California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

Furthest south,

tour buses crowd

Firestone Vineyard

(www.firestonewine.com;

5017 Zaca Station Rd, Santa

Maria; tasting fee $10-15;

htasting room 10am-5pm,

tours usually 11:15am,

1:15pm & 3:15pm), Santa

Barbara’s oldest estate

winery (it’s where Miles,

Jack and their dates

sneak into the barrel

room in Sideways). At

hidden Demetria Estate

(%805-686-2345; http://www.

demetriaestate.com; 6701

Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa

Maria; tasting fee $15; hby

appointment only) Rhône

varietals and pinot

grapes are farmed

biodynamically. On a

former cattle ranch,

sustainable Foxen Winery

(www.foxenvineyard.com;

7200 & 7600 Foxen Canyon

Rd, Santa Maria; tastings $10;

h11am-4pm) cracks open

steel-cut chardonnays

and full-fruited pinot

noirs in a solar-powered

tasting room. Up the

road, Foxen’s old ‘shack’ –

with a corrugated-metal

roof and funky decor –

pours Bordeaux-style and

Cal-Ital varietals that are

award-winning.

The Drive » Backtrack

just over 17 miles along Foxen

Canyon Rd, keeping left at the

intersection with Zaca Station

Rd to return to Los Olivos. Turn

left onto Hwy 154 southbound

for 2 miles, then turn right onto

Roblar Ave for Ontiveros Rd.

7 Santa Ynez Valley

Further inland in the

warm Santa Ynez Valley,

Rhône-style grapes do

best, including syrah

and viognier. Some of

the most popular tasting

rooms cluster between

Los Olivos, Solvang and

Santa Ynez, but noisy

tour groups, harried staff

and stingy pours too

often disappoint.

Thankfully that’s not

the case at Beckmen

Vineyards (www.

beckmenvineyards.com; 2670

Ontiveros Rd, Solvang; tasting

fee $10-15; h11am-5pm),

where biodynamically

farmed, estate-grown

varietals flourish on

the unique terroir of

Purisima Mountain. For

more natural beauty,

backtrack east on Roblar

Ave to family-owned

Clairmont Farms (2480

Roblar Ave; husually

10am-4pm), where purple

lavender fields bloom like

a Monet masterpiece in

early summer.

Turn right onto

Refugio Rd, which

flows south past more

vineyards, fruit orchards

and farms and straight

across Hwy 154 to Kalyra

Winery (www.kalyrawinery.

com; 343 N Refugio Rd, Santa

Ynez; tasting fee $10; h11am-

5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat &

Sun), where an Australian

traveled halfway around

the world to combine two

loves: surfing and wine

making. Try his unique

Cashmere blend made

with imported Australian

grapes or locally grown

varietals, all in bottles

with Aboriginal art–

inspired labels.

To make the most of your wine tour, Chris Burroughs,

the tasting room manager at Alma Rosa Winery

& Vineyards, recommends small groups and an

itinerary focused on just a handful of wineries. Keep

an open mind: don’t tell the staff you never drink

chardonnay – who knows, the wine you try that day

may change your mind. Picnicking on-site is always

welcome, and you’ll be considered especially cool

if you complement your lunch with just-purchased

wine. Not so cool? Heavy perfume and smoking.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself and don’t be afraid to ask

questions – most winemakers welcome novices.

TASTING ROOM TIPS

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:

CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA

17

(^) SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY