![]() As Doug’s wine and food education grew, he became a true sommelier, a local winemaker under many labels (and in France!), and a successful restauranteur. Chateauneuf du Pape helped Doug become the Wine Expert among his friends and family, an amateur sommelier to suggest wines. Credit: APĭoug’s first foray into wine was on a European vacation in his youth, in dark French wine caves where so many have opened their eyes to wine culture. At his final state dinner, President Obama raises a toast with a glass of Margerum’s Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc ‘Sybarite’. Margerum Sauvignon Blanc was even featured at President Obama’s final State Dinner in 2016. label, a steady production of food-friendly wines makes their way throughout Santa Barbara County and beyond. ![]() As one of Santa Barbara’s highly-decorated and venerable restaurants, Doug found the focus for his wines to-be: “I unabashedly make table wines!” Under his successful Margerum Wine Co. A long communal table represents the bulk of the tasting room, demonstrating the clear intent to serve Margerum wines with a delicious paired plate of food.ĭoug’s real wine roots start at the Wine Cask, a small Santa Barbara wine shop his family acquired 37 years ago, evolving into a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning restaurant. The small tasting room opens into a large kitchen, where a fresh meal is often prepared for the winery staff’s lunch. This approach is very evident in the design of Margerum’s Buellton tasting room & winery (open on the weekends behind Figueroa Mountain Brewing). Doug Margerum: The First and Last name in Santa Barbara Wineĭoug Margerum has a very specific, direct goal for his Margerum label wines: making “Food friendly, at-the-table wines”. As a hub for the local California Central Coast wine scene, we love getting to know our local winemakers and sharing their stories with you! We welcome you to check out more of our interviews and blogs here. And our award-winning wine selection of over 500 mostly local wines compliments our fresh wine country cuisine. Much of our produce for the Café is organically grown at our Café farm in Los Olivos. This balance is one that all winemakers grapple with but Karen makes look effortless.Īt the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe we focus on providing a true wine country experience. Her story is one about creating one’s own destiny, and her wines, whether Buttonwood or Seagrape, reflect her ability to go with the flow and know when to take the driver’s seat. We featured Karen’s unique story on how she and her husband fled their lives in the fast-paced tech world for a quieter life in Santa Ynez Valley and henceforth Karen found her calling as a winemaker, in our 2018 interview and blog. In our interview with Karen she shares what she enjoys about having her own label in addition to making wines for a bigger winery like Buttonwood– being able to explore a new varietal like Gewurztraminer is one of them. However, Seagrape’s 2017 Gewurztraminer is bone dry, with a nice balance of plushness and vibrancy with a zesty finish. This unique German grape may be intimidating to pronounce but in Karen’s skilled hands she made it into a lovely approachable wine. This grape is not commonly seen in this area and can be made in many different ways similar to Reisling. (Surely not her last, you’ll have to taste for yourself!) Why Gewurztraminer? Karen continues with that tradition but has expanded to welcome room for exploration and with that, we are excited to promote her first release of Gewurztraminer. Rita Hills, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as the primary varietals she produced. Initially, the focus of Seagrape was on Sta. They are made from grapes that grow beautifully from the Santa Barbara County’s ocean influenced vineyards. Karen is often asked if her wines are made with these sea grapes– they are not. These grape trees, as the locals would call them, became the muse for their label, recalling a time of togetherness and fond memories from which their Seagrape wines were created. Croix they would marvel at the Seagrape trees on Grape Tree Beach. ![]() Karen and her late husband were fond of their time spent abroad. Widely recognized as the talented winemaker behind the wines of Buttonwood, however, her private label wines of Seagrape Wine Co., express another side of Karen that will leave a stamp on the history of Santa Barbara County wine country. You may recognize her name, she’s one of Santa Barbara’s most prolific women in winemaking, Karen Steinwachs. and their Maker: Karen SteinwachsĬuriosity guides the choices made in not only what wines she makes, but how she makes her wines.
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