Sideways movie put spotlight on Santa Barbara wineries
Author: Cary Ordway

Sideways movie put spotlight on Santa Barbara wineries
When the hit movie Sideways came out, people all over the
country were introduced to the idea that California
wine-making doesn't begin and end in the Napa Valley. There
are, in fact, several wine regions throughout the state
including the Santa Ynez Valley where Sideways was filmed.

Dubbed Santa Barbara Wine Country by local tourism
promoters, this is an idyllic and pastoral region of small
towns, ranches and, of course, a few dozen wineries that
are scattered over an incredibly picturesque countryside.
The movie Sideways, which follows a couple of middle-aged
men as they discover the charms of this region and the
truths of their existence, won great accolades as a
comedy/drama but, interestingly, it also turned out to be
an effective travelogue.

That's not been lost on the Santa Barbara Conference and
Visitors Bureau, which rushed to print with a detailed
color brochure offering visitors a map of filming locations
for the movie – a handy guide for the movie-goers smitten
with the ambience so skillfully revealed in the movie's
cinematography. From all reports, plenty of people have, in
fact, targeted the region for vacations or weekends and
it's still a common site to see visitors pulling out their
big, green over-sized Sideways brochures to check their
bearings while searching for yet another location used in
the filming of the movie.

There has even been a bit of overkill, according to some
local residents. A few disgruntled locals complained that
the traffic brought to town by the movie was a double-edged
sword – good for business, bad for the area's roads. Not
only were roads getting clogged during the height of the
movie's popularity but some say they were getting clogged
with people a wee bit tipsy from all that wine-tasting. The
TV show Inside Edition was recently in the area checking
out all the fuss.

Much ado about nothing is the response of most locals, who
have been pleased to see the area get national publicity
and finally find its rightful place on the tourism map.
During our March visit it sure didn't seem overly crowded
but, then again, we were there midweek and one should
expect weekends will be entirely different.

We joined the other tourists in following our Sideways
brochure to locations in Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Buellton
and the "authentic Danish village" of Solvang, all featured
prominently in the film. There was the Days Inn Buellton
where Miles and Jack stayed and the parking lot where
Stephanie beats on three-timing Jack. Or how about A.J.
Spurs, the western-themed restaurant where Jack meets his
one-night stand, Cami. Had to see the Sanford Winery, where
Miles teaches Jack the basics of wine tasting and, of
course, Fess Parker Winery where the server refuses to
serve Miles a full glass of wine so he guzzles the spit
bucket instead.

Altogether there are 19 Sideways locations detailed on the
map, all quite recognizable from the film. Some locations
even have the unmistakable Sideways logo posted on their
signs lest anyone not realize that their particular
business or location will now live in movie infamy.

Show biz also figured into one of the two places we stayed
while in the Santa Barbara Wine Country. Middle-age folks
won't have any trouble recalling the name Fess Parker, who
cornered the market back in the 50's and 60's for
coonskin-capped, buckskin-wearing movie mountain men. If
you're a certain age, you remember Parker as Daniel Boone.
If you're older than you want most people to know, you
remember him as Davy Crockett, a premiere figure in the
stable of Disney TV characters back in the days of the
Wonderful World of Disney.

Unknown to most visitors, you can visit with this one-time
TV icon on most Thursday nights at Fess Parker's Wine
Country Inn in Los Olivos. The inn's guests are encouraged
to join Parker for a handshake, a glass of wine and even
some musical entertainment. These word-of-mouth gatherings
make it hard sometimes to find a vacancy at the inn on
Thursday night.

Our room at the inn was everything you might imagine for a
historical country inn located in a quiet small town
surrounded by gorgeous scenery. The inn has been
refurbished and updated to the point that guests get the
best of both worlds – old-world charm with new-world
convenience. Our spacious room was furnished with exquisite
antiques, living palms and floral arrangements. The high
ceilings featured white-washed beams while the windows were
shuttered. Classic paintings were on the walls and floral
bed coverings matched table and chair covers. Our fireplace
was outlined by hand-painted tiles.

Downstairs, the Wine Cask restaurant is a small, intimate
room, serving cuisine that is well-known for being some of
the best and most innovative in the Santa Barbara area.

Several small shops, galleries and restaurants are located
in the small downtown area of Los Olivos, including the
Judith Hale Gallery which occupies two buildings just a
block down from the inn and offers an amazing collection of
paintings, illustrations, sculpture and jewelry. Across the
street is the Los Olivos Café and Wine Merchant, the place
where the two couples in Sideways enjoy dinner and several
bottles of wine.

We spent a little more time than usual visiting Santa
Barbara Wine Country and we wanted to experience one other
lodging we had heard about – the Santa Ynez Inn. Located in
Santa Ynez, this is an unusual Victorian bed-and-breakfast
because it is not a historic building at all – the inn was
built from scratch just four years ago. That offers the
advantage of everything being new – floors, carpeting,
plumbing – which will appeal to travelers less interested
in the historic aspect of their accommodations.

The Santa Ynez Inn is certainly among the most luxurious
inns we've enjoyed. Entering the lobby, one notices the
carved wood stairway regally reminiscent of the grand
staircase in the movie Titanic. The hallways are decorated
with portraits of former presidents. In our second-floor
over-sized room we found a sanctuary filled with
antique-inspired furniture and such luxurious accents as
crystal chandeliers and crystal-based lamps. The floral
curtains parted to reveal a view of the countryside and
small balcony with table and chairs. Another sitting area,
made of travertine, was adjacent to the fireplace and both
travertine and marble were used extensively in the
larger-than-usual bathroom area. A jetted tub and separate
shower area were just as you would find in the most
expensive hotels.

The luxury inns we chose were the perfect complement to
days spent in this magnificent countryside driving from
winery to winery, from each Sideways location to the next.
But then again, if you want the true Sideways experience,
you can always opt for the motel used in the movie. Just
don't follow the script too closely.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Santa Barbara Wine Country is about 30 miles
northwest of Santa Barbara on Highway 154 (San Marcos Pass).

WHAT: Santa Barbara Wine Country includes several small
towns and a scenic countryside that is home to dozens of
wineries and vineyards.

WHEN: Any time of year.

WHY: Santa Barbara Wine Country has become famous because
of the movie Sideways. The area represents a charming and
rural landscape that is easily accessible from the larger
city of Santa Barbara – a tourist mecca in its own right.

HOW: For more information on Santa Barbara Wine Country,
phone the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau at
805-966-9222 or visit www.santabarbaraca.com.


About the Author:

Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of
Getaway Media Corp, publisher of
http://www.californiaweekend.com and
http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com .