June 27, 2023 (Los Olivos, CA) — Santa Barbara County’s Margerum Wine Company and sister label, Barden, have unveiled a new tasting room in downtown Los Olivos, featuring a variety of curated wine and food tastings sure to delight foodies and oenophiles alike.
Building on the success of Margerum Wine Company’s flagship tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, owner/winemaker Douglas Margerum and his team are thrilled to expand their presence to the Santa Ynez Valley, widely celebrated as the heart and soul of Santa Barbara County’s wine country. Situated in downtown Los Olivos along Alamo Pintado Avenue, Margerum’s Los Olivos tasting room invites guests to indulge in handcrafted wines complemented by a variety of elevated food pairings. Notably the first tasting room in the region to offer sushi within a Bento Box, as well as Kumamoto Oysters with sparkling wine pairings (from local favorite Jina Bae of BB Sushi and formerly of Aru Sushi in Buellton), Margerum’s alluring tasting experiences are setting a new standard for wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The intimate space is elegantly designed, featuring both indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate various preferences. Here, guests are welcomed to try wines by the flight, glass, and bottle, including still and fortified wines from both the Margerum and Barden labels. In addition to cheese and charcuterie, sushi, and oysters, such gourmet pantry staples as Margerum’s estate olive oil, salad dressing, and mustard are also available.
Margerum Wine Company and Barden were founded by Douglas Barden Margerum, an esteemed winemaker whose involvement in Santa Barbara’s culinary and wine scene spans over four decades. As the former proprietor of the beloved Wine Cask restaurant and wine shop in downtown Santa Barbara, Margerum’s passion for wine led him to embark on his own winemaking journey. In 2001, he founded his eponymous Rhône-focused label, also known for its Loire-inspired Sauvignon Blanc, followed by his Burgundian varietal label, Barden, in 2012. Since then, Margerum has earned many accolades for his exceptional range of limited-production wines that artfully capture the nuances of the region, including being nominated as Winemaker of the Year in Wine Enthusiast’s coveted 2022 Wine Star Awards.
Margerum Los Olivos is located at 2446 Alamo Pintado Avenue, Los Olivos, California, 93441. The tasting room is open seven days per week from 11am – 5pm. Reservations are not required but are encouraged via Tock.com or by calling (805) 504-1209, but all sushi, Bento Box, and oyster pairings must be reserved 36 hours in advance. To arrange a food and wine experience at either the Los Olivos or Santa Barbara Tasting Room, please reach out to kristin@margerumwines.com. To learn more, please visit www.margerumwines.com.
ABOUT DOUGLAS BARDEN MARGERUM AND THE MARGERUM AND BARDEN WINE COMPANIES
Doug is widely regarded as one of the pioneers promoting the uniqueness and quality of Santa Barbara County’s food and wine for over forty years. He began his career as the Sommelier and Owner of Wine Cask, Santa Barbara’s famed restaurant and wine store (1994 winner of the coveted Wine Spectator Grand Award). In 2001, Doug founded Margerum Wine Company, and in 2007, he sold the Wine Cask to focus solely on winemaking. Doug’s multifaceted background has resulted in him becoming a much sought-after brand consultant lending his experience to Chêne Bleu super Rhône wines in France, La Encantada Vineyards and Happy Canyon Vineyards, all in Santa Barbara County, and Paradise Springs Winery based in Virginia, to name a few. In 2014, Margerum expanded his portfolio with the creation of BARDEN – an exploration of cold climate grapes grown in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.
Margerum’s wine philosophy: return winemaking to its previous form of production – handcrafted and personal. Margerum and Barden create hand-made wines using only the highest quality local grapes, with the intention to make wines that are indicative and reflective of the characteristics and personality of the region in which they are grown. The scale of production is kept at a level where they can touch and know the wine as it is raised to the bottle. The standards of quality are measured by their own criteria – not by external sources. They make wines they personally enjoy – some to drink young, and others for long aging in cool cellars.
