SIPOn your next wine-tasting
jaunt, get the inside scoop at
the bar where the makers
hang out.
By Elaine Chukan BrownHERE’S ONE WAY TO EXPLORE a wine region:
Find the main drag, pull over at whatever
shiny tasting room catches your eye, and
start swirling and sipping. It’s not the worst
strategy—it can actually be a lot of fun—but
there’s a more surefire way to sip ahead of
the curve: Stop for a beer.
Whether you’re driving the hills of Walla
Walla or revisiting Napa Valley , there’s
always a spot where the who’s who of vint-
ners and growers imbibe. “Winemakers
aren’t going to tasting rooms,” says Chris
Hammell , who owns Hammell Wine Alli-
ance and also farms Santa Barbara Coun-
ty’s iconic Bien Nacido Vineyards. Instead,
he says, they’re at their local cantina.
“If we have people in town, we take them
to Babi’s,” says Hammell. For tired wine-
makers looking for a break from anything
grape-related after a long day, Babi’s Beer
Emporium (805/344-1900 ), in the tiny
hamlet of Los Alamos, is heaven: six beers
on tap , craft bottlings from all over the
country displayed in intricate alcoves, and
even a walk-up taco counter. “It’s impossi-
ble to go there and not see somebody you
know,” says Hammell. “Sometimes you get
a random celebrity sighting too,” he adds.
“If you do, you know—keep it casual.”
At the sunny beer garden out back , don’t
be surprised if a group suddenly starts de-
bating whether Grenache is the next Pinot
Noir. And when that legendary vintnerruns out to her car for a bottle that will
prove her point, listen up: You could easily
leave with the most cutting-edge tasting
itinerary in Santa Barbara —albeit scrawled
on a cocktail napkin. Intrigued? Here are
four of our other favorite wine-country
insider hangouts in the West.90 OCTOBER 2018 ❖ SUNSET
Food & Drink
ABOVE: LISA CORSON