Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

DOM PERIGNON & HENNESSY ANNUAL STARS AT SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAR

For many years now the Dom Perinon Champagne has been a delightful sponsor and staple at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and had been enjoyed at private parties and enjoyed by celebrities in the 'Green Room' befor and after award presentations.

Ingredients

1.5 oz Hennessy V.S
.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
.5 oz Grand Marnier
2 dashes angostura bitters
Garnish: 3 brandied cranberries

Directions

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with 3 brandied cranberries on a skewer

Visit Patina Locations and vote on the best designer cocktail to win the competition. www.patina.com.

Holman Ranch is proud to announce an exciting and exclusive wining and dining experience at one of the Central Coast's finest estates featuring wines from two exemplary wineries, dinner at a celebrated restaurant in beautiful Carmel Valley Village, topped off by dinner at one of the village's renowned tasting lounges and an overnight stay at Holman Ranch. The Ultimate Ranch Experience is customizable from massages to horseback lessons. This unique Carmel Valley experience is available on Mondays with very limited availability. Reservations are accepted up to four months in advance. Cost is $850 for 1 night, double occupancy. Additional night, room only, can be added for $275 depending on availability.

4PM Arrival, wine tasting at Holman Ranch tasting room, receive your key and head up to our historic 400 acre ranch, that will be your home away from home for the next 24 hours!

5PM After unpacking in your cozy, historic guest rooms, enjoy a glass of wine on your front porch in a reclaimed teak rocking chair, or a refreshing dip in the first pool ever built in Carmel Valley, perhaps a game of horseshoes or a leisurely stroll on our many miles of trails.

7PM Enjoy your dinner at the ranch. We offer dinner from one of our preferred caterers who will bring your meal and wine to the Ranch for you. ($150 per couple allocated to dinner included in package)

9PM Take advantage of your s’mores kit found in your room, shoot some pool in our Game Room while enjoying some tunes from our vintage jukebox.

7:30-9:30AM Enjoy a continental self-serve breakfast basket delivered to your front door.

1PM Wine cave tour with barrel tasting, vineyard tour, finished off with a tasting and amuse bouche at our Jarman tasting lounge and patio

Extend your stay to 2 nights and get the option to upgrade to a wellness, golf, culinary package.

The winery at Holman Ranch, located in The Caves, is completely underground in order to take advantage of the natural cooling and humidity held below. The 3000 square foot area maintains a constant temperature of 58˚F-60 ˚F and contains four 750 gallon tanks, four 1200 gallon tanks, and four open top tanks that can hold two tons each. One hundred (100) French oak barrels are maintained year round. Winery operations such as destemming, pressing, fermenting and aging take place within the cool environment of The Caves, while bottling is done directly outside using a mobile bottling line. During harvest, 6 to 8 tons of grapes a day are processed. This may seem low but it is due to the fact that harvesting hours are between 7am to noon on any given day. Grapes are hand picked and loaded into half ton bins, transferred to the winery by tractor and then moved by forklift to the destemmer. White wines take around three weeks to ferment at 50˚F and are bottled in February, while red varietals ferment for two weeks and are bottled in early June. All skins, seeds and stems are composted and returned to the fields. Slow months for our winery are June, July and August with the busiest time being September. The winery will produce 3000-5000 cases annually.

Located at the north eastern tip of the Carmel Valley Appellation, the family-owned Holman Ranch resides approximately 12 miles inland from the Pacific Coast. Immersed in history and romance, the ranch has not only proven to be an excellent growing location for our vineyards but also for the Tuscan varietal olive trees which have flourished under the temperate climate.

Our estate-grown wine varietals are planted on approximately 21 acres of undulating terrain.

The wines produced are unfined and crafted to deliver the true varietal of the grape from harvest to bottle.

The climate and terroir of the appellation has played a critical part in the success of our wines. The warmth of our inland valley coupled with the cooling marine layer has established itself as an ideal microclimate for the production of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Our Burgundy Clones have thrived from the perfect blend of ideal climate, southern exposure and thin rocky soils.

Holman Ranch’s Carmel Valley tasting room offers the perfect backdrop to swirl, sip and savor the different complexities of Holman Ranch Vineyard and Winery wines. There is something for everyone (4 varietals in fact), from the full-bodied Pinot Noirs to the light, fruity flavors of our Pinot Gris and lightly oaked Chardonnay. Holman Ranch also offers estate grown and bottled Olive Oil available for tasting and purchase at the Tasting Room.

The Tasting Room showcases the estate wines of Holman Ranch which includes our Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rosé of Pinot Noir. Carefully hand-harvested, cold pressed and bottled, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced from the fruits of our Tuscan trees has a delightful spice followed by a buttery finish.

Three tasting flights of three wines each (White, Mountain and Pinot Noir) are available 7 days a week. The Tasting Room also holds a series of cooking demos called In Your Backyard. For more information, call (831) 659-2640.

Holman Ranch has its own distinctive olive grove located on a south facing hill of our vineyard. The grove is comprised of 100 trees with multiple cultivars planted. These cultivars consist of 25 Frantoio, 25 Leccino, 10 Mission, 25 Coratina, 5 Pendolino, and 10 Picholine, all of which were originally planted in 2194 in a Carmel Valley orchard then replanted at Holman Ranch in 2007. These mature olive trees allowed us to produce olive oil right away. They are planted in shale for the best production and harvesting results possible. We harvest our fruit by hand in December, which is then milled, producing a superb, high quality product. Although the Olive Grove is not certified organic, we do employ organic practices when farming our trees. Our mill, however, is certified organic. An interesting fact is that olive trees are alternate bearing, which means that one year they may produce 650, 375ml bottles worth of oil, while next year they may produce only 50, 375ml bottles.

Holman Ranch: Where the Past is Always Present. Tucked away in the rolling hills of Carmel Valley, Californian historic Holman Ranch provides a unique and memorable setting for weddings, special events, family gatherings, corporate retreats, and team-building events. With its charming gardens, stunning mountain views and serenity, this private estate affords old-world charm while providing modern day conveniences. This stunning Property includes a fully restored stone hacienda, overnight guest rooms, vineyards, olive grove, horse stables and more. www.holmanranch.com

Jarman’s terroir (a French word that speaks to a wine’s place of origin, its subtle nuances of traceable character, flavor, lineage and integrity) refers to a special place in Carmel Valley—and also to a special woman who inspired a family to bottle the essence of a mother’s spirit. The Jarman label will reflect quality, with only the best local grapes used during an artisanal, small-batch winemaking process. Jarman wine uses only 100 percent estate-grown, organic and certified-sustainable grapes. Aged in French oak barrels, Jarman’s vintages are held in limited supply, and not available anywhere outside their tasting room. The two varietals include:

-The 2013 Jarman Pinot Noir takes on nuances of warm blueberry pie, cloves and cinnamon that mingle in the nose with oak notes from 10 months in the barrel. The mouth-feel is plump and juicy with overtones of cassis and blackberries.

-The 2014 Jarman Chardonnay features floral notes reminiscent of walking by a parfumerie in France — subtle and pleasant with a hint of earthiness. When serving this wine lightly chilled, rich notes of underripe berries and raw honey will waltz across your palate.

To further honor their mother’s memory, the family has opened a special tasting room in Carmel Valley Village (open noon to 5 p.m., Thurs.-Sun.; or by appointment) next to Will’s Fargo Steakhouse + Bar, the restaurant they purchased in 2014. The tastings will feature full-fledged experiences, including tours and wine education, and each will include a food element that complements the wine. The new Jarman tasting room will provide visitors with three unique experiences: Cru Tasting, Premier Cru Experience and the Grand Cru Experience.

Carmel Valley’s iconic steakhouse Will’s Fargo is owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Nick Elliott and Hunter Lowder, who also team up to run nearby Holman Ranch, a wedding and special event venue that also produces wine and olive oil. Lowder formerly served as manager of Rio Grill in Carmel, while Elliott is a culinary school graduate. At Will’s, Lowder manages the front of the house while Elliott runs the bar. The couple maintains Will’s Fargo’s reputation as an elite steakhouse and popular locals’ hangout, while also using the property as an off-site option for Holman Ranch guests.

Red Carpet Red

Santa Barbara never ceases to amaze and this year is no different. In fact, it is exceptional in its ability to surprise. Visit Santa Barbara is pleased to offer Film Feast participants access to a limited-edition Red Carpet Red wine-a beautifully custom-blended Ampelos Cellars pinot noir. Only two barrels of this lively wine were produced for this particularly special occasion. Each bottle dons a Santa Barbara-centric label specially created by artist Eric Junker.

Share your Red Carpet Red wine experience with us @visitsantabarbara on Instagram or @SantaBarbara on Twitter using #SavorSB.

Directions

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Red Carpet Red