Our next destination took us twenty miles north of Solvang to Santa Maria Valley Wine Country where the air is peppered with sea mist in their glorious mornings.  This region, known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, benefits from the ever present Pacific.  Burgundy grapes thrive in this cooler climate, which are essential to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals.

We took HWY 154 from Santa Ynez to Foxen Canyon Road and gushed at the rolling vineyards, fields of lush produce, and scampering wildlife.  Known as the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, it connects Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys, with the following wineries nestled in between:

• Rancho Sisquoc Winery
• Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard
• Cottonwood Canyon Winery
• Costa De Oro Winery

On our next wine trip, we’ll certainly visit Zaca Mesa and Foxen Vineyards, recommended to us while tasting on the Foxen Canyon Road Trail.

Foxen Canyon Road Trail Winery Reviews

Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard

Open daily from 10-5:00

If you are planning a wine wedding or a wine country picnic then you have to check out Fess Parker. It‘s enclosed within the vineyard which lends a classy, invigorating setting with gorgeous landscaping, a peaceful wrap around porch, and a stately huge stone fireplace.

As you enter their tasting room you’ll notice these adorable Davy Crockett mini coonskin caps for the tops of the wine bottles, coonskin cap logos on their wine glasses as well as certain wines; such as the “Crockett”, twentieth anniversary, 2006. This wine is currently sold out, however Sean has a bottle he’s holding onto. The Davy Crockett influence comes directly from Fess Parker who acted the part of “Davy Crockett” in a Hollywood film. He also portrayed “Dad” in Old Yeller.

The Fess Parker Tasting List Included:

2006 Chardonnay Ashley’s
2008 Viognier, Santa Barbara County
2006 Pinot Noir, Rio Vista
2006 Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vinearyd
2005 Syrah, ATR
2005 Syrah, Rodney’s Vineyard

While with Sean, a wine club member, our tastings were free. You too can taste for free! Sean’s available Saturdays and Sundays – just kidding! Click here for a free wine tasting coupon. Of these wines our favorites were the highlighted ones above. Their 2008 Viognier, “Santa Barbara County” is a great value; an extremely refreshing Viognier with flavors of pineapple, white peach, vanilla and butterscotch.

The grapes that make their 2006 Pinot Noir, “Rio Vista” comes from vines that produced grapes for the first time.  Robert Parker also enjoyed our other favorite, their 2005 Syrah, “ATR”.  He gave this wine 90 Points. In order to purchase a bottle of this big Syrah you’ll have to visit their winery.  It boasts “concentrated fruit elements of plum, boysenberries and blackberries; along with vanilla, toast and smoke; with hints of spices, cinnamon and nutmeg; create a rich, powerful and complex Syrah.”

Rancho Sisquoc Winery

Open Monday – Thursday 10-4:00 & Friday – Sunday 10-5:00

The winding road that leads up to Rancho Sisquoc Winery was a pleasure to drive. Cattle were roaming the land, vines and produce were growing in their fields. Their tasting room is so quaint, as you can see in our photo. This is a great spot to take a break, drink some wine, and enjoy some great views of the sprawling ranch.

The Ranch hostesses, Becky and Sarah, were informative with delightful sense of humors.  They educated us on the background of the ranch which sits on 37,000 acres. The owners are in the cattle, produce, and grapevine business, the vineyards located in the cooler area of Santa Ynez Valley.  We were surprised to see the tasting glasses were stemless. Stemless wine glasses have evolved into a popular wine gift over the years. Little did we know but this would be the first of many visits with wineries using stemless glasses.

Cottonwood Canyon Winery

Open 10-5:30
Cave Tours: Saturday & Sunday 11am, 1pm & 3pm

If you are a chardonnay lover you will certainly like Cottonwood Canyon Winery.  Their reserve wine tasting list includes the following:

Non-Vintage Bistro Chardonnay
2001 Estate Chardonnay
2002 Estate Chardonnay
2003 Estate Chardonnay
2001 Barrel Select Chardonnay
2002 Barrel Select Chardonnay

We sipped on the Non-Vintage Bistro Chardonnay which was my favorite. The hostess paired it with an olive, explaining the acidity in the wine paired good with olives and spicy foods. This one had a creamy base with a lingering finish. Sean’s favorite was the 2001 Estate Chardonnay. He picked out the pear notes right away! The hostess served this wine warmer than most Chardonnays you’re use to drinking. When served warm the fruitier it will taste.

At Cottonwood Canyon they aerate their youthful wines with a wine funnel filter. The wine hostess put the funnel in a crystal decanter and poured; which had holes at the base of the funnel where the wine aerate through and hit the insides of the decanter as it dripped to the base.

I really enjoyed this tasting.  Our wine hostess was very informative on their wines, food and wine pairings, and how to enjoy your wines. She was strict with us when it came to first lightly swirling our wines to savor the aroma before tasting. Then she had us compare the first swirl, sniff and sip to a much more intense swirl, sniff and sip. We were very impressed with the noticeable difference.  I felt as if I were eating dinner with a cook and knew not to add pepper to a meal until I had tasted the cook’s creation.  As you can see from our experience at Cottonwood Canyon Winery, aerating your wine can immensely improve the entire experience.

Costa De Oro Winery

Fall hours: Thursday-Monday 11am-6pm. CLOSED Tuesday & Wednesday.

What a fantastic end to our wine tasting day in Santa Maria Valley.  We closed Costa De Oro Winery with our entertaining wine hostesses.  They invited us to join them Friday night where they regularly have live music, wine tasting, and cheese plates from 4:30-7:30.  Unfortunately we couldn’t stick around long enough for that, but we’ll definitely check it out the next time we’re in the area.

Wine Country Stay in Santa Maria

We finished our wine trail adventures at the Historic Santa Maria Inn in Santa Maria. This historic inn was built in 1917 and they‘d done a tremendous job of maintaining the original aura.  I felt as though I moseyed into an old western movie where I could rustle a stagecoach from the window.  Once we got settled in, we visited their cozy wine cellar in the basement.  I enjoyed a glass of Wild Horse Viognier while Sean sipped on a glass of Pinot Noir.

Arched brick structures with wine racks lined the right side of the old, charming wine cellar. As you entered and turned the corner there was a small private room with a chess board.  Sean was lucky the cellar was closing early so we didn’t get a chance to play.

We roamed from the basement’s wine cellar through the inn’s first floor historic settings, where we walked across their lobby and past their impressively carved front desk. In the halls we passed a couple pianos, one rumored to be played by the ghosts haunting the hotel.

This Inn is highly recommended by Sean and I as the perfect end to a wine vacation day. Each room’s settings are cozy, inviting, and completely relaxing. The romantic Historic Santa Maria Inn granted us a memorable evening after a wonderful day of wine tastings.

The inn keeper informed us that the inn served as a mid-point for travelers back in the day for those riding from Southern California to San Francisco.  The suite we stayed in had many windows with a continuous bench wrapping around the corner of the room. The view out the windows were the picturesque San Rafael Mountains.  I won‘t forget waking in the morning to the view of those beautiful mountains.  The room was enormous and included a love seat, desk, two armed chairs with a table, and the window seats. The bathroom was large as well and included separate his and her sink vanities for a leisurely morning.

We started our road trip early in the day from Orange County to Solvang along a breathtaking stretch of HWY 1 North to Santa Barbara County. The three hour drive skirted by quickly as we the ocean lapped along the coast on our left and the lush rolling hills of vines and crops summoned Sean, and I on our right. On our way to Pinots of Santa Ynez, this was a trip the both of us looked forward to for some time now.

Ostrich Land

After we turned onto HWY 246 to Solvang, I caught sight of Ostrich Land in Buellton and just for the hell of it, we stopped by to see if we could feed the strange animals. For nine dollars we came face to face with the birds and their fist-sized eyes. Armed with food bowls to lure them to the fence for our ready cameras, it became obvious little enticing was needed as a smaller, intrepid fellow jabbed his head through the fence to attack my offering. Needless to say it scared the hell out of me. As Sean goaded me to feed the ostriches, I eased over to the fence with apprehension as more and more blinking, beaked heads swarmed and pushed for position like a hungry mob in a famine struck country at the grain truck. The sign cautioned, “Yes, We Like To Bite!” and I wasn’t about to question the sagacity in that. I handed my bowl to Sean and as you can see in the picture, he didn’t fare much better.

Solvang

Along an oak lined street dotted with windmills, smorgasbord signs, and quaint cottages is this charming Danish styled village, Solvang. The restaurants, chocolate/pastry shops and markets are filled with Danish specialties in this pedestrian friendly village. So take a break from your wine tasting and enjoy a worldly stroll around Solvang. We tried a Danish favorite called aebleskiver; a warm, light and airy pastry ball dusted with powdered sugar and served with a sweet raspberry jam.

Kalyra Winery

Our first recommended winery stop is Kalyra (cal-EYE-ra) Winery. As you drive through Solvang on Mission Drive (from HWY 246) a few blocks ahead is Refugio Road. Turn right here and continue down this road to just before the road turns where you’ll find Kalyra on the right.

An Australian born wine maker recently opened Kalyra Winery. This is one of our favorite tasting room wine tours! The refreshing Australian gave this place a unique flavor to enjoy on our tour. In the tiki lounge (complete with a surfboard inscribed with Kalyra) we were greeted by the friendliest of club members as we relaxed and took stock of our close encounter with the avian kind.

Kalyra’s current tasting list includes:

White Wines
2007 Kalyra Sauvignon Blanc
2008 Kalyra Unwooded Chardonnay                   
2008 Kalyra Barrel Select Viognier

Red Wines
2006 Kalyra Merlot
2005 Kalyra Alvarehao
2007 Old Vine Zinfandel

Dessert Wines
Kalyra NV Black Muscat
Kalyra 2005 Vintage Port

The most impressive part of this visit was that all the wines from their tasting list were good. From the whites the Viognier was a stand-out; a well balanced wine with pear, sweet apricot, and a hint of honey on the noise. Sharlee, our hostess further described this wine as having little ml (ml is winemaker’s lingo for malolactic acids) and oak (it is barrel fermented in neutral French Oak). We learned that cool grape growing regions tend to be high in acidity. This high acidity comes from the contribution of malic acid.

Their 2005 Kalyra Alvarelhao was our favorite from the entire wine list. The unique aroma hinted at the most addicting smoky bouquet. Sharlee recommended drinking this bottle with grilled meats, steak or BBQ. Their tasting list explained, “the fruit of this Portuguese varietal was sourced from the Santa Ynez vineyards of Eli Parker during a very warm harvest period. Once fermented, the wine was moved to aged French Oak barrels and left to mature for over 32 months. The result is a delicate, soft & smooth wine with rich dark berry flavors, with just a touch of vanilla and cocoa.”

We can’t forget Sharlee’s favorite for the Autumn season, 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel. Harvested from 50 year old vines in the Alexander Valley, it is a subtle zin compared to some of the bigger ones we’ll soon describe. It has a classic dark berry flavor and jammy finish. The wine maker recommends decanting this wine prior to sipping.

We finished our wine tasting and shut down the place with locals Sandy & Tim (club members). Never one to ignore the recommendations of local wine lovers, Sandy suggested Rancho Sisquoc Winery, River Run Vintners, and Grey Wolf Vineyards and Cellars. Sharlee, our informative hostess, urged us to visit Four Vines, Tobin James, Tablas Creek Vineyard, and Linne Calodo Cellars. Check back with us next week for our experiences on these recommended Central Coast Wineries and Vineyard tours.

Kalyra means “a wild and pleasant place“. Our experience with our wine hostess, Sharlee the bubbly, energetic and most knowledgable wine tender, was exactly that. It was an entertaining visit we were happy to share with locals Sandy & Tim.

Insider Scoop –

We hope we’re not getting our hostess and locals in trouble, but they did spill the grapes on a local establishment’s special. We were told to visit the Hitching Post II on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays for a phenomenal cheeseburger special at the bar. It is such a secret that it’s not even on the menu! We had to try this special known only to locals. So, after our tasting we headed over to the Hitching Post II. Naturally, Sandy and Tim were already there (next time they‘ll have to spill the secret of their shortcut). They described the special so well that I’m sure they talked themselves into enjoying it too.

Hitching Post II Restaurant

Most of us wine drinkers are familiar with the Hitching Post II restaurant from the 2004 oscar wining film Sideways. It’s at this restaurant where Miles makes his opinion on Merlot abundantly clear. We didn’t try the merlot. But we did sip on their Pinot Noir HIGHLINER.  There are only so many bottles of wine you can drink in a lifetime. This is one you can’t miss. Balance and complexity are perfect descriptions for this most elegant Pinot Noir. Here’s a fine review according to Wine Spectator,   “fragrant, delicate and clean, with spicy berry, cedar and hints of fresh earth and mineral, ending with modest, integrated tannins. Drink now through 2011.”

The Hitching Post II was a fantastic time and we enjoyed getting to know Sandy and Tim some more as well. Tim introduced us to a lovely wine cork project where he made wreath centerpieces for his daughter’s wedding tables. Tim – we would love to see pictures of the wreaths and hints on how to make them. Please do share! Thank you Tim & Sandy for the wine.

Wine Country Stay in Solvang

Just around the corner from the Hitching Post II Restaurant is the Kronberg Inn. The location is central to visiting the ostrich farm, Solvang, and Santa Ynez winery. A modest inn, the rooms are a great value (with a patio!) and convenient to everywhere we visited that day. You can’t miss it as you turn onto Mission Drive, where a large windmill beckons from the front.

Take a peek at our stocking stuffer gift ideas for your wine enthusiast. Christmas gift ideas under $25.00!  These are our most popular gifts early shoppers are buying for their loved ones. The holidays are fast approaching. It’s never too early to start shopping. Skip the craze of store shopping and shop online.

Great Gift Ideas for Your Wine Lover

1.  Wine Light Flame Protector Set

A wine gift that recycles a wine bottle and turns it into a wine candle. Lamp oil is not included. You can buy a bottle of lamp oil at a local store for about $2-3.00. Our wine bottle oil lamp gift idea is a best seller! One year there was an ice store up north. Power was out for weeks. We had many orders for our wine bottle oil lamp flame protector gifts set. They can stay lit for hours!

2.  Melted Wine Bottle Serving Bowl

Another ecofriendly wine gift idea! An artist recycles wine bottles into usable bowls. You can set your melted wine bottle serving bowl on the counter to display your fruit, use it as a serving tray, dipping bowl or cigar ash tray. This wine bottle bowl comes in two sizes. Be sure to order the oversized melted bowl early. These sell out frequently. This bowl is made from a  Jeroboam bottle which is equivalent to four bottles. It is huge!

3.  Mulled Wine Spices

Wine country’s secret blend. Infuses wine and cider with fragrances of flowers and herbs.

Directions: 1 bottle of any red or white wine, 12oz. water, Brown sugar to taste (1/4-1/2 cup) 1 Wine Country Mulling Spice bag. Remove card from spice bag leaving cork for flotation. Put ingredients in crock pot. Simmer slowly; do not boil, for at least an hour – the longer the better.

4.  Not a Margarita…But a Wine-A-Rita

A perfect and refreshing blend of wine and a frozen drink. The mix is one flavor and may be blended with your favorite red or white wine. Try Merlot for a full bodied drink, White Zinfandel for a lighter taste, or a fruit wine for a sweeter treat. The options are never ending. For a non-alcoholic drink, mix with fruit juice, we love the blends in the refrigerator section.

5.  Wine Journal with Label Removers

Use this wine journal as a guide, a record book, and an organizer—an all-in-one album for wine lovers. Enjoy your wine!

• Sections for reds, whites, and specialty wines
• Quotes that celebrate wine throughout
• Envelope with 15 wine label removers

6.  Wine Bottle Puzzle

Do you need to get a gift for a person who has just about everything? Wine puzzles make a great gift for your wine enthusiast. Not only does our puzzle make a great converstaion piece, but it is great for a rainy day at the beach or wine picnic game. Test your logic and ingenuity by taking a stab at our wine bottle puzzle. Should be solvable even after a few glasses of wine!

7.  VinoAir Wine Aerator

The VinOAir Wine Aerator takes 3 of our best wine accessories – wine aerator, wine pourer and dripless stopper and creates 1 great wine tool.

How does the VinoAir Wine Aerator compare to other aerators?

The vinOair was tested by several San Francisco Bay Area chefs/restaurant owners prior during its development. TheVinoAir scored high in all blind taste tests and was a favorite over the currently best selling Vinturi due to the ability to leave the aerator in the bottle and not risk drips on the table as the aerator is moved to another glass ­ and it was not necessary to hold the aerator steady over either a glass or a decanter. The VinoAir also scored high marks over the Nuance Wine Finer based on the speed of pour ­ the Nuance is much slower. The solid food grade plastic of the VinoAir was found superior to the silicon of the Nuance as it did not retain any aroma from the pouring.

8.  Wine Friendship Plate

Handcrafted in the USA from Statesmetal. This lovely wine friendship plate says:

9.  Santa & Reindeer Plush Stemware Coasters

Drinkwear…. for the foot of your glass!

Set of two Stemware Coasters with nifty straps keep them firmly attached to the bottom of your glass while you wander and mingle. Slip a wearable coaster onto the foot of your glass, it will stay with you as you mingle, protect your tabletop and identify your glass…with style.

You can use them for wine, martini, Pilsner, hot chocolate, coffee and margarita glasses.

10.  Wine a Bit, You’ll Feel Better Flag

Wave our best selling wine flag outside your house. This fun wine flag gives great advice. Wine a Bit Applique Flag is double sided.