Wine Camp Comes to Santa Barbara Vintners Festival

This weekend marks the 41st Santa Barbara Vintners Festival, where the main event is on Saturday, October 18, 1-4 p.m. at Vega Vineyard & Farm. 

But it’s the first time that the fest will feature Wine Camp, an interactive and educational “festival-within-a-festival” with blind tastings, demos, informative seminars, and blending games.  

Wine Camp is being spearheaded by The Wine Militia, a consulting firm that’s been helping the Santa Barbara Vintners with their events and marketing for years. I asked proprietors Lamar Engel and Sonja Rei Strand about the origins of Wine Camp, and what attendees can expect.   

How did Wine Camp come about? 

It started when we began to look at the guest experience a little closer and realized that it was important to include everyone in their wine journey. From oenophile to enthusiast, we felt that we needed the ability to meet the guests where they are at. 

After years of watching guests swirl, sniff, and nod through tastings, we thought, “What if we adjusted the way guests interact with wine during the Vintners Festival?” The goal was to make learning about wine feel like discovery, not doctrine. 

Over a martini-brainstorm session — yes, it takes beer and other alcohol to market wine, too — our team began casually chatting about summer camp, nostalgia, and memories of things they learned at camp. We started putting ideas on a whiteboard and talking about how we can loop in wine, the region, and the people. 

So Wine Camp was born. It’s basically a day summer camp for grown-ups where you can dial up or down the wine speak and educational knowledge. 

Is this open to all attendees?

Absolutely. Wine Camp is for everyone and is part of the festival, no additional ticket needed. The Wine Camp itself is going to be tucked into the vines, almost a feeling of a speakeasy, giving guests a surprise and delight among the normal “wine festival” people expect. Inside will be where there are multiple stations to discover Santa Barbara regional wines in various ways. 

Does it feel like there’s a need for more education for wine fans?

Yes, most definitely. It isn’t the what, it’s the how. 

How often do we see people thinking they are educating their guests, but are they creating memories? Are they giving something to guests where they know they will talk about it with friends? In a world of social media, is the experience photogenic? Can they take photos/videos and will those photos shared be impactful? 

We are finding more and more that people crave experiences, hands on, connections. We’re creating light hearted come-as-you-are spaces, to engage and encourage wine enjoyment on multiple levels. Discover new varieties or play with the classics, it’s wine education without intimidation.

What sort of wine lover is this aimed at?

The curious ones, and aren’t we all just a bit curious? It’s for people who want to explore and play in that space between science and soul. Whether you come for the sensory or blind wine tasting games or the storytelling, you’ll leave feeling more connected to what’s in your glass. It becomes more memorable and more meaningful.

What do you hope attendees take away

Wine confidence and lasting memorable moments. When they stand in that grocery store aisle, plan that trip, order that wine at dinner, we want them to remember their feel-good experience at the festival. 

If guests walk away knowing that they belong in the conversation, and are still wanting more, then Wine Camp has done its job. 

Wine Camp is part of the 41st Santa Barbara Vintners Festival on Sat., Oct. 18, 1-4 p.m. at Vega Vineyard & Farm. Tickets range from $25 (non-drinking) to $2,500 (private cabana), with GA set at $125. See sbvintnersweekend.com.