MEDIA CONTACTS:
Karna Hughes, Director of Public Relations
Visit Santa Barbara
(805) 966-9222, ext. 112 or [email protected]
Anna Jacobson, Public Relations Manager
Visit Santa Barbara
(805) 966-9222, ext. 110 or [email protected]
Santa Barbara, Calif. (February 2020) — A new podcast and video series celebrating Santa Barbara County’s unique wines through its winemakers and their lives, “Two Glasses In,” launched Feb. 5 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The nine-episode series was created by longtime area wine professionals Rafael A. Ruiz and Bion Rice and co-produced by Visit Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara South Coast’s destination marketing organization.
In each 45-minute episode, host Bion Rice, a third-generation winegrower (formerly of Sunstone Winery and, currently, Artiste Winery), sits down with a fellow Santa Barbara County winemaker for a candid, in-depth conversation on their wines, the craft and their lives. The twist? Both Rice and his guest chat over two glasses of wine. Listeners can view the show notes to follow along and drink what the podcasters are drinking.
“I’ve lived and breathed the bounty of Santa Barbara wine country for the past two decades, and believe there’s no better place on Earth to grow wine and cultivate this craft,” said Bion Rice. “We have one of the most diverse grape-growing regions in the world, with more than 70 varietals of grapes, so the stories and ways to taste are endless.”
The podcast’s first episode features Frank Ostini, iconic owner of Hitching Post 2 and co-owner and winemaker of Hitching Post Winery. The movie “Sideways,” which featured Hitching Post 2, won an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay and put Santa Barbara County wines on the map when it came out in 2004. Ostini discusses the “Sideways Effect” on merlot, what makes the Santa Barbara County wine region special, and the inner workings of his restaurant and winery.
Future episodes will feature winemakers Bryan Babcock of Babcock Winery, Doug Margerum of Margerum Wine Company, and Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars, among others. The series was also co-produced by JessyLynn Perkins of Visit Santa Barbara.
Podcast episodes will be released each Wednesday on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with a companion webisode released each Friday on Visit Santa Barbara’s website, TwoGlassesIn.com. Each webisode will include footage of the podcast filming, while providing a glimpse into the life of the featured winemaker.
From grape to glass, Santa Barbara County offers travelers a wide range of wine-tasting experiences, from the tasting rooms along the Santa Barbara’s walkable Urban Wine Trail to the scenic vineyards of the valley. Said Kathy Janega-Dykes, Visit Santa Barbara’s president/CEO: “With this series, we’re excited for listeners to learn about renowned wines, discover new favorites and feel inspired to taste it for themselves by visiting Santa Barbara.”
ABOUT SANTA BARBARA
Named one of the “Best Small Cities in the U.S.” in the 2019 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, Santa Barbara has been called “The American Riviera” by travelers for more than a century. Nestled between majestic mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the city has distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (with red-tile roofs and white adobe buildings) and lush gardens that evoke the European Riviera—with a carefree, California sensibility.
Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles along California’s Central Coast. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, train, bus or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara Visitors Magazine, contact Visit Santa Barbara at (800) 676-1266 or (805) 966-9222, email [email protected] or explore wine itineraries at SantaBarbaraCA.com.
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FOR MEDIA ONLY
PHOTOS
Photos available at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vnxxyaowa9xg9hq/AADraGdw7AdqDzyt3LAuq5c-a?dl=0
Photo credit for all: Rafael A. Ruiz, courtesy of Visit Santa Barbara
Photo captions:
File name: Bion Rice and Frank Ostini
Description: From left, Bion Rice, host of Santa Barbara County wine podcast “Two Glasses In,” and Frank Ostini, winemaker at Hitching Post Winery, are featured in the debut episode.
File name: Bion Rice Head Shot
Description: Bion Rice, a third-generation winegrower (formerly of Sunstone Winery and, currently, Artiste Winery), hosts podcast “Two Glasses In,” which explores Santa Barbara County wines through interviews with regional winegrowers.
File name: Clinking Glasses
Description: During “Two Glasses In,” host Bion Rice and his guest chat over two glasses of Santa Barbara County wine.
File name: Wine Country
Description: A vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara County wine country is the focus of the new podcast and video series, “Two Glasses In.”
Contact [email protected] for additional images.
VIDEO
Introduction video to “Two Glasses In” is available at https://youtu.be/QS1Z8uyMomQ
Credit: Rafael A. Ruiz and Bion Rice, courtesy of Visit Santa Barbara.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews are available with Kathy Janega-Dykes or Bion Rice. Contact Karna Hughes at [email protected]