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A few months ago, my filmmaking friend Niko Hronopoulos, whom I met at UCSB almost 30 years ago, told me he was getting back into making short films about winemakers and artists like he did a decade ago. As we batted around potential subjects, it became apparent to both of us that a film about the wine criticism part of my career might make an interesting subject.
I can base that almost solely on the wide-eyed reactions I get from people when I tell them that a significant portion of my income comes from reviewing wines. “How did you get that job?” or “That’s the best job in the world!” are the more common responses.
I can’t answer the first one (there was no discernible plan), and won’t disagree with the latter — but it is a serious amount of work despite how leisurely it sounds, as longtime readers of this newsletter no doubt recall. (Here was my day-by-day rundown from 2022.) Beyond that, wine scores still carry tremendous weight in some circles, so seeing how that sausage is made might be interesting even to those who aren’t into wine.
(And it wouldn’t be the first film about me and wine. There’s this one from 2015 by former DA Stan Roden and Santa Barbara International Film Festival founder Phyllis de Picciotto, who died earlier this year. My beard was full and all one color then.)
So back in early June, Niko made a series of trips up here, first to see me in action in the field, and then second to spend two days recording me in various corners of my house. The action he saw include one of my Just 8 Supper Club dinners at Clean Slate, a vertical journey through cabernet sauvignon at Brander Vineyard (which I wrote about here), a taste of the new menu at La Tequila (which I wrote about both here and here), and then “regular” visits to 10 Ninths, St. Avalo, and Koehler wineries. (Stories forthcoming soon.)
Then in July, Niko returned for the proper shoot of me showing him what I do with the wine submissions, from opening boxes, to filing the bottles away, to the blind tastings where I score the wines. Mostly, he spent two days recording me (and briefly my wife) babble on for hours, responding to his questions and downloading a lot of what I know and think about wine, specifically in Santa Barbara and along the entire Central Coast.
After all that was done and the film had already been mostly finished, Niko realized he needed a bit more. So in August, he made one more return trip to interview winemakers Greg Brewer and Sonja Magdevski, who were very nice in what they said about me. (I didn’t have to pay them much at all!)
I’m now happy and proud to share the result, which tells the story of that part of my career and life very accurately, yet with Niko’s trademark style and humor. There are a number of shorter videos about specific topics that will also be released over time.
Here’s “The 5th S: The Wines & TImes of Matt Kettmann,” by Niko Hronopoulos.
And if you need someone to work on a film project for you, email Niko here.
Back-to-Back-to-Back Food and Wine Fests
October appears to be the food and wine event season, so it’s high time to get tickets before they’re sold out.
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley: I already wrote an article warning you to buy tickets for this event back in July, and now it’s only two weeks away, running October 2 to 5. The Los Alamos and Los Olivos dinners are sold out — I told you!!! — but tickets do remain for many other events, including the Sta. Rita Hills brunch at Brick Barn on Sunday and that evening’s dinner at the just-opened Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center. Click here for the lineup.
Los Olivos Wine Fest: As part of the annual Day in the Country event — which includes a parade, fun run, apple pie eating contest, and many more family-friendly happenings — there’s a Los Olivos Wine Fest on October 11. It runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on the grassy grounds of St. Mark’s-the-Valley, and features more than 20 wineries for just $60. Get tickets here.
Santa Barbara Vintners Festival: The big whopper of an annual festival on October 18 will feature more than 75 wineries and 20 food purveyors at Vega Vineyard & Farm just off 101 in Buellton. Cop the full lineup here. Tickets range from $25 for nondrinkers to $125 for general admission and $175 for early access admission. As I write this, there are two private cabanas left, which includes eight tickets, two parking passes, eight bottles of wine, and a charcuterie plate for $2,500. See all the ticket options here.
From Our Table
Here are some stories you may have missed:
- Izadora Hamm tells us how Elizabeth Poett of The Ranch Table is hosting a fundraising dinner to benefit the Santa Barbara County Foodbank’s effort to connect more directly to regional farmers.
- Hana-Lee Sedgwick gets into the past decade of running Bree’osh Bakery.
- The Sansum Diabetes Research Institute is hosting the annual Taste of the Vine event this Saturday at the S.B. Historical Museum. Alice Dehghanzadeh has the story here.
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