When you live in the East, States are of sensible size. A three hour drive from Norwalk, CT and you can be in any one of 8 different States (although it would take another half hour to get to UCONN, reminding me of the line “you can’t get there from here”). A three hour drive from Los Angeles puts you in wine country just north of Santa Barbara… not a bad place to be; but well within California’s borders.
It’s just that Easterners can fall into the trap of thinking that California is just one State… just bigger… as opposed to thinking that California is really ten or twelve States and unfortunately the Governing bodies ignored realistic divisions.
To be honest, if I were a resident of Santa Ynez, Buellton or Solvang, for example, I would vote to separate… the hell with LA and San Fran… A plague on both your houses!
On my recent trek across the Hudson, Zack had organized a trip to wine country… the area featured in the book, and most importantly, the film Sideways. Coming from inside the wine industry, I will tell you that the film has made a startling impact in our business. Interest in Pinot Noir has sky rocketed, and sales in Merlot has tumbled.
I loved the movie. And while I recognize that terrific wine is made in many regions of California, my preferences for wine remain in Bordeaux, Tuscany and Spain. Still, the region around Santa Ynez is compelling and the wines are certainly worthy of sampling in the numerous tasting rooms. I haven’t been to Napa or Sonoma for years… but “Sideways Country” strikes me as less pretentious. Absent is that sense of self importance that infects the better known regions to the North.
The Lafond Winery was our second stop, our party (which in addition to Zack and Beth, included Anders — like Beth a Ph.D. candidate — and Michelle — a brand new Doctor) quickly commandeered two picnic tables for my favorite repast: “plowman’s lunch”. Our banquet included six different types of cheese, dried salami, a baguette, healthy crackers with seeds, tomato & mozzarella salad, grapes, apples & pears. For a beverage: Sanford Chardonnay or Lafond Santa Rita Hills Syrah… or both if you were so moved. I enjoyed both.
The tables were off by a shade tree and offered a good view of a vineyard and the hills beyond. Our lunch was easily paced and surprisingly filling… we pushed on to complete the winery portion of our expedition in spite of the lethargy that followed the feast.
If you want a name of a winery to seek out… try Gainey. They make a very good Sauvignon Blanc that spends some time in oak giving it more of a Bordeaux feel, and less racy than the fruit driven examples coming from New Zealand. It is one of the best Cali Sauv Blancs I have tasted. The wine of the day, however, went to Gainey’s Syrah. Deeply hued, dark fruit and cocoa on the bouquet, seamless transition to the palate. Tannins well integrated, supple and bright with no hard edges on the finish. Well structured, not just a simple jam jar.
For dinner that night we chose AJ Spurs over the Hitching Post. Both restaurants were made famous by Sideways. The restaurants are yards from each other and they are in fact a pleasant walking distance from the “Windmill” Motel. And when you make the walk over to the restaurants you are subjected to razzing from the local citizenry, who honk their horns as they pass.
Anders and Zack had been to both restaurants previously and said that the Hitching Post had a better wine list; but they liked the food better at AJ Spurs. Spurs has to have the largest taxidermy collection outside of New York’s Museum of Natural History. Complete animals… a Bison, a Polar Bear, a Grizzly Bear, a Lion… they were all over the place & more on the wall. This was not going to be a place to ask for a veggie plate.
Nor was I going to ask for a Pink Squirrel. I enjoyed a Bombay Martini served in my own souvenir shaker (I love the extra “dividend” that stays cooling on ice ’til adequate space is cleared in the glass). In deference to Sideways we selected a Pinot Noir to enjoy with our dinner. The dinner was in fact delicious and ample. I can’t recall having a better Rib-eye.
Not everyone loves wine as much as I do, and you don’t have to be a wine lover to enjoy the village of Solvang… even though it sits square in the middle of Wine Country. After we checked out of the Windmill (AKA Days Inn) we headed to the Danish Pancake House in Solvang for breakfast.
It was one of many places along the street that catered to the early breakfast and lunch crowd. We had a 20 minute wait to get our table… plenty of time to inspect the neighboring wine tasting/gourmet food/chotchke place next door. This was one of many “tasting rooms” available in the Village… wines tasted did not come from a single winery; but rather from a selection. Real good idea.
The breakfast was splendid… crepe-like Danish pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs benedict, plump Danish sausages and the sun shinning on it all.
After, it was time to stroll… which seems to be the municipal pastime of the Village. The various buildings look like they have been plucked from Copenhagen… a lot of stucco (and faux stucco) and pitched roofs. This leitmotif is not confined to a single street, but extended to side streets and secondary avenues as well.
Yes, the place has a “touristy” feel. But I could overlook the obvious commercial aspects for this important reason: no national chains. No Dunkin Donuts, no Starbucks, no Walden Books, no GAP, no Baskin Robbins, no Taco Bell… no, no, no. You get the idea.
Not too many places like that around anymore… Taos, NM comes to mind.
The drive back to Los Angeles was not as much fun as the drive to the destination… although we had one more stop to more or less complete my first visit to Los Angeles in 20+ years. Before we got home we stopped at an In and Out Burger. The only items on the menu are burgers, fries and soda. Not bad.
The only thing missing was a bottle of Ch. Cheval Blanc to enjoy with our burgers. That would have truly completed our Sideways tour.
But I think we did just fine. I can’t wait to do it again. I just wish that “Sideways Country” was a bit closer to this side of the Hudson.