Who says road trips are a guy thing? My friend Peggy and I took a "Sideways" tour in Santa Barbara, California, wine country a couple of years before the Oscar-contending movie, most likely about the time Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church were first reading their scripts.
The 2005 food and wine festival season is starting, and i
t's a great time to be planning ahead. In our case, in nearly every respect we were a completely different duo from the Sideways boys -- two women of a certain age, with grown kids and solid relationships with the men in our lives. We simply wanted our own weekend adventure, and we knew that buddy trips aren't just for guys. Of course, we shared something else with the "Sideways" boys -- our enthusiasm for wine.
I had a great car -- a new Toyota Solara convertible -- and with a wine festival beckoning us to the central California coastal heartland of Pinot Noir and Syrah, we dubbed our weekend "The Anything But Chardonnay Tour." (Serious note, though -- there are some great Chardonnays in the region, so we couldn't resist.)
Just two hours northwest of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Wine Country is characterized by three main regions -- the Santa Maria Valley (north) and Santa Ynez Valley (southeast) and the Santa Rita Hills (west). Collectively they offer the coastal plains, warm valleys and fog-drenched ridges that have supported the growth of a significant wine industry and particular recognition for French Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Burgundian grapes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. From the air the map is streaks of mountain ridges, but from the ground the views take you up sweeping hills and across rural plains, where horses and ranches remain plentiful. The area reminds me of the Virginia wine country, where there's significant quality but no one tries too hard. Nor is it congested, like Napa Valley can feel at times. You can roll through the countryside, where the spring greens and golden yellows of the valleys are protected by the purple-grey hills and get lost happily along the winding roads. Tastings, picnics, restaurants, Victorian towns, fortunately with only a few jarring exceptions, such as the Disneyland Danish town of Solvang and Ostrichland (where the amusing birds are not plastic).
I recommend scheduling a trip around the semi-annual Vintners' Festival -- the next one is April 9 at Firestone Meadow near Los Olivos. It's a lively afternoon, where wine is consumed but not sold and the glories of farmers, ranchers and food purveyors are showcased along with entertaining local bands. Then amble for the next day or so to vineyards, tasting rooms and retail shops for more serious and lingering exploration.
Our Sideways route
We drove up U.S. 101 north from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria as our starting point, then took the scenic 30-mile Foxen Canyon Road southeast back toward Santa Barbara.
We targeted our visit around the fall Vintners' Festival, held at Rancho Sisquoc Winery. It's smart to get your tickets in advance and arrive early, as the two-lane roads back up with cars and tour buses. We chose among the dozens of wine and food merchants, chatting with vintners and sharing stories with other wine enthusiasts who are there to enjoy and hang out. After about 3 hours, we had enough wine and enough information, so we cruised down Foxen Canyon into the heart of the region's vineyards and villages.
Since our trip and the movie's release, the Santa Barbara County Conference and Visitors Bureau has posted a downloadable map that tracks the Sideways' boys travels. (Of their landmarks, we would label the Danish kitsch village of Solvang and accommodations on the scale of Day's Inn as "misses" rather than "hits.")
Our tips:
- Steer toward the dozens of artisanal wineries with small vintages along with better-known wineries such as Sanford and Fess Parker. If you're on a schedule, call ahead for hours of operation.
- Plan your accommodations well ahead. We have a preference for quaint and high-end B&Bs or hotels, and only a small handful exist in this wine country. So booking can be a challenge, and it's even more difficult to find inns with two beds in a room, which is a problem for us girlfriends who don't want to sleep together. So we opted for Santa Barbara for the night, where the accommodations are more varied and plentiful. Faves are
the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel, El Encanto Hotel and Garden Villas (one of the Historic Hotels of America), Inn of the Spanish Garden, and the Montecito Inn. The San Ysidro Ranch (where Jackie and Jack Kennedy honeymooned) was recently renovated. - Check out these online resources for events, places to stay, and maps -- Santa Barbara County Conference and Visitors Bureau, Santa Maria Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau, and Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association.
Hits:
Chef Rick's, Santa Maria
Hitching Post Inn (roadside steakhouse with exceptional Pinot Noir), Buellton
Los Olivos is a charming little town with tasting rooms, restaurants, coffee bars and boutiques, rural and not overdone. Try the Los Olivos Tasting Room (a variety of small wineries) and the Los Olivos Cafe, and for the hot resto in the valley, Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern.
Jordano's Marketplace, Santa Barbara
Wine Cask Wine Store, Santa Barbara
Our favorite wine labels for Pinot Noir, Syrahs and other Rhone-style varietals, California-Italian blends, and Chardonnay -- Byron, Hitching Post, Margerum,Mosby, Presidio, Qupe, Sanford, Santa Barbara Winery, and Zaca Mesa.
Question for commenters -- what's your favorite road car?
