March 6 - 19, 2018
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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
Buttonwood honors its past, looks to the future By April Charlton Contributing Writer
W
hen Betty Williams purchased what is now the bucolic Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley some five decades ago, she envisioned a working farm where good practices benefiting people, animals and the earth were embodied. Over the years, her dream was achieved — first with an equestrian facility, then an organic farm and, finally, a winery and vineyard — with 2018 marking the farm’s 50th anniversary, as well as the 35th anniversary of the planting of the land’s heritage vines. This year also marks what would have been Williams’ centennial birthday, recognizing her vision as Buttonwood’s founder. Williams, who was well known in the valley for her involvement in land preservation and community planning, died in 2011 at 92 years old. The public is invited to help celebrate the farm’s past and its future with a bounty of events, including the release of new wines, planned for the anniversary year that kicked off Friday, Feb. 23, with an art show and unveiling of a remodel of Buttonwood’s tasting room and its continued focus on the surrounding gardens and orchard. “We did not expand the size (of the tasting room), but one of the cool features is that we opened up the interior more to the exterior with a cantina-style window and more access to the patio with the French doors,” Buttonwood winemaker Karen Steinwachs said about the remodeling of the space that was used for a few decades as a wine tasting bar and produce stand. Olives, pomegranates, peonies, herbs, summer vegetables and peaches are also grown on the 106-acre property that serves as an estate vineyard and winery, Steinwachs said. “We believe we are Santa Barbara County’s original farm-to-table winery,” she explained. “The tasting room experience is simply peaceful and relaxing. Our wines are made for the table — priced affordably, crafted to complement food and designed to get people back to a communal table where discussion can result in world peace and harmony.” The farm’s remodeled tasting room remains in the same location on the Photo by Daniel Dreifuss Winemaker Karen Steinwachs and others at Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard will celebrate several anniversaries this year with new releases and special events.
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