrahs for Tsunami Assistance
January 5, 2005		Beginnings: Restaurants in the Area.
December 29, 2004		The Fall Festival. Hitching Post Casmalia takes on Molski. The Bash
December 22, 2004		Bob Miller Remember.
December 15, 2004		Gifts. More on Sideways
December 8, 2004		Sideways
December 1, 2004		Meeting of the Minds. Events. A Brief Bio.
November 24, 2004		Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie. Flaming Spinach Salad
November 17, 2004		Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner - Santa Maria Style
November 10, 2004		Harvest 2004 pt. 2; Quakenbush and Flatbread.
November 3, 2004		The Day the Rains Came.
October 27, 2004		Harvest 2004
October 20, 2004		Paso Robles
October 13, 2004		From Pinot Noir to Pear Martinis
October 6, 2004		Bounty of the County
September 29, 2004		American Flat Bread
September 22, 2004		Harvest Crunch. Fratelli Perata Winery.
September 16, 2004		Throw out the rules! Festivals.
September 8, 2004		Paso Wineries: Fratelli Perata, Wild Horse, Tablas Creek. Events.
September 1, 2004		Saletti's Restaurant & Bar. Que Syrah, Sirah. Events.
August 25, 2004		Good Food, Good Wine
August 18, 2004		Harvest Update. Wine Course.
August 11, 2004		Hancock College Wine Course. Harvest update. Tim Duggan, "Fiddle Talker."
August 4, 2004		Harvest, Paradise, Wine & Health
July 28, 2004		Norm and Traudl Huber. Buttonwood Peaches.
July 21, 2004		Cab Franc Fest. New asst. Winemaker at Fiddlehead
July 14, 2004		Viva la! ( Bastille Day!)
July 7, 2004		Birds Have Good Taste Too
June 30, 2004		Summer Ideas. Another Summer Quaff.
June 23, 2004		More Summer Quaffs.
June 9, 2004		Summer Wines-Take Two: Pink, Red & White.
June 2, 2004		Hot Fun in the Summer. Longoria, Buttonwood Event.
May 26, 2004		World Class in Our Back Yard
May 19, 2004		Grapevines in May.
May 12, 2004		Divine Balance.
May 5, 2004		Hospice du Rhone. Cinco de Mayo.
April 28, 2004		Roll Out the Barrels
April 21, 2004		Gallo. Frost. SB Environmental Defense Fund
April 14, 2004		Hot Fun in Paso.
April 7, 2004		Easter. Corked! Red Moutain?
March 31, 2004		Wildflower & Wine
March 24, 2004		Good Riddance to Cork
March 17, 2004		Spring! A Note for Restaurant Owners.
March 10, 2004		Vineyard News: Spring. Newsweek writes up local Pinot.
March 3, 2004		Grenache. Brief Items.
February 25, 2004		Slow Food & Life Beyond Chardonnay
February 18, 2004		Winter in the Vineyards. News.
February 11, 2004		Notes for Valentine's Day
February 4, 2004		Michael Bonaccorsi, Postscript. Hot WineTip.
January 28, 2004		Michael Bonaccorsi 1960-2004
January 21, 2004		Another Wine Class. I Didn't Know File.
January 14, 2004		Wine Classes for a New Year.
January 7, 2004		2003 In Review
December 31, 2003		New Year's Quaffs
December 24, 2003		Christmas Quaffs.
December 17, 2003		Wine Glasses.
December 10, 2003		Ice Buckets and Chilling Wine.
December 3, 2003		Gifts: Corkscrews.
November 26, 2003		Local Tasting Rooms. Recipe Feedback.
November 19, 2003		Wine ideas for Thanksgiving. Bob's Flaming Spinach Salad
November 12, 2003		Ideas for Thanksgiving, pt. III
November 5, 2003		Ideas for Thanksgiving, pt. II
October 29, 2003		Ideas for Thanksgiving
October 22, 2003		Horizontal & Vertical Tastings. Harvest Report.
October 15, 2003		Penny Wise, Pound Foolish.
October 8, 2003		Pierce's Disease. Rootstock. Harvest Still Happening.
October 3, 2003		Harvest, pt 2. Events.
September 24, 2003		Harvest. Paso Robles Harvest Wire Tour.
September 17, 2003		Stuff a Writer Likes to Hear.
September 10, 2003		Oldies but Goodies. Santa Barbara Winery.
September 3, 2003		Wine, Beer & Western Cheer. SB Harvest Festival
August 27, 2003		Harvest.
August 20, 2003		Bringing Wine for Dinner.
August 13, 2003		Dry Rose. Sanford Vin Gris.
August 6, 2003		Central Coast Wine Growers' Association. Future Events.
July 30, 2003		Bringing Wine to a Restaurant.
July 23, 2003		Remembering Andre Tchelistcheff. Buttonwood.
July 16, 2003		Good Summertime Wines
July 9, 2003		2003 Vintage
July 2, 2003		Firestone Chenin Blanc
June 25, 2003		How to Conduct a Wine Tasting Part 3. Events & Classes.
June 15, 2003		How to Conduct a Wine Tasting. Part Two.
June 8, 2003		How to Conduct a Wine Tasting. Part One.
June 1, 2003		1998 Babcock Vineyards Eleven Oaks sangiovese
May 25, 2003		Memorial Day. S.B. Co. Commercial Wine Competition
May 18, 2003		Hospice du Rhone. Bouillabaise Festival. KCBX Wine Classic. 2003 Vintage. Swiss Chalet.
May 11, 2003		Wine Column goes weekly! Spring events. Wine Pick. Gossip.

The Santa Barbara Independent Grapevine Monthly
The Santa Maria Times Wine Column Monthly

April 6, 2003		Cambodian Red. Spring Wine Events.
March 2, 2003		Quality Counts: Great Grapes. Events. Chumash Wine License?
February 2, 2003		Summer in January. 2nd Annual SB Co. Fair Wine Competition. New head of SBCVA.
January 5, 2003		Good Wine, Good Food. Geeks. Events.
December 1, 2002		Karen White. Wolfgang Puck & Frank Ostitini. News Bits. Cocktails.
Nov. 21, 2002		Thanksgiving Wines. Wines for the Everyday Table
Nov. 14, 2002		Harvest is Over. Oldies But Goodies. Big Time Press. Sad Note.
November 3, 2002		Winemakers Frank Ostini & Benjamin Silver. Bien Nacido Vineyard
October 6, 2002		What a Long, Strange Harvest. Responsible Server Training. SB Cancels Day of Event.
September 1, 2002		Harvest is Here! Vintages Past.
August 15, 2002		Cryin' the Blues: Too Many Grapes? 2002 Harvest.
August 4, 2002		Too many grapes can benefit consumers. Brothers is back.
July 18, 2002		Brothers is back! New Maps for New Wine. Get Out Your Calendars. Good News for Consumers
July 7, 2002		Keep the name! New Touring Map. Festival Dates. New California Vodka
June 20, 2002		1st Santa Barbara Co. Wine Competition. Toast to Good Attitude. In Memorium: Dr. Jim Carey.
June 9, 2002		A Good Wine is a Good Wine. What's in a name? Cocktails for Two.
May 9, 2002		Wes Hagen. Mission County? Wines. Gabe Sagli.
May 1, 2002		Santa Barbara County Split? Events this weekend.
April 18, 2002		8 new producers. Winery building for sale. Restaurant scene. Gabe Sagli's Grapevine.
April 3, 2002		Santa Rita AVA vs. Chile. Santa Barbara Fair and wine. Hancock College's organic vineyard. Rethinking Merlot.
March 14, 2002		Viognier. Events.
March 6, 2002		Merlot. Events.
Feb. 14, 2002		Champagne. Wine Myths. Events.
February 6, 2002		Champagne. Events.
January 10, 2002		Vineyards of Santa Barbara County R.I.P.
January 2, 2002		What's In A Name? Accolades.
Dec. 20, 2001		Reflections on 2001. Wine of the Year. Wine News of the Year. Hero of the Year.
Dec. 5, 2001		Wine of the Year. Wine News of the Year. Hero of the Year.
Nov. 21, 2001		Thanksgiving 2001. I Don't Know What To Feel. Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions.
Nov. 7, 2001		Harvest 2001. The perfect Manhatten.
October 4, 2001		*The Definitive Guide to Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara County.* A Guided Tour. 2001 Version.
October 3, 2001		Appreciate what you have locally. 2001 Harvest.
Sept. 13, 2001		Harvest. Glassy Winged Sharpshooter. Events. Lindquist Baby.
Sept. 5, 2001		Commissioner Gail Marshall, no friend to AG. Sharpshooter Q & A. Harvest.
August 9, 2001		Harvest. Winemaker of the Year. KCBX Wine Classic. New Vintners' Map. Rancho Sisquoc
August 1, 2001		Judging Home Wine 2001
July 12, 2001		Drinking, wine tasting and getting drunk
July 4, 2001		Musings on wine & alcohol on this anniversary of our country.
June 14, 2001		New American Viticultural Area: Santa Rita Hills
June 6, 2001		New American Viticultural Area: Santa Rita Hills
May 10, 2001		Summer Events. Copycats? The Next Napa? Wine Snob?
May 2, 2001		Livermore: Part 2
April 12, 2001		LaFond's new winery. Elsewhere in California.
April 4, 2001		Travelling to Livermore; Wente.
March 7, 2001		"Can Do" winemaking. Making the best a great area. Vandale Sangiovese.
February 7, 2001		Can we describe wines? 1998 Zaca Vineyards syrah
January 11, 2001		What's hot for 2001: Events. Tribute to Joe Heitz
January 3, 2001		Events: "World of Pinot," "2001: A Rhone Oddyssey," and the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival 2001.
Dec. 14, 2000		Holiday practicalities when festive imbibing.
Dec. 6, 2000		Thanksgiving, martini and DUI. Kamikaze recipe from Harry's Plaza.
Nov. 16, 2000		A match made for turkeys: pinot noir. Local choices for your Thanksgiving wine.
Nov. 15, 2000		Take advantage of local foods, wines.
Oct. 11, 2000		The "Santa Barbara" has value
Sept, 14, 2000		Mistaken grapes: Zaca Mesa's "rousanne." Vintners' Assn. election. In memoriam: Walt Brambir
Sept. 6, 2000		D.U.I. A Night to Remember.
August 10, 2000		Harvest 2000. K-J Oak replanting program. Dissent in North County. KCBX auction results.
August 2, 2000		Prognosticating the '99 harvest. Wine & Food Society Report. On Karen White's team.
July 13, 2000		KCBX Wine Classic. New winemaker at Zaca Mesa
July 5, 2000		Premier column, The Santa Maria Times. Karen White. Hancock College Wine courses
June 15, 2000		Smoke & Fire. Hospice du Rhone. Blues Festival

May 11, 2000	Santa Barbara County: Wine growing area! Pesenti Winery sold to Turley
April 13, 2000	Tiger Salamanders and Yuppie Moms
March 9, 2000	Winemaking in Santa Barbara County. Vintage charts for 1980-89 and 1990-99.
January 27, 2000	New Year's musings. Vintners' Festival 2000.
December 10, 1999	Late Harvest. Late Harvest Wines. Thoughts on Christmas & New Years and what to drink
November 11, 1999	Late Harvest. Fess Parker & Measure S. Vintners' maps.
September 9, 1999	Late Harvest! Vintners' Association Maps. Events.
August 12, 1999	Joe Carrari, sells, buys vineyards. Foxen/ Parker dispute settled. Record KCBX dollars. Vintners' Assn. elections. A new Beckman baby! Events.

July 8, 1999	Santa Barbara, Silcon Valley of the wine industry? Havest Festival set. ABC's: a new baby. Events.
June 10, 1999	Foxen v. Fess Parker. Grape prices rise as temps go down. Zaca Mesa deal falls through. Events.
May 20, 1999	"Country" life. Weather and Crops. Unrest: Parker v. Foxen. Firestone-Walker Brewery Tasting Room. Events.
April 8, 1999	Weather: La Nina. Vintners' Festival and Events.
March 12, 1999	Labels, Free Speech, Alcohol and Drinking. Oak Trees. David Russell
February 4, 1999	Vintners' Assn. New Members. A "New Mission." Events. A "new" Alban.
December 24, 1998	Los Alamos. Super wines from the area. Alban Grenache. Events.
November 25, 1998	Harvest and mother nature; not so good this year! Bridlewood development plan. Thanksgiving wines. Christmas gifts and events.
November 5, 1998	Harvest News. New Touring Map. Harvest Festival. Wine Auction Weekend.
September 24, 1998	Harvest? What harvest? Harvest Festival.
September 3, 1998	Laetitia Winery (previously Maison Deutz) is sold to Barnwood. Santa Barbara Politics, Oak Tree Style, Part II. Steve Dooley's new baby. Harvest Festival upcoming.
July 30, 1998	Summer Growing Season. Santa Barbara Politics, Oak Tree Style. Events.
June 25, 1998	Doom & Gloom Part II. News Bytes. Events
May 28, 1998	El Nino: Doom & Gloom in the vineyard. Events. Rhone Rangers Ride.
April 30, 1998	Vintners' Festival Success. Bud break. Vintners' Association Book. New Tasting rooms. Pinot from HP and Whitcraft. Events.
March 26, 1998	Tony Austin's legal woes. Moving beermasters. Other news. Vintners' Festival. Events.
February 26, 1998	El Nino. Vintners' Festival. Winemakers in the news. Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Vin Gris.
February 5, 1998	Vintners' Festival. 3 new members of the Vintner's Assn. Weddings, babies, first class wine and gourmet food. Events.
December 24, 1997	1997-The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Man of the Year: Richard Sanford. Wine of the Year: Alban Grenache. Bad & Ugly: Land of Camelot without Oaks. Thoughts for the new year.
November 26, 1997	Home for the holidays--Santa Barbara wine and food pairings. News briefs: Vintner's Festival and a new winery. Events.
October 30, 1997	A bountiful harvest. New winery: Winery at Bridlewood. Fall events. Q&A: Sending wine back in restaurants. Raves: Byron pinot gris and pinot blanc.
September 25, 1997	Harvest and grape prices. Winery and brewery changes. Harvest Festivals and other events.
August 28, 1997	It's Havest time. New wineries, Raving about *Traminer Aromatico* and Chenin Blanc. Events.
July 31, 1997	*Vive La!* It's Fiesta time. Drink ideas for Fiesta. Fiesta's future; Albarino grape from Qupe. Vintners' Association Election Results. Events.
July 3, 1997	Vintners' Association Election Results. Events.
May 29, 1997	Mea Culpa for Cold Heaven. Raves for Mike Brown's Kalyra cabernet. Events.
April 23, 1997	From Strawberries to brocolli: The Ag report. Enter the Femme Fatale of Viognier: Morgan Toral of Cold Heaven. Summer music at Gainey. Events.
March 27, 1997	Amphetamines in the vineyard; Tony Austin arrested. Vintners Festival events.
February 27, 1997	Daytrippin! Hwy. 154 and more. Rick Longoria leaves Gainey for own winery. Peggy Lindt to again do poster. Events.
January 31, 1997	Rain, Rain, Go Away! Events. BV Private Reserve.
December 26, 1996	The Year in Review--The Magnificient Seven.
November 27, 1996	1994 Pinot's. Raves. Events
November 21, 1996	*Made in Santa Barbara.* Firestone Beer and Ale.
November 21, 1996	Made in Santa Barbara. Pinot Noir.
October 31, 1996	Havest news. New food. Events. Secrets shared.
July 25, 1996	Santa Barbara County Vintners' Assocation elections. Lane Tanner argues with KCBX. Events. Interesting "new" varietals.
June 27, 1996	News from the wineries. Events. (Santa Barbara Independent.)
June 27, 1996	News from the wineries. New releases. Events. (Ventura Independent)
June 20, 1996	Summer Guide.
May 30, 1996	How the grapes are growing. Wine Spectator kudos. Some new '96 wines. Events. (Santa Barbara Independent.)
May 30, 1996	How the grapes are growing. Hot picks. Events. (Ventura Independent.)
April 25, 1996	Mondavi purchases land. Events. Rose raves.
April 25, 1996	News from Leeward. Events. Local restaurant. Rose raves.
April, 1996	News from Firestone, Gainey and Fess Parker wineries. Events. Raving about Foxen.
March 3, 1996	Sprint at Ojai and good food besides. Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association's third annual Wine Server Seminar Series. Events. Raving about Bonny Doon.
December, 1995	In Memorium: Boyd Bettencourt. Sparking wine from Kendall-Jackson. Porras Winery opens. Nestle sells wineries. New beer from Firestone.