Santa Barbara WINE aficionadO : January 23, 2026

[Santa-Barbara-Wine-Events]

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Happenings
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Municipal Winemakers Farewell to the Funk Zone

When: Fri Jan 23, 2026 at 12:00 AM to Sat Jan 24, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Where: Municipal Winemakers, 22 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
Why:

All Muni Staff Reunion: Last Hurrah 5PM

FOOD & MUSIC: Grill & Groove 5PM

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

https://municipalwinemakers.com/pages/visit-muni-santa-barbara

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fridays @ vino  tasting Orin Swift wines

When: Fri Jan 23, 2026 at 05:00 PM to Fri Jan 23, 2026 at 07:00 PM
Where: Vino Divino, 2012 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, USA
Why:

tasting line up

2022 Mannequin Chardonnay
2022 Eight Years in the Desert Red Blend
2023 Machete Red Blend
2023 Absract Red Blend
2023 Advice from John Merlot

*members enjoy for free!
non-member fee is $20

(become a member at the link below and enjoy the tasting this Friday for free!)

https://www.vinosb.com

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Municipal Winemakers Farewell to the Funk Zone

When: Sat Jan 24, 2026 at 12:00 AM to Sun Jan 25, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Where: Municipal Winemakers, 22 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
Why:

FOOD: Rascal’s Vegan Food 3PM

MUSIC: Dylan Cunningham - 3:30 - 5:30PM

MEMORY NIGHT 2: Bring a printout photo of your best Muni memory, stick it on the wall & get a free glass. ALL DAY.

https://municipalwinemakers.com/pages/visit-muni-santa-barbara

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Frequency Anniversary Party

When: Sun Jan 25, 2026 at 01:00 PM to Sun Jan 25, 2026 at 04:00 PM
Where: Frequency Wine Company, 804 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
Why:

Celebrate four years of Frequency Wines at their Anniversary Party on Saturday, January 25th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM in their beautiful historic tasting room at 804 Anacapa Street. Enjoy live music by Grey Bear, delicious pitas from BAHR, and plenty of good wine and great company as they toast another year in downtown Santa Barbara.

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Municipal Winemakers Farewell to the Funk Zone

When: Sun Jan 25, 2026 at 12:00 AM to Mon Jan 26, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Where: Municipal Winemakers, 22 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
Why:

FINAL SERVICE: Join us for a final toast with Dave Potter.

MUSIC: DJ Neuro Verge - TBA

GRAND OPENING: Muni Satellite Bar. Join us for a walk/bike to the new Muni.

Muni Funk Zone → Potek Winery 3 PM. 

https://municipalwinemakers.com/pages/visit-muni-santa-barbara

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Easy Street Wine Collective Open House

When: Sat Jan 31, 2026 at 12:00 PM to Sat Jan 31, 2026 at 03:00 PM
Where: 90 Easy St, Buellton, CA 93427, USA
Why:

Join us at the Easy Street Wine Collective - a unique custom crush facility where top Santa Barbara County winemakers come together to share space and equipment, and, more importantly, their passion, expertise, and camaraderie.

At this open house event, you’ll have the rare opportunity to meet multiple winemakers, each pouring their limited-production, hand-crafted wines. These wines are made with dedication, one barrel at a time. Discover the stories, techniques, and inspiration behind each bottle as the winemakers themselves take you through tastings in the very space where the magic happens.

Chef Melissa from Clean Slate will ensure you’re well-fed, and there will be live music to set the mood and add to the fun. This isn’t your typical wine festival; it’s a celebration of community, craft, and character.

Don’t miss out on this special chance to enjoy some of the finest wines of the Central Coast, created with heart and shared with joy. Celebrate with wine, music, and food.

Past participating Wineries include:
Alamati Wine
Bocce Ball Wine
Cordon of Santa Barbara
Figge Family Vineyards
Future Perfect Wine
Loubud Wine
Sapien Wines
Seagrape Wine Company
Skyenna Wine
tercero wines

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/easy-street-wine-collective-open-house-tickets-1246204333709

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Los Alamos Mushroom Festival

When: Sat Jan 31, 2026 at 02:00 PM to Sat Jan 31, 2026 at 05:00 PM
Where: Bedford Winery, 448 Bell St, Los Alamos, CA 93440, USA
Why:

This is the ninth time that Stephan Bedford hosts an educational and epicurean exposé of the many mushrooms that can be enjoyed from this region and elsewhere. My mushroom buddy and renowned mycology master Bob Cummings will be on hand as well. There will be numerous dishes to try and plenty of wine.

It’s on Sat., Jan. 31, 2-5 p.m., at the Bedford Winery tasting room. It will sell out, so get tickets by calling (805) 344-2107 or emailing tasti...@bedfordwinery.com.

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Garagiste Festival Southern Exposure

When: Fri Feb  6, 2026 at 12:00 AM to Sun Feb  8, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Where: Solvang Veterans’ Memorial Hall
Why:

The 12th Southern Exposure Garagiste Festival is returning to the quaint town of Solvang in February 2026 to give you rare access to the region's best small, hard-to-find winemakers. At this engaging event, you will discover and taste amazing, cutting-edge wines from our roster of high-quality, micro-production, commercial wineries from all over California’s Central Coast.
Find out for yourself why we’ve been selling out our events for ten years and why we were named the #1 Wine Festival in the Country by USA Today! Meet the winemakers and hear directly from them about the ins and outs of their winemaking styles.

https://www.garagistefestival.com/solvang-2026-fest

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Visit http://livenotessb.com for a comprehensive listing of live music at wine bars, wineries, and other local venues.

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News and other Nonsense
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California Could Face Grape Shortage | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion

Despite a recent overabundance of grapes, California could face a paradoxical shortage of wine this year. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/california-could-face-grape-shortage

Wildfires Rip through Victoria Wine Country | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion

Australian wineries have been badly impacted by out-of-control bushfires in Victoria. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/wildfires-rip-through-victoria-wine-country

When Smoke Gets in Your Wine | KQED

Buttery notes. Hints of cherry. A wisp of chocolate. All are desirable tastes in wine. But what happens when the grapes have been exposed to wildfire smoke and the wine tastes more like BBQ or an ashtray? Wine makers and scientists are exploring how to create wines from grapes that may have been tainted by smoke. At a time when the wine industry is facing the headwinds of tariffs, decreasing interest in wine, and climate change, these efforts have taken on more importance. We’ll talk about what
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912644/when-smoke-gets-in-your-wine

How Sicily Built A Closed-Loop Wine Bottle System That Actually Works

Sicily’s closed-loop glass recycling system is demonstrating how rethinking packaging infrastructure—not consumer behavior—can deliver outsized sustainability gains.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilycappiello/2026/01/17/how-sicily-built-a-closed-loop-wine-bottle-system-that-actually-works/

More Bad News for US Wine | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion

The hits just keep on coming fgor US producers, while protesters gets cheeky with a French wine legend. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/more-bad-news-for-us-wine

Experts Predict a Complicated 2026 for the US Wine Industry

A report predicting what the US wine industry will look like this year and beyond offers mixed signals for wine producers.
https://www.insidehook.com/wine/experts-predict-complicated-2026-wine-industry

US Wine Trade Alliance Warns 200% Tariff Threat Would Accelerate U.S. Layoffs and Cripple American Small Businesses

The U.S. Wine Trade Alliance (USWTA) today warned that newly reported threats to impose 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne, on top of the recent...
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-wine-trade-alliance-warns-194500054.html

Three Santa Barbara Wineries to Watch at Garagiste Fest 

Rooted Vine, Barieau, and Fate’s Lieutenant pouring at 12th annual Southern Exposure event in Solvang on February 6 and 7.
https://www.independent.com/2026/01/16/three-santa-barbara-wineries-to-watch-at-garagiste-fest/

Aluminum cans offer viable alternative to glass for wine packaging, study finds

A recent study has found that aluminum is a suitable material alternative to glass for wine packaging. Researchers from the University of Florida, US, examined the shelf life, color, and chemical structure of muscadine wine packaged in either aluminum cans or glass during storage. The wines were stored under accelerated conditions of 36 degrees Celsius for 30 days and ambient conditions of 25 degrees Celsius for six months. 
https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/aluminum-wine-packaging-study.html

BizHawk: Muni Wine Moving On After 15 Years in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone

Municipal Winemakers has announced that it will be closing its Funk Zone tasting room on Jan. 25 after 15 years to focus on its other locations. Muni Wine
https://www.noozhawk.com/bizhawk-muni-wine-moving-on-after-15-years-in-santa-barbaras-funk-zone/

Maryland’s increasing diversity has meant more Black-owned wineries

Black-owned wineries comprise less than one percent of the industry in the United States. African-American and African immigrant wine-makers in Maryland are working to increase those numbers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/01/10/maryland-wineries-black-owned/

This Is Why the Cork on Your Wine Keeps Breaking

We spoke with wine experts to determine the cause of cork breakage, and how you can fix it after a mishap.
https://www.sunset.com/food-wine/wine-pairings/why-wine-bottle-cork-breaks

Jenna & Sheinelle Answer Viewers' Burning Questions

TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones answer viewers' questions in a new segment called Ask Away! They respond to questions about where they’d like to take the show on the road and what their joint nickname should be!
https://www.today.com/video/jenna-sheinelle-answer-viewers-burning-questions-256029765728

Legislation Introduced to Strengthen "American" Wine Labeling

Press Release - AB 1585 requires wine labeled "American" to be made from 100% U.S.-grown grapes
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/312688

Women sommeliers are cracking male-dominated wine world open

Women who have fought their way to the top of the male-dominated wine sommelier world say their profession is becoming less sexist and more open -- even if men continue to win all the prizes.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20251213-women-sommeliers-are-cracking-male-dominated-wine-world-open

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A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.
- Louis Pasteur
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The information contained in this newsletter is provided only as general information, which may be incomplete or outdated. Please note that readers of this newsletter are responsible for independently verifying all information.  The inclusion of links in this newsletter does not imply endorsement or support of any of the linked information, services, products, or providers.
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