En route to Santa Cruz, we decided to stop in Santa Barbara and do a little wine tasting. I had driven from LA to Santa Barbara and so Loll became the designated driver for the next leg of the trip, giving me the freedom to soak up a little grape juice with Dale.
Heading north to Santa Barbara on the 101 is a truly beautiful scenic drive. We passed through the city of Camarillo headed for Los Olivos. Los Olivos is one of the five communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. It was popularised by the wonderful film Sideways starring Paul Giamatti. The area looked completely deserted until we turned left at a junction and were suddenly ensconced in this beautiful town filled with smart restaurants and wine tasting venues.
Before drowning ourselves in Merlot, we had lunch at the Los Olivos café. Excellent pizzas all round. During the meal, I noticed a universal truth. The odds that the waitress will approach you to ask if the meal is okay are directly proportional to size of the food you just shovelled in to your mouth.
The tasting cost just $10 and for that Dale and I were able to try a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Riesling, a Merlot, a Pinot Noir, a Sangiovese, a Port and a few others. We were even able keep the custom wine glass that we used, compliments of the winery. Suitably merry (and no longer at the wheel!) we rejoined the Interstate in the direction of Santa Cruz.
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