Laguna Canyon Winery is celebrating the 20th annviersary of opening its tasting room ( left ). |
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J . J . HUBER ’ S PASSION FOR WINE RUNS DEEP : FROM HELPING TO PICK THE GRAPES IN NAPA AND SONOMA COUNTIES TO PERFECTING THE BLENDS , HE ’ S BEEN INVOLVED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY AT LAGUNA CANYON WINERY , WHICH STARTED IN 2003 AND OPENED FOR TASTINGS A YEAR LATER .
This fall , the winery celebrates the 20th anniversary of its tasting room opening to the public . “ It ’ s hard to believe how fast it went by ,” Huber says of reaching the milestone . The Orange County Wine Society will help toast the occasion at a Nov . 1 party complete with wine tastings and cheese and charcuterie boards . And there are plenty of other ways to get involved , from dropping by for tastings to signing up as a member or attending monthly wine pairing dinners or a wine blending class .
Step into the newly remodeled tasting room and visitors will find self-serve wine-dispensing machines — a pandemic pivot that has proven popular among those seeking to taste at their own pace — and rock ’ n ’ roll presented on a 10-foot screen rather than live jazz .
Billed as OC ’ s first urban winery , everything is done on-site in
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Laguna Canyon , from the grape crushing to the fermenting and bottling . Every inch of space is used . Even barrels under the tasting tables often hold wine . Huber sees the wine-making process as a creative endeavor , making Laguna Beach , with its history as an art colony , the ideal location for his craft . “ This is our expression of art , so it ’ s been really nice to be part of that ,” he says .
The creative aspect of winemaking becomes evident , Huber
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The winery sources handpicked grapes from vineyards in Napa , Sonoma and Lake counties , Monterey and Paso Robles . |
THIS SPREAD : J . J . HUBER / COURTESY OF LAGUNA CANYON WINERY |
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