Cheese the Day and More About the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience: Grand Tasting May 17 2026

Cheese the Day

Wine. Cheese. Wine. That’s the basics of tasting wine with cheese!  You start with a swirl of the wine in the glass to see the color, then sniff and sip a mouthful of wine which you can spit or swallow. Think for a moment about the elements of the wine: Fruit? Florals? Woods? Acid? Texture? Finish? Next is a bite of cheese. Chew to coat your mouth with the cheese before swallowing. How did the cheese go with the wine? Did the cheese make the wine better? Or the wine make the cheese better? Then you’re back to the wine. Is the wine better now with the presence of the cheese on your palate?

These were the directions for our guided tasting “Cheese the Day,” one of 80 events during the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience this week.

Cheese the Day

For Cheese the Day, we sampled eight cheeses from around the world selected by Kathryn Graham co-owner of Cheese Shop Santa Barbara paired by with four wines made by women from Santa Barbara County fruit selected by Matt Kettmann, a critic at Wine Enthusiast and The Independent’s Senior Editor. The event was held on the sixth floor rooftop patio of the Kimpton Canary Hotel in downtown Santa Barbara.

Cheese the Day— yum! Samra Morris from Alma Rosa Winery shared her Vin Gris Rose paired with Robiola Bosina from Italy and Marcel Petite Reserve Comte from France (this was my favorite cheese!)

In partnership with The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, The Santa Barbara Culinary Experience  celebrates food and drink in Santa Barbara County during a week of events “to shine a light on our local culinary, hospitality, tourism, artisan, and small business communities through unique events which foster learning, discovery and fun.”

Sonja Magdevski from Clementine Carter Wine sharing her Carbonic Mourvèdre paired with Point Reyes Roma and Mariana from Wisconsin

In addition to seminars, tastings, dinners and more, Saturday May 16 is the Grand Wine Tasting held in downtown Santa Barbara at El Presidio de Santa Barbara (123 E. Canon Perdido Street 93101). Tickets are $105 for general (2-5p) and $125 for VIP (1p-5p).

Cheese the Day Future Perfect

More than 40 Santa Santa Barbara County wineries and food artisans will share their wines and culinary creations plus avocado and olive oil tastings, and two panel discussions:

 

Anna deLasi from Solminer Wine sharing her Blaufrankisch paired with Bucherondin from France (tied for favorite cheese) and Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Vermont

Cheese the Day featured:

  • Matt Kettmann, The Independent’s Senior Editor, moderator
  • John Vasquez, Executive Chef at Finch & Fork
  • Kathryn Graham, Co-Owner of Cheese Shop Santa Barbara
  • Sunny Doench Stricker, Future Perfect sharing her Blanc de Blanc
  • Brit Zotovich from Dreamcote Wine sharing her Sauvignon Blanc paired with Mt. Alice made in Vermont from cow’s milk and Gruyere 1655 from Switzerland
  • Samra Morris from Alma Rosa Winery sharing her Vin Gris Rose paired with Robiola Bosina from Italy and Marcel Petite Reserve Comte from France (this was my favorite cheese!)
  • Sonja Magdevski from Clementine Carter Wine sharing her Carbonic Mourvèdre paired with Point Reyes Roma and Mariana from Wisconsin
  • Anna deLaski from Solminer Wine sharing her Blaufrankisch paired with Bucherondin from France (tied for favorite cheese) and Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Vermont

Cheese the Day’s sunset from the rooftop deck at the Kimpton Canary

Coming up: More about how to taste wine — plus a deep dive into how to taste Tuscan olive oil!

 

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