Wine & Fire Brings Community, Celebration, and World-Class Wines to the Sta. Rita Hills

Every August, during what many call the dog days of summer — though in the Sta. Rita Hills, the fog and ocean breezes keep things cool and bright — the region comes alive with Wine & Fire, the annual celebration of the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance. Equal parts reunion, feast, and love letter to the vines, it is the signature event of the region. This year’s festival, held August 14-17, was a long weekend devoted to the wines and winemakers who make this cool-climate AVA one of the most exciting in California.

Over four days, guests gathered for wood-fired feasts, wine tastings beneath centuries-old oaks, winemaker dinners, and open house celebrations at wineries across the Sta. Rita Hills. It was the one weekend when the entire region opened its arms and glasses wide, welcoming both loyal friends and curious newcomers to share in its spirit.

The weekend began on Thursday evening at Peake Ranch Winery, where the annual Barn Party offered a more intimate, walk-around gathering. Guests mingled across the grounds, balancing plates of wood-fired pizza, fresh salads, and charcuterie while exploring the winery’s beauty. Overgrown flowers spilled across pathways, and vineyard rows stretched out with grapes nearly ready for picking, a reminder that the excitement of harvest was just around the corner. It was a welcoming start to the weekend.

Friday evening brought the heart of the weekend: the La Paulée-style dinner hosted by Babcock Winery, honoring Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars as the 2025 Vintner of the Year.

The evening kicked off with glasses of Flying Goat Cellars sparkling wine setting a festive mood. As twilight stretched across the sky, tributes to Norm began. Friends and colleagues, including Karen Steinwachs of Seagrape Cellars, Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars, and Bryan Babcock, all praised Norm’s generosity, his pioneering spirit, and the way he helped shape the Sta. Rita Hills. Norm stood beside his wife Kate Griffith, the creative force behind Flying Goat Cellars’s marketing, as he reflected on the leap of faith that brought him here.

“I remember stepping off the plane in Santa Barbara and smelling the ocean,” Norm said. “I thought, this is special, this is unique, and I want to be part of it. Best decision I ever made.”

As the last of the tributes closed, the sun began to set and dinner was served. Plates from High on the Hog overflowed with barbecue, and long tables stretched out beneath the night sky. My husband and I were seated with Chad Melville and his wife, Carolina, who generously opened a stunning 2009 chardonnay. On our other side, Steinwachs poured her bright and lively 2023 sauvignon blanc. Together, we all raised our glasses in a heartfelt toast to Norm with his own 2021 Flying Goat Cellars pinot noir, a moment that captured the very heart of the evening.

By the time the lights strung above began to twinkle, the dinner had transformed into something freer, looser. Winemakers rose from their seats and began moving from table to table, bottles in hand, pouring their wines for guests and friends. Laughter carried across the winery as conversations lingered, turning a formal dinner into one great communal celebration, the true spirit of Wine & Fire.

Saturday morning began with the lively speed tasting at Hitching Post Wines, where winemakers rotated tables every ten minutes, offering guests a chance to connect directly with the people behind the bottles.

That evening, the grand tasting at La Purisima Mission brought together virtually all the winemakers of the Sta. Rita Hills. Beneath the towering oak trees, guests strolled from table to table, tasting chardonnay, pinot noir, and sparkling wines that showed the remarkable diversity of the AVA. It’s always a beautiful experience to taste wines in that setting, the historic mission, the cool coastal air, and the shade of the oaks create a backdrop that feels singular, as though it couldn’t happen anywhere else. Local chefs offered thoughtful pairings, and conversations lingered as twilight settled in.

Sunday served as a more casual day, when visitors could use their Wine & Fire passports to explore the Sta. Rita Hills at their own pace, dropping into tasting rooms and wineries across the region.

Wine & Fire is as much about community as it is about wine. It’s a time when the people who tend vines, ferment grapes, and dream of vintages gather to celebrate one another, and to share that joy with visitors, and perhaps that is the real magic of the Sta. Rita Hills. It is a place that produces wines of elegance and vibrancy, but more than that, it creates a community that is fearless, adventurous, and full of heart.

Follow staritahills.com for information on next year’s festivities.