Italian-Inspired Wines in a California Setting

The American Wine Society of Santa Barbara’s next tasting is called “Italian Flair” and features guest winemaker John Backer of August Ridge Vineyard from the eastern side of the Paso Robles AVA. He’ll discuss the northern Italian varietals that he grows, and how the resulting wines have influenced the cooking that he and his wife do at home.

To get a taste, I recently chatted with Backer about his family’s 100-year history in grape growing and his wife Jill’s Italian influences in both winemaking and culinary pairings.

How did you get into wine making?