On Tuesday we headed inland to some nearby vineyards for wine tasting. We headed up the coast with our new friends (coupled engineering grad students that live across the courtyard) and hit up Firestone Winery, the oldest in the area. $10 for 6 samples, their spiel, a tour of the facilities, a free wine glass, and including another tasting at a nearby winery seemed like an excellent deal! I enjoyed seeing the "live action" processing plant. It reminded me a bit of the Tillamook Cheese factory in Oregon. All of the tourists (mostly European) posed for pictures in front of the stacks of oak barrels in the cool storage room. I got a sense the Firestone family is politically conservative since they had prominently displayed photos of all the "great" visiting republicans since Reagan.
Being tourists.
Being tourists.After this satisfying stop we headed out on a stroll recommended by Best Walks in Santa Barbara. I loved being out in the open farm land under the clear bright blue sky. We drifted through the fields, stopping to munch on fresh grapes, and landed at the adjacent associated Curtis Winery. After picnicking under the cool shady trees, we headed inside. This was a much smaller "boutique" winery. Being the only visitors, we were well attended to. Fortunately, our friends were schooled in wine (they had arranged a wine club in undergrad) and were able to ask intelligent questions about the processing and flavors. Our jolly "host" was a character and we bonded over time spent in Italy. He even broke out some special stuff for us--my favorite was a VERY expensive desert wine that tasted like nectar. Yum.
Our feet were dusty by the time we hiked back to the car. We took the inland route home and from the car I saw the small Danish village of Solvang, Lake Cachuma, and a stunning view of the Channel Islands off of the coast.
I look forward to next time and to sharing this jewel of a place with my friends and family. Come visit!
