SoCal Wine Country

"I'm not drinking any Merlot!!" - Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Contrary to the ravings of Mr. Giamatti, I dig Merlot and tasted lots of it in Solvang and Los Olivos!!

If you happen to pop into Santa Barbara Wine Country, you must follow up your day of wine tasting at Los Olivos Cafe. It is most famous for it's appearance in the movie Sideways, but it is also well known for it's delicious California/Mediterranean cuisine. They offer up some wonderful dishes that feature flavors from the surrounding farms and vineyards. I was blown away at the variety of choices I had from delicious salads, appetizers, sandwiches and entrees for greenies like me! Their hummus and olive tapenade was to die for and my primavera gnocchi was beyond delicious. And of course, you MUST have wine with dinner!!

We popped into Solvang, the neighboring Danish replica village and had some good eats as well! For the meaties, they will love any of the Danish spots as they serve up some of Denmarks most popluar dishes like Frikadeller and it's popular spirit, Aquavit. My friend's had a great time chowing on the Danish goods and I didn't miss out on the fun as I was able to get salads and veggie sandwiches at all of the places we stopped into. You musn't miss the Danish bakeries either!!

Solvang, Los Olivos and Buellton are the 3 vineyard towns in Santa Barbara wine country and each has their own special charms. Some of the vineyards offer horseback tours of the wineries and others have bed & breakfasts on the grounds. It's a great little weekend getaway for delicious food, wine and fun!!