Santa Barbara Wine: Where to Buy
Every guidebook and visitor's magazine I read told me to buy wine at the Wine Cask on State Street. But when I went there, the selection of Santa Barbara wines wasn't quite what I was looking for. Yes, there was literally a roomful of higher-end wines, but I could have gone to Wally's or BevMo! in LA. And for the prices on some of the bottles, I'd be silly not to. I didn't love how the wines were organized, and especially didn't like the two wine geeks that were monopolizing the clerks so that they couldn't help me—and two others that were also browsing—how to find Santa Barbara wines. I couldn't find a bargain in the room.
Better off to go a few blocks down the street to Cost Plus. Their sizable selection is organized a bit better (with idiot-proof signs that say "Local Wine" just as you walk towards the wine section) and I found some of the same wines $3-$5 cheaper at Cost Plus than they were at The Wine Cask. Can I get a price check? Their friendly staff also helped me find some pretty sweet Riedel glasses—on sale for $1.99-$6.99. Seriously?
From Cost Plus, I purchased the 2002 Santerra Syrah from Santa Barbara County and the 2006 Firehose Gerwuztraminer, also from the region. The Santerra syrah had a nice, crisp mouthfeel that evolved into full-bodied chocolate notes with nice tannins at the end. At 14.2%, it packs a bit of a punch as well. Firehose was a bit more subtle, with lemongrass, pear and lime on the nose, starfruit and passionfruit on the tongue and a finish that reminded me of the sweet Meyer lemons in my parents' backyard. It was an incredible value white.
Better off to go a few blocks down the street to Cost Plus. Their sizable selection is organized a bit better (with idiot-proof signs that say "Local Wine" just as you walk towards the wine section) and I found some of the same wines $3-$5 cheaper at Cost Plus than they were at The Wine Cask. Can I get a price check? Their friendly staff also helped me find some pretty sweet Riedel glasses—on sale for $1.99-$6.99. Seriously?
From Cost Plus, I purchased the 2002 Santerra Syrah from Santa Barbara County and the 2006 Firehose Gerwuztraminer, also from the region. The Santerra syrah had a nice, crisp mouthfeel that evolved into full-bodied chocolate notes with nice tannins at the end. At 14.2%, it packs a bit of a punch as well. Firehose was a bit more subtle, with lemongrass, pear and lime on the nose, starfruit and passionfruit on the tongue and a finish that reminded me of the sweet Meyer lemons in my parents' backyard. It was an incredible value white.
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