Steak and Cabernet Sauvignon

Since late fall 2014, we (the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association) have been hosting monthly industry wine tastings.  A member winery volunteers its space one evening for a themed blind tasting for about forty industry representatives (winemakers, growers, sales managers, etc.) In March we were excited to dive into Santa Barbara County Cabernet Sauvignon. While the region, arguably, has been become well-known for its cooler climate varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; it is the region’s diversity that is most exciting.  Not one varietal, but more than 50 types grapes grow well here! 

When you ask someone about California Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Barbara County may not be what first comes to mind.  Through our first Sunday Supper recipe, we want to change your perceptions. This week’s recipe comes again from the pages of the April issue of Food & Wine magazine. “Everyone knows Napa Valley makes great Cabernet Sauvignon, but now exciting cabs are arriving from the “other” California, like Santa Barbara’s Happy Canyon Region.”

Beyond the mention of the other California Cabernet Sauvignon regions, we were inspired by the story of Mimi Thorisson, a food blogger living deep in the rural Medoc region of France. She, her husband, and seven children live in a restored farmhouse and through her blog, share her life of food and wine through recipes and beautiful photography.

We selected her Steak and Bearnaise Sauce recipe from her website. http://mimithorisson.com/2012/05/28/steak-and-bearnaise-sauce/

Now that you have the recipe, it is time to select your wine.  We encourage you to search for a Santa Barbara County Cabernet Sauvignon from our list of producers.

We look forward to reading and seeing how your dinner turns out this week!

More about the Sunday Suppers –

For many people weekends are about disconnecting from the stresses of the work week and recharging with friends and family.  It often entails pulling out a special bottle of wine or two to share and enjoy.  Sundays begin the winding down and preparing for another week.  It means household chores, grocery shopping, and bill paying.  With that idea in mind, we are pleased to announce a new weekly wine and food community project, Sunday Suppers with Santa Barbara County Wine.

Every week we will select an easy to prepare Sunday recipe for everyone to cook at home. You will hunt for the perfect Santa Barbara County wine pairing.  The recipes will be from famous websites, local chefs, and other inspiring sources.  The wines will come from your local wine store, the UPS driver (delivering your monthly wine club allocations), or from a recent wine country trip. They can be white or red, from any grape variety, but must from Santa Barbara County vineyards.  While we will all cook the same recipe, the wines will vary.  The idea is to share our food and wine discoveries with a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

 We will select and post the week’s recipe on Monday and you have all week to pull together the ingredients, including your Santa Barbara County wine selection.  On Sunday afternoon you will start posting Sunday Supper pictures on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook with the #sbcwine.  We will learn culinary tips from each other and most importantly, discover the magic of wine and food pairings. We will discover new wines and break out of our routines.  Best of all, each week one lucky participant will be chosen to receive a special Santa Barbara Wine Country gift pack filled with wine country surprises.

Join our Facebook group.

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