Santa Yanez County Wine Tasting

      Oct 9-11 was our annual Fall Harvest wine trip with friends. Santa Barbara county held their annual Celebration of Harvest Event in Solvang this year. We've been tasting Paso wines for years, and have been wanting to venture down the 101.  We spent 2 nights at the  Royal Copenahgen Inn and tasted in the surrounding areas.
    Leaving our hometown Friday around 9:30 proved to be enough time to hit a few wineries prior to our destination. First stop was at Robert Hall in Paso.  We picked up some Zinfandel at a door buster price.
    We are pretty comfortable in Paso, but it's time to head down hwy 101 stopping for lunch near Santa Maria prior to the Foxen Canyon Trail to do some tastings. This trail is easier to experience coming from the south, so we did have some turnarounds....but, that's pretty normal for this group :)

Volk wines

     Our first stop was at Kenneth Volk winery, where Danny & I are members. Volk Winery use to have a 2nd tasting room in Paso, but recently closed. Ken Volk makes some awesome Pinots and full-bodied reds with great spices. If you like an Old Vine, he has been offering a case special each year that you shouldn't pass up.  We asked for other winery recommendations according to our tastes and we were not disappointed.
      Our next stop: Foxen winery has some outstanding whites and reds. We all had similar reviews of this winery:  Big full-bodied Rhone reds. The 'Shack', as they call it, is located outside for the Bordeaux lovers was closed due to the warm temps, but we tasted those inside and were equally impressed. The bottle price is abit above our limit, but ever-so-worth-it.

     Our 'wild-card' stop was Tres Hermanas (Three Sisters). Rustic tasting room with cute novelty gift shop, and the owner/server was a great story teller. Shared a story about an elderly couple that has been known to 'taste and dash'.... they call them Bonnie & Clyde of tasting. We did not have a big love affair with her wines, but her price was reasonable so we took home a few bottles....they can't all be winners, then we'd never share :)

   For dinner we ate at a fabulous farm-to-table restaurant in Santa Ynez called SY Kitchen. Danny & I had the Salmon, Lora had the chicken and Manuel had a spicy Pizza. We brought in the Robert Hall $18 bargain Zin from the car, and sat and laughed enjoying a fabulous dinner. Highly recommend this place and finishing with ALMOND CHOCOLATE CAKE Yogurt mousse (gluten free) or their not-so-classic Tiramisu and 4 spoons.

   
DAY 2:
        Solvang has many great restaurants, so bloody maires & breakfast was easy to find and right down the street and if you've never had a Danish breakfast pancake, Abelskiever, You must try! 
       The day was unusually warm, so we did some shopping for hats to help protect against the sun. Plus it's kind of our thing...:)

Celebration of the Harvest under the tents: were we got to enjoy many
 great wines and eat very tasty treats all afternoon. 

The Festival Grand Tasting  took place on the lawn at the mission under many tents serving from over 120 Santa Barbara County wineries and over 50 food vendors. We made notes of alot of great wines for another visit and bought some snacks. 

      As if this wasn't enough wine, on our walk back to the room we stopped.....or more like a gravitational pull at the Royal Oaks Winery. Our server kindly seated us in the back room.....hmm, wonder why? she poured us generous and explained each wine, then brought out some breads, oils and vinegars. (much needed) Very nice place....and conveniently right across from our hotel.

Lora strategically placed under the "Queen" sign :)

        Downtown Solvang brings many choices for dinner. We wander into Fitzpatrick's Tavern where the beer and wine are flowing, the food is deliciously organic and the games are on all the TV screens.

Scarecrow Competitor in Solvang

 Day 3:

           At breakfast we decide our final day will be a trip to Los Olivos for more tastings. (with Danny as our DD)

       Los Olivos has 50 wine tasting rooms in their tiny 4 block radius and it is also the home of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. No, we didn't visit.

      We randomly start at Coquelicot winery and enjoy a vast variety of wines and plan to come back later for their BBQ. We ask our server for recommendations: he gives us business cards for his dad's place Qupe' winery,  and Fess Parker's granddaughter, Tessa Marie.

Now for our daily "wild card'  Zinke. Excellent wines, but our server was a bit distracted by her weekend plans :( We bought a couple bottles, including the Gypsy, a GSM. Both great wines.

       Next stop is Qupe where we met Burt Reynolds.... Just kidding, it was a dog :) Again, not disappointed in their estate grown wines and came home with their Syrah. They also sell a few 1/2 bottles, which are cute for gift baskets.
      Final tasting spot is Tessa Marie where we briefly meet the busy, young female winemaker/owner. She makes an excellent wine with great balance and good prices for a boutique winery. We came home with her Sangiovese and the Coquette, her Sangiovese/Syrah blend. I think her label  is pretty, too.

    Time to head back for the BBQ lunch on  the back patio at Coquelicot winery and thank them for the great recommendations. This was a very successful wine trip and I think that it is worth more visits. The area is situated so the tasting rooms are in the small towns, unlike Paso Robles where they are primarily at the vineyards and down the windy roads. We like both, for different reasons.
   

thank you Solvang & Los Olivos, Ca.
 great little towns ........ we'll be back!