Santa Barbara County appeals to wine lovers

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By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr | Tuesday, October 3, 2006 11:40 PM CDT | () comments

For Tom there are few vacations that don’t include vineyards. It’s either a passion or an obsession, either of which could justify professional counseling. He has yet to visit vineyard-less Utah or Alaska, for instance, and Ubekistan is pretty far down the priority list.

So last month he and his wife finally ventured to Santa Barbara County, far south of the traditional stops in Napa and Sonoma counties. It is here, the set for last year’s movie hit “Sideways,” where some of the best pinot noir and syrah is being grown in this country today. But it also has some of the most beautiful countryside that is as appealing to the senses as the wine. He’ll be writing about these wines next week, but today the subject is Santa Barbara in tourism terms — assuming, of course, that you share our zeal for wine-theme vacations.

Santa Barbara County, the southern end of California’s Central Coast wine region, is far less developed than Napa Valley in terms of tourism. And, that’s appealing. There are plenty of restaurants and country inns to meet your demands, but the vineyards don’t compete for space with mansions and tourist traps along congested roads. You can drive along Foxen Canyon Road, for instance, and count more horses than cars. Tasting rooms are never overcrowded and even restaurant reservations are not necessary.

Instead, the vista is rolling hills, winding country roads, open space and vineyards nestled between hills or high atop them. The few towns — Los Olivos, Buellton, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, Solvang — are so small that you could toss a grape from one end to the other. If good shopping is one of your demands, do it first in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, a nice stop between the Los Angeles Airport and wine country.

Solvang, one of the largest towns, is noted for its Danish theme. Established by Danish settlers in 1911, the town is appealing only if you are enamored by all things Scandinavian. The merchandise is Danish, the architecture is Danish and even some of the people are Danish. It gets old not long after you arrive.

The most attractive town, in our opinon, was the smallest — Los Olivos, a 19th century stagecoach stop that still retains its western flavor but with a dash of modern chic. Stop at the town’s small grocery store in the morning and you’re likely to encounter construction workers, but by midday tourists and locals line up for a tri-tip sandwich grilled slow just outside the front door.

We stayed at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa, a luxury hotel that is a good central location for your visits to area wineries. The Texas flag flies beneath Old Glory, a nod to the star of Davy Crockett’s alma mater, the University of Texas. The inn has spacious, well-appointed rooms that invite you to sleep in each morning and a gourmet restaurant whose wine list is among the best in the valley. Our suite was huge and the service was very attentive. When the piano player gathers in its spacious lobby, the locals set up folding chairs.

The inn operates a spa in a quaint cottage just down the street. Package prices can save you money. For more information, check its web site at www.fessparker.com.

The town takes all of 10 minutes to see, but if you are there for the wine, expect to spend hours. Several excellent wineries — Dan Gehrs, Epiphany, Andrew Murray, for instance — operate tasting rooms side-by-side on the main drag, so a glass of wine is never more than a few steps away. There are also three shops that represent several area wine producers who don’t maintain separate tasting rooms.

Perhaps best of all, you can walk to every restaurant in Los Olivos — and there are several that I would call must-stops. Besides the Wine Cask dining room at the inn, our top recommendation is the Los Olivos Cafe and Wine Merchant just across the street. It has a remarkable collection of Central Coast wines for takeout, a spacious bar to taste one of many wines by the glass, and plenty of tables to accommodate even the most discriminating diner. This is where “Sideways” characters Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie had one of their more congenial dinners.

We also enjoyed a steak dinner at Mattei’s Tavern, the oldest continually operating restaurant in the valley. Don’t be surprised to find a slight incline to your table — the building was a stagecoach stop and then a restaurant for railway workers before becoming an inn in 1886.

Dress is casual in even the most elegant dining rooms, so men can leave the ties and jackets at home. A car is recommended to get to the wineries, but if you’re worried about drinking and driving, there is limousine service that even tracks the course taken by the “Sideways” characters. Flights to Los Angeles are reasonable and getting out of the city quickly is surprisingly simple.

Among the recommended tastings rooms, strung together on tasting routes, are the beautifully landscaped Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard, Foxen and Zaca Mesa — all along Foxen Canyon Road — and Babcock, Melville and Foley on Route 246 outside of Buellton. Other good stops — and we mention only those with good wine — are Beckmen and Sanford.

Wine of the week

Z Cuvee 2005 ($18). Another Zaca Mesa blend of mourvedre, grenache and syrah, this red wine sports blueberry and raspberry flavors.