Valley Vineyard Vagabonding and Vaccinations (SB Bucket List Part IV)

 

Since the last blog, Santa Barbara County has continued to decrease restrictions and open up more. We are now in California's red tier, with the orange tier in sight. Since we are potentially facing a 4th wave of infections (failing to learn and change from the previous three), we continue to stick with our own more cautious approach of outdoor, distanced activities, at least until all three of us have been fully vaccinated (more on that below).

We've been able to venture out for some outdoor, socially distanced wine-tasting, which has been a real treat. Several suggestions in the SB Bucket List are activities in the Santa Ynez Valley. The Valley* has much to offer, and it really shines with wine! Because of the number of micro-climates and different types of soil in a relatively small space, many different types of grapes are grown here. I personally feel the wine from this region is better than the Napa-Sonoma, and the wineries are much more laid-back and less pretentious. Our days in the 'country' (about 45 minutes drive) have always been enjoyable.

(*My definition of the Valley also includes Los Alamos. Although technically in another valley, it is often included as part of this area.)

Our latest foray as a family was to Emily's favorite winery, Buttonwood. We first visited Buttonwood in March of 2020, just before everything came crashing down. Emily had hoped to celebrate her 25th birthday there in June; obviously that didn't happen! So, with her time winding down in Santa Barbara, we wanted to make sure that she had the opportunity to visit at least one more time. 

Buttonwood is a cute winery and farm, female-owned (our visit in 2020 fell on International Women's Day, which we thought was pretty appropriate). On the farm side, they are well-known for their multiple varieties of peaches. Unfortunately, we didn't get to buy and try any last year, as they donated rather than sold, due to the pandemic. Since we visited both times in March, the peach trees were beginning to bloom. Aren't they pretty?    

Emily brought home a bottle of the Classic Cuvée (pictured), a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It had a lovely color and aroma. I learned that cuvée means vat or tank.

We tasted several varieties, my favorite being the Syrah Rosé 

Some shots from last year's visit

At last year's visit, I chose to bring home a bottle of their Estate Grown Pét-Nat, a sparkling wine made from grenache and viognier (one of my faves!) grapes. The particular nature and bottling of this wine was very interesting, as I say in the video, "wine that comes with a show."

In February we were able to have socially distanced wine-tasting at Kalyra Winery. This one had been on our initial list we made back in 2016 for two reasons: it is known for its dessert wines, and it was a location for the famous Valley wine movie Sideways (great film, brought a lot of attention to this wine region).

Enjoying wine tasting with friend Nancy at Kalyra. Scenes from Sideways in the tasting room.

Last Friday, John and I needed to make a trip to Solvang to pick up a special order item at the hardware store. Not going to go there without some more tasting! We had a 2-1 coupon, so we returned to Kalyra to enjoy the views and try a few more of their offerings. The grenache blanc vines were beginning to bud. Maybe that is the first sign of spring for a winemaker?

Notice how at both wineries, the tastings were not done at a counter, but instead were brought out in "flights." The Vagabonds like this style of tasting and hope it remains post-pandemic! From this location, I chose to bring home a white blend to enjoy with a meal, and a dessert wine, the Sangiovese (another fave!) Sticky Wicket, with the goal of using it to pair with candies from California's favorite candy company, See's. That was a deliciously fun activity!

Some of the other wineries we have visited in our Santa Ynez Valley adventures:

Firestone Vineyard, March 2020

We were here just before everything shut down. The tasting assistant felt so bad for the story (not complaining) of our delayed travel plans (inevitable discussion when someone asks, "Where are you from?"), that he kindly gave us our tasting for free. I enjoyed having our tasting out on the terraced patio - what a view! I paired my final tasting, a tasty Cabernet Sauvignon, with a samoa. Yum! The barrel room here was a Sideways location.

Andrew Murray Vineyard, June 2020

We visited here soon after arrival to Santa Barbara after our marathon cross-country driving trip, post two-month lockdown in Central Florida. The wineries had recently been allowed to open up, as long as food was purchased (I guess the logic being making them more restaurant than bar?), enough property to distance, and the other various protocols. There weren't any tastings, just purchase of bottles or wine by the glass. We had a bottle of Esperance Rosé, perfect for a beautiful summer day. The property was lovely, covered with these Matilija poppies. A funny aspect to our visit was that they didn't want to wash any glasses, so customers were sent home with their glasses. (You can also see that John and I were suffering from some serious pandemic hair, having not had haircuts for almost 4 months!)

Brander Vineyard, September 2016 and March 2019

Brander is the first winery we went to in the Valley. They are known for Sauvignon Blanc. Their property has a very lovely courtyard, perfect for enjoying one's picnic lunch. On our first visit, we did a tasting. On the return visit, we enjoyed a bottle of Rosé made from Bordeaux varietals. After this second visit, we meandered over to the lavender farm and then headed over to check out Fess Parker Vineyards.

Fess Parker Vineyard, March 2019

Beautiful scenery here, including an awesome outdoor fireplace. John was driving, and I was at my limit for the day; however, Emily was up for a tasting. It was here that she discovered she likes port!

Roblar Vineyard, June 2017

We went with something different here, a pitcher of sangria from one of their whites.

Summer, the grapevines are more full.

Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant, September 2016

This was another place we checked out because it was a Sideways location. It is the site of the very famous dialogue: "No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f***ing Merlot." Poor Merlot, it really took a hit after that! In the film, it seems implied that Miles doesn't like Merlot because it is inferior, but in the book, we learn that it was the favorite wine of Miles ex-wife. Here we had some delicious baked brie and did a tasting. The man in the white shirt is the owner of Demetria, another winery that Emily's guitar teacher Nic Deuson had recommended. We still haven't made it there yet, but we thought it funny that he was sitting at the bar. Our tasting did include one of his wines, a Pinot Noir (which Miles does approve of, so we came full circle!).

Hitching Post II, September 2016 and June 2017

HPII is another of the famous Sideways filming locations (the scene where Miles is celebrating his book being published). But, it's meaningful to us in another way. It is where we met our friend Kristen, who was running our tasting. Kristen warmly welcomed Emily to Santa Barbara, including inviting Emily to her family's Thanksgiving dinner that Fall.  

In 2017, Kristen encouraged us to return to HPII for the "life changing burger" (it was pretty awesome!) and, in her thoughtful way, gave us a warm welcome "home." Kristen has since moved on to work at Dovecote Estate Winery. She wears many hats here and gets to work in a most lovely location!

 Dovecote Estate Winery, September 2020

Fall, the fruit about ready to harvest. So beautiful! We tasted several delicious wines here, my favorite being the Viognier. The area where Dovecote is located has recently become its own AVA.

Phew! Have I made you want a glass of wine or to watch the film Sideways?! If you don't like wine, there are several other fun activities in the Valley that I can recommend from our previous visits:

Visit Solvang to get some aebleskivers. Solvang as a city isn't our kind of thing, but if you like Frankenmuth, Michigan or Helen, Georiga, you will really like this little Danish town. The one thing you have to try is the aebleskiver, a Danish dessert, round like a donut hole, with a pancake type flavor, often served with jam and powdered sugar. Here, you might also enjoy trying the traditional Danish pancakes, pandekager, also served with jam. 

Visit the Vintage Motorcycle Museum. The museum is actually a private collection, and although it emphasizes racing bikes, the collection is wide-ranging. I enjoyed this way more than I anticipated, and I took so many pictures! It really covers the history of motorcycles and is a unique museum. The Mitchell, from 1904, was one of the oldest in the collection. The older motorcycles looked like bikes. The most interesting bike to me was the 1922 Megola. It has a WWI aircraft engine attached to the front, which one has to spin to get it started. It is one of two in the U.S.; Jay Leno owns the other.

Stop by the Finley Farms Honor Stand to get some produce, payment on the honor system. When we stopped, someone actually happened to be there. This guy knew and had worked with one of Emily's colleagues. Life here really does have a small-town nature feel to it in many ways. On our recent trip to the Valley, John and I came across another honor system sale on the side of the road - farm eggs, yum!

Tour Mission Santa Inés. I'm planning to write about our Mission Mission in a future post, so for now enjoy a couple of photos from this cute historical and religious site.

Drive Ballard Canyon Road or Foxen Canyon Road. You know you're in a beautiful place when just driving around is an activity! Pretty flowers all around.

Visit Clairmont Lavender Farm. If you're lucky to visit around June, you'll see the lavender in bloom, but it's a fun and lovely place to visit any time of year. Pick up a lavender lemonade and bring home some lavender scone mix. It's to die for!

Well, my post had grown to epic lengths! However, I did want to give an update on our vaccinations: Emily (educator status) is fully vaccinated. John goes this Thursday for his second shot, and I go on April 22. They both had Pfizer and I had Moderna, so I have to wait a little bit longer between doses.

We have transferred to our downtown Santa Barbara AirBnb, but I will write about that in my next installment of Tiny House Living. Hope your Spring is off to a great start!