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November, 2019

From the Ground Up

We have just reached the midpoint in our harvest. The grapes, winery, vineyard, and owners have survived so far. The new wines that I have seen look really good. 

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Image of Louis Lucas walking in the vineyard

November, 2018

From the Ground Up
The weather has been great. Grapes have been slow to ripen. Crop size is normal in some varieties and to the heavy side in other varieties.
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Baked brie appetizer with sparkling wine

John D. Finley
September 27th, 2018
Santa Ynez Valley News

Sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it comes from the region of Champagne, France. Strictly speaking, champagne means "French Champagne" coming from the Reims and Epernay districts east of Paris. California produces two types of sparkling wine. The bulk process type is basically glorified soda pop. The other, usually labeled methode champenoise or methode traditionelle, means the second fermentation process must take place in the same bottle it is served from. It is well worth the price to buy a sparkling wine using this method.

February, 2018

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

We have been suffering from spring in January and we have reached the point of concern. This warm weather could hasten bud break before the danger of frost is behind us.

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Royce Lewellen and Louis Lucas checking out grapevines

December, 2017

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

The harvest is over, as well as the Harvest Party! It is time to begin all over again in the vineyard. Our Italian grape harvest went well with cooperation from the weather after the smoke from wildfires and a freak rainstorm.

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Louis Lucas in the vineyard

Celebrate New Year’s with a Local Sparkling Wine

More than 50 Santa Barbara wineries craft bubbly in the méthode traditionelle or méthode champenoise style used in French Champagnes

Laurie Jervis
Noozhawk

In the year since I wrote about Santa Barbara’s plethora of sparkling wines, even more winemakers have jumped on bubbly bandwagon and are crafting stellar goods popular with holiday revelers.

December, 2016

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman
We finished the 2016 harvest the day we left for the cruise. This year, we had plenty of grapes of exceptional quality. We had a few challenges during harvest that were heat related but we survived thanks to the canopies on our vines. Our Italian varieties were exceptional. I was really impressed with the Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. For something new, we picked Pinot Grigio for Sparkling Wine, something to look forward to. For this, our last shipment of the year, we have selected wines for the coming holidays.
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A photo of Livorno

Santa Barbara News Press

A Sparkling Future

Gabe Saglie, News Press Correspondent
9/15/2016

Marketing pro Liz Dodder gets a sparkle in her eye when she talks about the Central California wineries that make bubbly.  “Bubbles are my favorite,” she says with enthusiasm, “and I was always keeping a personal list of who was making it.”  That led her, in 2014, to produce a Central Coast sparkling wine map for her popular blog, Cali Coast Wine Country.  There were 45 stops on that map, already a testament to a burgeoning industry.

 

Gabe Saglie's Blog

A Sparkling Industry: New Maps Showcase Quick Growth of Central Coast Bubbly

Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor Travelzoo
9/15/2016

In Santa Barbara County -- where pinot and chardonnay, Champagne's main ingredients, flourish -- many of the top tier producers sell their bubbles from about $20 to $50 a bottle, with a few commanding prices above $60.  Many of them, like Lucas & Lewellen, produce the still wine locally and then truck the juice to an outside facility – a place called Rack & Riddle in Napa, mostly – to be further fermented into bubbly.  But a growing number, including Flying Goat Cellars and Fess Parker Winery, produce their sparklers entirely in-house, emulating Champagne’s classic methode tradit

November, 2015

From the Ground Up
This harvest started the first week of August and ended the second week of October - the earliest start and finish in my 43 years of harvesting grapes in Santa Barbara County. One consolation is that we will have had time to prepare for the Harvest Party. Things should be in great shape to enjoy the festivities.
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Valley View Vineyard

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