Today I poured wine at a benefit for a wonderful local non-profit organization called Girls Inc.  The event was held at a beautiful estate in Montecito which was surrounded by an incredible garden full of interesting succulents and other unusual plants.  After this event my husband and I attended an industry-only wine tasting at Carr Winery in downtown Santa Barbara on the “urban wine trail”.   This is  a fun way to enjoy limited production wine, mix and mingle with other industry people and taste some great appetizers from area restaurants.   We loved the portabella mushroom wrapped around goat cheese from Blush.   We also loved all the wonderful cheeses by the folks from C’est Cheese.   By the way, Carr is open late (5pm-11pm) on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays – so if you are looking for a fun place with great wine (by-the-glass and bottle service) check it out!  They even have live music on Fridays!