Vega Vineyard and Farm, Barbera, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, California, 2023

Overview of the Wine
Established in 1853.

Dr. Roman de la Cuesta was born in Spain and came to California in 1849. He married Micaela Cota daughter of Francesca Cota, of neighboring Rancho Santa Rosa, and was gifted Rancho de Vega (Spanish for “the meadow”) as a dowry. Dr. Roman de la Cuesta and Michaela Cota established their legacy at Rancho de Vega and built an adobe on the property. The home was built under great difficulty as there were no roads and the lumber had to be brought over Gaviota Pass on the heads of oxen, as even oxen carts could not get through. Their son Eduardo and his wife Eleva lived on the property for many years and grew wine grapes. The historic adobe they built still stands on the property. The adobe home was 13 rooms and is much as it was when first built.

Demetrios (“Jimmy”) and Karen Loizides, Santa Ynez Valley residents and business owners who relocated to the area in 2011, had always been drawn to the region due to its similarities to Demetrios’s ancestral and grape-growing village of Kathikas, Cyprus and then his childhood town of the untamed Bulawayo, Zimbambwe. 

With a concentration on our estate vineyard, we have sought to produce wines that are “a window to a place.” Each one of our wines is different in expression, with its own subtle, yet distinctive character and voice. Each year renews in us an intense drive to understand, react to, and work with the vineyard to allow it to reach its full potential. This process, led by our winemaker, Steve Clifton, is crucial for the execution of successful wines.

Winemaker
Steve Clifton

Grape / Blend
Barbera

Origin
Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Dark plum and rutabaga aromas mingle with spice in a compote nose. Fresh ripe black cherry scent follows. On the palate the wine becomes lively with plum skin and blood orange essence. The finish is of dark stone fruit flavors and lively acidity.

Pairs with pasta with tomato sauce! Amazing with braised or grilled meat.

Product size: 750ml