Quick Escape: Vintner’s tour of Santa Barbara wine country

I have traveled to wine areas all over the world - Australia, New Zealand, South America, California’s Napa Valley, Oregon, Washington state, France, Italy, Germany, even Switzerland . 
I believe there are no more beautiful and carefree roads than those that meander through the unspoiled vineyards of Santa Barbara - where world-class wines ripen in the central California sun. 
Route 154 leads you up into the Santa Ynez Mountains and Santa Barbara wine country. Currently 114 vineyards produce 27 different varietals on the land that the 2004 film “Sideways” made famous. 
The vineyards lie among working ranches, with horses and Black Angus cattle grazing on golden hillsides, cooling under the shade of wide-spreading oaks. 
There is little commercialism along the wine trails. During the week these restful, un-crowded country lanes reveal jaw-dropping views of mountain lakes and endless, unpopulated rolling hills.
Los Olivos 
Vintner Megan McGrath, 33,  had invited me on a personal tour of her favorite haunts, vineyards and restaurants in the Santa Barbara wine country. She took over winemaking duties at Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards two years ago and her first vintages are now being tasted.
We began the day with coffee at the Los Olivos Grocery, a gourmet country store that dates to the 1930s. We grabbed some items to take with us into the vineyards and it was there that I found my new favorite condiment: their homemade green pepper jelly. It’s especially nice on sharp cheeses, but would make tissue paper taste great.
On weekends avail yourself of the delicious Santa Maria barbecue sandwiches, Black Angus tri-tip cooked over wood and sold at roadside stands for $10.
Los Olivos is an artist colony whose early 20th century downtown spans about four blocks by two blocks. It is the hub of the Santa Maria wine country and within its borders are 14 tasting rooms.
Wine tasting
We visited Beckmen Vineyards, situated off a dirt entry road, just west of town.
McGrath exchanged wines with Steve Beckmen, another thirty-something winemaker, who specializes in Rhone-style wines.
We sipped and chattered in front of the tasting room, in the shade of a beautiful garden overlooking the vineyard and a pond. Visitors can picnic and feed ducks.
We left town and turned north on the 154. About a quarter-mile up is the entrance to my favorite wine destination in the world:  Foxen Canyon Road.
Along the way we had our own celebrity sighting: Bo Derek was waiting for cars to pass in front of her horse ranch so she could cross onto the riding trails. She rode a beautifully groomed chestnut stallion, holding a long leather leash on her equally stunning boxer who boldly nosed ahead.
Louis Lucas
Along Foxen Canyon Road, McGrath stopped at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, where we met Louis Lucas, the man who has planted numerous vineyards in the area, since he first arrived in 1968.
Louis Lucas
Along Foxen Canyon Road, McGrath stopped at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, where we met Louis Lucas, the man who has planted numerous vineyards in the area, since he first arrived in 1968.
 
Wine country roads meander by vineyards.
Lucas’ Croatian family was in the table grape growing business in Fresno, when he decided he wanted to drink his grapes. He is well known for planting the vines that made Cambria Vineyards Pinot Noir, which won best of show at the Los Angeles County Wine Festival two years ago.
Riverbench used to be a source of grapes for Meridian Vineyards, but now produces great pinot noirs and chardonnays under its own label.
Adjacent to Riverbench is one of three Lucas & Lewellen vineyards: Goodchild Vineyard. Plans are to open a tasting room at the winery to augment the two in Solvang.  We tasted their soft and delicate Pinot Noir.
Lucas put the car into four-wheel drive and we headed straight up the river bench into his vineyard, where we ate our snacks from the Los Olivos Grocery overlooking the valley. We sampled grapes that would be harvested in days, and watched the hawks circling overhead, natural predators of some unwelcome grape lovers.
Solvang 
One of the most popular destinations in Santa Barbara wine country is the tourist Mecca of Solvang.  It was settled by Danish exiles who brought a bit of the old country with them. They reconstructed something that looks vaguely like a Danish theme park, full of tacky souvenir shops, windmills and half-timbered houses.
But I have to admit, Solvang has some great bakeries and restaurants, and walking about can be amusing, especially after visiting and sampling at the six tasting rooms in town.
Lucas & Lewellen and its Italian label Mandolina, are among those who host the 2 million visitors who pass through yearly. Thankfully, most don’t continue into the heart of wine country.
We drove over to Rideau Winery to visit owner Iris Rideau, a transplanted New Orleans native who was in the real estate business before moving to wine country and becoming a vintner.
Her tasting room is inside the beautiful, 1884 historic landmark home, the Alamo Pintado Adobe. The walls are foot-thick mud brick; they keep the home cool in summer and warm in winter.

Always on Fridays

Fridays are the day to visit Rideau Winery, because it’s when Rideau prepares po-boy sandwiches and sometimes gumbo, to accompany her delicious Rhone style wines. Everything is served alfresco in her flower gardens off the tasting room.

We left Solvang and headed north to Los Alamos for lunch at the Quackenbush Cafe, where we dined amid a gallery of local artists’ landscape paintings.

McGrath drove by the Lucas & Lewellen Los Alamos Vineyards, where they grow some Italian varietal grapes for the Mandolina label.

Later we enjoyed a Dolcetto from the vineyard at Grappolo in the turn-of-the-century western-style town of Santa Ynez. The restaurant is spectacular and chef Leonardo Curti, originally from Calabria, Italy, by way of some top Italian restaurants in Los Angeles, is a local treasure.  It’s the best restaurant in wine country, has its own wood-fired pizza oven, makes its own pastas and has a great country ambiance.

The restaurant abuts two Western-themed establishments connected by a wooden sidewalk - a breakfast place with hitching posts in case you ride your horse over, and the Maverick Saloon and dance hall where there’s live music at night and lots of line dancing.

Just up the street is the Santa Barbara Vintner’s Association office where visitors can get information on vineyards and events.

After dinner, we hit a bucket of golf balls for $10 at the Alisal River Course and River Grille in Solvang. It’s a public course, and costs about $80 to play a round.  There’s a lovely restaurant overlooking the links, with a full bar, and of course, wine.

IF YOU GO

There are a number of farm stands and pick-your-own fruit orchards scattered throughout the wine country. You’ll find horse and bike trails, ballooning and gliding and great hiking and fishing. You can tour a lavender, ostrich, miniature horse or alpaca farm; but most come for the grapes and follow the quiet lanes that wind gracefully through the most beautiful wine country in the world.

The Santa Barbara Visitors Bureau has information on accommodations  – ranging from chain motels to country inns, spas, and bed and breakfasts. There are brochures on guided and self-guided tours of the wine country and lists of restaurants, festivals, and attractions: www.santabarbaraCA.com.

The Santa Barbara Vintner’s Association offers maps to the wine country as well as information on monthly events and a variety of pamphlets.  They are particularly helpful in planning your route or arranging for a guided tour.  www.sbcountywines.com.