Hollywood & Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara
“Hollywood, some dreams come true, some don’t, but keep on dreaming this is Hollywood.”
It’s the last line as the theme song of Pretty Woman plays, credits rolling and the one which echoes in my head as we whiz past some of LA’s most iconic landmarks. Replete with handwritten signs for star maps, the exclusive community in Beverly Hills seems to have reached an almost Disneyland attraction-like quality, allowing the star map industry to boom. You can even book a guided open-air van tour through the area.
With our trusted local, Tip and 90210 resident Michelle, we do a much quicker version, gawking at the Spelling mansion, which she tells us has over 200 rooms and Frank Sinatra’s former residence which bestows passerbys with a mini light show in its archway.
It gives new meaning to the word opulence and excess. The city itself is sprawling and traffic horrendous. As a resident in NYC, where public transportation is paramount, LA is something of a bizarre anomaly.
Melrose Place, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd, the iconic street names fly past as we do the whirlwind tour on our way out of the sprawling city towards Santa Barbara and the lesser known wine country of California.
Just off Highway 101 The Hitching Post, made famous by the film Sideways had a line which was less than welcoming, but we were told by the waiter at the W, that the winter months meant less people and a meal worth savoring. We sped on to sample the wines at Blackjack Ranch, the second of the six wineries seen in Sideways.
Other wineries in the area include:
- Buellton
- Sanford Winery & Vineyards
- Lafond Winery
- Lompoc
- Babcock Vineyards
- Melville
- Los Alamos
- Bedford Thompson Winery and Vineyard
- Chimere
- Los Olivos
- Andrew Murray Vineyards
- Arthur Earl Winery
- Beckmen Vineyards
- Brander Vineyard/Domaine Santa Barbara
- Curtis Winery
- Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard
- Firestone Vineyard
- Daniel Gehrs Wines
- Kahn Winery
- Rancho Sisquoc Winery
- Rusack Winery
- Zaca Mesa Winery
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Barbara Winery
- Coastal Winery
- Santa Maria
- Byron Vineyard and Winery
- Cambria Winery and Vineyard
- Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard
- Foxen Vineyard
- Santa Ynez
- Bridlewood Winery
- M Brown/ Kalyra Winery
- The Gainey Vineyard
- Sunstone Wineries
- Solvang
- Blackjack Ranch Vineyards and Winery
- Buttonwood Farm Winery
- Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery
- Lucas & Lewellen
- Rideau Vineyard
Sadly, while I’m sure at another time we would have enjoyed the experience much more, a night of hard partying at the Abbey meant we weren’t exactly hankering for a glass of wine, but we anted up the $10 tasting price and sampled the now Sideways famed pinot noirs.
Los Olivos, isn’t only known for its vintages, but is also home to quite a few fruit farms. Berries, peaches, and apples grow in abundance, if you have the time to stop and pick a bushel, there’s nothing like tasting a sun kissed berry fresh from mother nature, but if berry picking isn’t your thing be sure to stop and sample the fruit stands.
Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is just outside of Santa Barbara. We just happened to be there on his birthday.
