Santa Barbara Wine Country: "Sideways" Trip

Santa Barbara Wine Country

We took a family outing (Brett, Sharon, Britt, Chris, and me) to the Santa Barbara Wine Country, inspired in part by most of us seeing the movie Sideways, which was filmed in this area. We discovered that this was not much of an original idea, as the Santa Barbara tourist office has put out a map of the Sideways road trip to follow. I didn’t know about the map until the day after we had gone. You can download it at www.santabarbaraca.com. We were just using our memory of the movie to find some of the scenes that were used. If you want to do a Santa Barbara Wine Country tour, you should take along a designated driver to drive you to and from the wineries and to make sure you finally get home safely or you can go by limo from Santa Barbara on a wine tour.

Santa Barbara Wine Country

La Conchita

We passed La Conchita on our way up to the Santa Barbara Wine Country. Except for the part of the mudslide that you can see in the photo, all looks normal there. Many residents appear to have returned to their homes.

La Conchita

The Hitching Post II

This is the first of sites that Sideways used that we came upon. This is the restaurant where Jack met the waitress that he went off with.

The Hitching Post II

Another view of the Hitching Post II. When interviewed for a newspaper article, the owner said that his business has been booming since the film was released. The wineries are telling the same story.

The Hitching Post II

Ostrich Farm

There were a couple of scenes in the movie of the Ostrich Farm. We always stop at it when we go to this area––it is great fun. I took two movie clips here which are on this site: Go to Movies, United States, Central Coast, California: “Wine Country Ostriches” and “How Baby Ostriches Are Made.” Enjoy!

Ostrich Farm

More ostriches.

Ostrich Farm

Still more ostriches.

Ostrich Farm

And more ostriches.

Ostrich Farm

And still more.

Ostrich Farm

Solvang

The street in Solvang showed in the movie (though the movie had its geography a bit off of when they would have passed it). Solvang is a couple of miles from Buellton on Highway 246.

Solvang

Windmill in Solvang. Solvang is a town founded by Danes and has Danish architecture and stores.

Solvang

Solvang Restaurant

We recognized this restaurant in the movie very easily as we always eat here when we visit Solvang.

Solvang Restaurant

This outside window was shown in the movie.

Solvang Restaurant

Brett and I always order the Aebleskiver (a fried pastry) and the Medisterpolse (sausage served with Danish mustard). The restaurant inside has an extensive menu.

Solvang Restaurant

Inside the Solvang Restaurant.

Solvang Restaurant

Solvang

Shop window in Solvang.

Solvang

French material for sale at a French store in Danish Solvang.

Solvang

Shop window in Solvang.

Solvang

Another shop window in Solvang.

Solvang

Shop window in Solvang.

Solvang

Another shop window in Solvang.

Solvang

Wineries

From Solvang, we took the Alamo Pintado Road to Los Olivos to the Foxen Canyon Road. We didn’t know which wineries Jack and Miles went to but after seeing the map of the Sideways road trip, two of the four wineries that we visited were ones that Jack and Miles also went to. This sign post lists the wineries on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail.

Wineries

Firestone Winery

Our first winery stop was at the Firestone Winery (it probably wasn’t listed on the sign post as we saw the post after we visited the Firestone Winery). I had asked our family expert on Santa Barbara wines (Keith) for recommendations of which wineries to go to (there are more than 30 wineries here with tasting rooms). He said Firestone, Fess Parker, Zaca Mesa, and Foxen. We visited the first three. Britt and Chris, who spent four months last year in Paris and became knowledgeable about French wines, say now to skip Firestone and start at Fess Parker and then go to Zaca Mesa, which they said had by far the best wines. We didn’t get to Foxen as Britt and Chris had already drunk enough by that time. Jack and Miles also visited the Firestone Winery in the movie.

Firestone Winery

Sampling the wine––Britt, Sharon, Chris, and Brett. Wine sampling is $7.50 here, but you get a free wine glass and can take the glass to another winery (Curtis) and wine sample for free there.

Firestone Winery

The tasting room.

Firestone Winery

Firestone Vineyard

The vineyard. The grapes are picked here about November so all the vines are now bare.

Firestone Vineyard

Another photo of the vineyard.

Firestone Vineyard

Another view of the vineyard.

Firestone Vineyard

Still another view of the vineyard.

Firestone Vineyard

The California wildflowers have already started blooming.

Firestone Vineyard

Curtis Winery

If you went here first rather than to the Firestone Winery, you would save 50 cents off the price of wine tasting. No one thought the wines here were too good but they were free if you brought your Firestone wine glass.

Curtis Winery

Curtis wine pourer.

Curtis Winery

Stacks of wine barrels.

Curtis Winery

Fess Parker Winery

Sign at entrance to the winery.

Fess Parker Winery

The winery building. There are tables here where you can bring a picnic. We saw many people who had brought a picnic and then bought a bottle of wine to go with it. All the wineries that we visited had picnic areas. Wine tasting was $7 here and you got to keep the glass.

Fess Parker Winery

Fess Parker

Photo of Fess Parker at his winery. Unless you are very young, you probably remember who Fess Parker was. He played both Davy Crockett (in the 1950s) and Daniel Boone (1960s) on the TV shows. He was quite famous for people of my generation.

Fess Parker

Coon Skin Hats for Sale

Now where else would you see them for sale? (For those who don’t remember Davy Crockett, he always wore a coon skin hat.)

Coon Skin Hats for Sale

Coon Skin Hats

Another view of the coon skin hat rack.

Coon Skin Hats

Fess Parker Winery

Wine tasters. Britt and Chris bought two bottles of wine here. Don’t expect low prices at the wineries, but you will be able to buy some very good wines here that you might have trouble finding at your local stores.

Fess Parker Winery

Fess Parker Vineyard

View of the grounds.

Fess Parker Vineyard

Horses Across the Road

Beautiful horses across the road from the Fess Parker Winery.

Horses Across the Road

Another view of the horses.

Horses Across the Road

Along the Road

Scene along the road to the next winery.

Along the Road

Zaca Mesa Vineyard

The Zaca Mesa Vineyard. Jack and Miles didn’t stop here, but Britt and Chris said this winery had the best wine of all the wineries that we visited. They bought three bottles of wine here. Wine tasting was free here.

Zaca Mesa Vineyard

Scene in front of the vineyard.

Zaca Mesa Vineyard

Zaca Mesa Winery

Winery building.

Zaca Mesa Winery

Chessmen in the picnic courtyard.

Zaca Mesa Winery

Along the Road

Apple trees in bloom along the road.

Along the Road

More apple trees in bloom.

Along the Road

Los Olivos

Jack and Miles took Stephanie and Maya to dinner in Los Olivos at the Los Olivos Cafe. I don’t have a photo of the cafe but do have some of Los Olivos. This is a very small town with wild west buildings and you can do wine tasting here if you don’t want to travel to the vineyards.

Los Olivos

More buildings in Los Olivos.

Los Olivos

Los Olivos building.

Los Olivos

I think this is a real estate office.

Los Olivos

Wine tasting.

Los Olivos

Solvang

From Los Olivos, we went back to Solvang for some coffee and Danish pastries.

Solvang

The Windmill Hotel

We passed the Days Inn Windmill Hotel on our way out of the Wine Country. Jack and Miles stayed here. (There are much nicer hotels to stay at in this area, especially in Solvang.)

The Windmill Hotel

The pool seen in the movie.

The Windmill Hotel

The parking lot where Stephanie let Jack have it with her motorcycle helmet.

The Windmill Hotel

On the way home

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean. I took this from our moving car. We had dinner at Ventura Harbor at a very good French restaurant (Britt and Chris thought it very good compared to all the restaurants that they ate at in Paris) named Le Petit Cafe. An aside to this Mini–Sideways Road Trip. In the movie, Jack (played by Thomas Haden Church) did voiceovers for a living. In real life, he also does them and is doing a voiceover for Britt’s ad agency for the Weyerheuser paper company. Britt went to San Antonio to produce the commercial. I’ll update this after she returns.

On the way home

Thomas Haden Church

Thomas Haden Church did not receive the Best Supporting Actor Award at this year’s Oscars––Morgan Freeman got the award. Britt found Thomas Haden Church to be a down–to–earth kind of guy who was very interested in the voiceover project. He came to the studio with just his girlfriend––no entourage. Photo: Thomas Haden Church (left), Britt (middle), and agency copywriter (right).