Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118688
to their home in Santa Barbara. While driving along the city's side streets, they were intrigued by an empty beach house. They tracked down the landlord, and a few months later, opened the Kunin Wines tasting room. There's nothing particularly scenic about the Funk Zone, however. "It's not bucolic vineyards and rolling hills," Kunin describes; "it's a different experience." Just over a mile from Kunin is Sanguis Wines, the brain child of husband and wife Matthias Pippig and Jamie Kinser. Although not technically Aaron Walker of Pali Wine Co. is looking forward to the growth of the winery as they expand into Santa Barbara's Funk Zone. Hidden along the fringes of Santa Barbara, CA, between the city's historic downtown and the harbor, lies a fiery community that invites visitors to venture off touristy State Street and into the "Funk Zone." Creativity permeates this area—musicians rock the streets, murals decorate the walls and delicious wines fill the glasses of incidental tasters who stumble upon the scene. One additional attraction in this booming hotspot is the presence of winery tasting rooms, such as the one from Pali Wine Co. (The name refers to owners Tim Perr's and Scott Knight's nickname for their hometown, Pacific Palisades.) With production operations in Lompoc, Pali began as a vineyard-designate project focused solely on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from coveted vineyards along the West Coast. Shortly after their first vintage 120 / the tasting panel / april 2013 in 2005, Perr and Knight decided to introduce their Cuvée Program, which offers delicious, appellation-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at affordable prices. Around the corner from Pali, on the other side of the railroad tracks, is the Kunin Wines tasting room. Seth Kunin moved to Santa Barbara in the early 1980s after taking a job as general manager of the Wine Cask, arguably Santa Barbara's most renowned restaurant, and one with an award-winning wine list. His restaurant background conditioned his love for wine and helped him establish strong relationships with wineries. This landed him his first winery job at Gainey Vineyards. In 1998, Kunin started his own label. When he and his wife, Magan, decided it was time to open a tasting room, they knew they wanted it close Winemaker Seth Kunin. "The big thing with Seth is he's in that crew that started the Santa Barbara wine scene, he's one of the originals," says Michael Trupiano, Wine Director at San Ysidro Ranch. Matthias Pippig of Sanguis Wines. "Like people, slight imperfections make a wine just that much more interesting."