Can Rob Smits Revive the Winemaker Dinner?

“The wine dinner model is dead,” proclaimed Rob Smits, the director of wine at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito. “Santa Barbara is a little oversaturated with these dinners, and I don’t think they’re fun. We keep trying to give people what they don’t want. Let’s try to give them something else.”

Smits’s stab at “something else” comes in the form of “Bounty,” a series of winemaker gatherings happening throughout this summer, kicked off on May 21 with Disko Wines and continuing once a month through September. Instead of the typical sit-down, multi-course, rarified wine dinner format, Bounty guests sit around a communal table as the winemaker cracks open bottles and becomes part of the conversation, rather than leading a presentation. Meanwhile, rounds of pizza, salad, and other seasonal fare by executive chef Edgar Beas serve as sustenance.

“I want groups. I want people to bring six people. I want people to bring 10 people,” said Smits of the dinners, which, at $125, are much cheaper than many of the Miramar’s special events. “I want it to be a meeting place for the community and at a price point that works for everyone. I just want to make it fun.”

Though only a local since being hired in March 2024, Smits has long considered himself an “evangelist” for Santa Barbara wine. After being called to the somm life while living in Santa Rosa, the Sacramento native spent a decade working for Michael Mina establishments in San Francisco, including a memorable, star-studded stint working alongside the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Then came a resort in Wyoming before he was hired by Rosewood to reopen Kona Village on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, where he developed the cellar from scratch.

“When I learned that Rosewood corporate was thinking about sending me to Santa Barbara, I said, ‘My bags are packed!’” recalled Smits, who’s happy to report that his girlfriend from Hawai‘i was finally able to move here. “Everything is coming together.”The previous wine director’s five-year tenure focused much on building up the wine list’s breadth and depth in hopes of winning Wine Spectator’s coveted Grand Award. “The problem is that the wine lacked identity,” said Smits. “It was a bunch of expensive wines on a page, but it didn’t really tell a story. My goal was to give it some narration. I wanted to tell the story of Santa Barbara.”

Though he’s of course maintained the catalog of Old World classics on the reserve list, Smits is making Santa Barbara the Miramar’s wine list brightest star, incorporating appellation maps and pages on pioneer brands like Au Bon Climat and Qupé, as well as more recently heralded brands like Gavin Chanin, Stolpman, Racines, and Mail Road. There’s a growing focus on sustainable methods as well, in line with Chef Massimo Falsini’s eco-mindset, which won the resort’s flagship restaurant Caruso’s a hard-to-get green star from the Michelin Guide.

“That’s where it has evolved, because that’s what guests want,” said Smits of the list. “It tells the story of sustainability and the bounty of the Central Coast — everything Chef Massimo is doing with the menu.”

Bounty amplifies those efforts, showcasing producers that are on the cutting edge of progressive winemaking. Lo-Fi Wines will be featured on June 25, followed by Lady of the Sunshine on July 16, Âmevive on August 20, and White Buffalo Land Trust’s Jalama Canyon wines by Sandhi on September 25.

Time will tell if Smits is successful in discovering a better model than the traditional winemaker dinner, but it sure sounds refreshing. His commitment to Santa Barbara, however, is already crystal clear.

“I poured Santa Barbara by the glass in San Francisco, Santa Barbara wine by the glass in Wyoming, Santa Barbara wine by the glass in Hawai‘i, and now I pour it here,” said Smits. “I’ve always believed in it.”

More details on the dinner are at bit.ly/3ZpBTPK.