Learn About Wine Blog

After six years of producing the STARS of Santa Barbara in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, LearnAboutWine took its well known wine classic to Orange County.  The South Coast Plaza played host to an amazing display of food and wine hysteria as Jason Bentley of KCRW played an epic soundtrack of well timed music that keep the energy high, the charity profitable, and the wineries optimistic about their future success in the Orange County market place.  Ian Blackburn, owner of LearnAboutWine.com said “the idea was always about increasing the visibility of these fantastic wines to the ideal audience, it’s all about drinking the best local wine and Santa Barbara is it.  We have been pounding this drum long before SIDEWAYS came along and since the movie, the industry has continued to grow, improve and change with the times.  Santa Barbara represents our best efforts, our best vineyard land and some of the best stories in wine.”  

All total, the Second Harvest Food Bank will receive proceeds from healthy ticket sales and a generous silent auction, as well as a few very generous gifts from top sponsors like Disney, South Coast Plaza and William Gillespie Foundation… it was not only our first event in Orange County for many years, says Ian, but we had to elevate the Second Harvest events of the past – which didn’t really fit with the great Mall in America… this was a direct hit, with a gorgeous affluent crowd of likely customers, and incredible participation from the top restaurants in Orange County.

The success of this event was due to the great team work of a number of top PR, Marketing, and promotion professionals, the team at South Coast Plaza and the quality reputation that LearnAboutWine and KCRW bring to the table… it was a total value proposition that was well received and we benefited everyone… a win- win – win – and that is the way it should be.   We went “all in” and its wonderful when the efforts are all received.  It wasn’t perfect on our side, but we did a great job and we know where we can improve.

DJ Jason Bentley (Host of KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic) put on am incredible show.