Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, has once again affirmed their passionate commitment to fine wines and fine cuisine with their Summer Tasting Series, five evening events that celebrate innovative cooking paired with quality beers and wines (mostly from the local region) and, occasionally, tequilas. Starting in May and running through September, the tastings are convivial affairs with the winemaker and his team happily interacting with guests. These tastings are emblematic of truly living the good Santa Barbara life as it should be.

We recently attended the hotel’s Sunstone Sunset tasting for a sunset event in the stately El Mar Room for glasses of highly prized Sunstone wines matched with delectable appetizers. For starters, there was made to order bruschetta and flatbread using delicious burrata, smoked mozzarella cheese, Buffalo mozzarella, grilled artichokes, local heirloom cherry tomatoes, wild arugula, vegetables, all topped with 5-year aged Balsamic vinegar. Local King salmon crudo, Eggplant Parmigiana, cheese and charcuterie, and a special Sunstone 2014 Merlot SYV house-cured Salame Nostrano, Pecorino Peppato cheese and local honey were also tasty highlights.

The wines that Sunstone poured: 2015 Brut, 2015 Viognier, 2015 Grenache Rose, 2014 Merlot Santa Ynez, and 2014 Eros, a Bordeaux-style blend, were perfect for a summer evening and very very well-suited to the food.

Past Tastings have featured Four Season’s own tequila barreled with Patron, French and California Rosés, and beer from local microbreweries. On September 23, The Four Seasons Biltmore will present the last in this summer’s tastings, a Harvest festival in time for the grape crush with a Pinot Noir tasting from local vineyards. The cost for this evening will be $69.

Call (805) 565-8232 to purchase tickets or visit http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara for more information.