Kalyra Winery - Santa Barbara California
Kalyra isn't much like the other wineries in Santa Barbara, or like other wineries anywhere in California for that matter. Run by an Australian, Kalyra is a hang-out for young adults in the area. The tasting room woman told us that they line up 4 deep on weekends, shouting out orders, and that you can't even hear the rock music for the voices. No wonder their tag line is that it's "A Wild and Pleasant Place". Just be sure to pronounce the name "Kal-EYE-ra".
It's also no wonder that, in Sideways, this is where Jack runs into the wild Stephanie, who claims she is naughty and needs to be punished! Jack promptly takes her home.
The winery is definitely playing up to the Sideways story. There are photos of the actors on the walls along with the Australian flags and down to earth decor. Where the movie had a shop area, there is now a second tasting bar set up, to try to handle the overflow. Still, if you're an authentic visitors, you'll want to be at the main bar.
We began with the Brut Rose sparkling wine, which is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It's fermented for 18 months and had light, gentle fruity flavors. This would be great with sushi. $26.
The 2005 Chardonnay is fully stainless steel fermented, and this shows in the bright, fresh citrus flavors. There was a nice balance here. $16. The Barrel Select 2003 Chardonnay, in comparison, is much more buttery, with a hint of citrus. $21.
On to the reds. We had a Barossa Valley Shiraz, with chocolate, smoke and a hint of spice - cinnamon. $25. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon was gnetle and fruity, with hints of spice and jam. $26.
I really LOVED the dessert wines and these were what I brought home. The 2005 orange muscat was great and would go perfectly with dark chocolate. Beth, our pourer, commented, "no matter how much we make, it always sells out". It had flavors of apricot and orange blossom. $14.25
The 20 year old tawny port was equally yummy with a buttery hazelnut flavor. $18. There were also several other dessert wines not being poured that we brought home with us to sample later.
I can definitely see the appeal here to a young 20-something person to come and hang out with loud music, drink fun wines and relax with their friends on a weekend. For me personally, I took home a half case of the dessert wines, which were very tasty, and will enjoy sipping those in a relaxing environment!
Kalyra Winery Webpage
Sideways movie review
Santa Barbara California Wineries
California Winery Review Listing
All content on the WineIntro website is personally written by author and wine enthusiast Lisa Shea. WineIntro explores the delicious variety and beautiful history which makes up our world of wine! Lisa loves supporting local wineries and encouraging people to drink whatever they like. We all have different taste buds, and that makes our world wonderful. Always drink responsibly.