Highlights from Stars of California Food and Wine with OCeanfront

You can find anything in L.A. if you are willing to look. It seems that L.A. is not quite as overtly a 'wine city' as say San Francisco, or New York, but fortunately its sheer mass makes it inevitable that if there is something you seek, it is available. There just may be some truth to the idea that L.A.'s beauty lies in its breadth, not necessarily its depth, and for some great life experiences that has just got to be okay. One great (and rather deep honestly) resource that Angelenos have in their pursuit of wine in Los Angeles is LearnAboutWine.com, an educational resource on wine and local event planner. Ian Blackburn, founder, reguarly throws tastings, seminars, even boot camps for those who want to explore wine. Whether your intention is to taste some of the more local beauties, learn to contrast Old and New World techniques and styles, or even get a low level certification, Learn About Wine is a source for you in both L.A. and Orange County.

A recent event, entitled Stars of California Food and Wine with OCeanfront, combined a tasting of some of California's lessor known but up and coming wineries, with 9 Orange County resort cusines programs for a swanky walk around tasting. OCeanfront is a collaboration of the resorts in Orange County, and this event gave them an opportunity to try and attract the already beachified West-siders to head south a few miles and enjoy what they have to offer.

All in all a very nice event, capped graciously at a couple of hundred visitors, the crowd was interested, polite, sober, and yes probably dressed to impress (lets just say my Dockers stood out a bit). There were a couple of wines that were new to me, and really brought the quality - so this being a wine blog I figured it was time to share:

2010 Palmina Tocai Friulano - Palmina is rightfully obsessed with Italian varietals and how they can be expressed from the coastal regions of Santa Barbara County. This wine was bright and herbaceous, with balancing fruit to keep it tasty as can be. A very different California white wine, and at only $18 one I am glad that I found.

2005 L&R Right Bank Red, Napa Valley - Lang and Reed is a winery committed to exploring Cabernet Franc. This should excite many a wine geek (and therefore peak the interest of you non-wine geeks, since the geeks shall lead us down rewarding paths). This bottle is a blend of Cab Franc, with a healthy dose of Merlot, and some Petit Verdot and Cab Sauv to round it out. Broad, structured, with lots of that Merlot cherry and swishes of oaky vanilla this wine is delicious. The Cab Franc keeps it grounded and interesting, and makes this wine a real winner.

2009 Presqu'ile Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley - This little winery is a family run business in the Santa Maria Valley, dedicated to finding the right terroir for a balanced expression of the varietals they love. They've certainly done it with this Pinot which expresses raspberries, flowers, and whisps of beautifully integrated cedar. Really expressive and balanced this wine is wonderfully delicious.

2007 Skinner Syrah, El Dorado - I have got to give more attention to the wines coming out of the Sierra Foothills, because every time that I do I find a winner like this Syrah. Ryan Skinner drives back and forth from L.A. on a weekly basis to the winery in Fair Play, California and after tasting this aromatically stunning Syrah you will be thankful that he does. Showing both the dark berries and the more leathery, meaty side of Syrah this wine delivers for a nice price of only $25. Keep the Rhones coming from El Dorado, please.

Four wines for you to seek from a wonderful event in Santa Monica, and I leave you with this. Exploration and exposure in wine is rewarding on multiple fronts. It is a very pleasing journey, and often results in finding a treasure that will be shared with friends and family in the future. So do some exploration, attend events in your area, and don't stick to what you know. I guess what I am trying to say is, don't be boring (it just doesn't fly in L.A.)