The Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance will debut its Sideways Fest the weekend of Oct. 18-20, honoring the 15th anniversary of the film “Sideways” that highlighted pinot noir in Santa Barbara County and helped put the region on the world’s radar.
Those of us who work in the greater Santa Barbara County wine industry understand that rarely does a day go by that “Sideways,” released in October 2004, doesn’t get a mention from guests to our tasting rooms.
Visitors from all over the world visit Santa Barbara County to take selfies in the bar at Buellton’s Hitching Post or in front of the outside sign. They drink pinot noir, but they reminisce about merlot, the grape varietal that the movie mocked.
For anyone who hasn’t viewed the film, it features struggling writer and wine aficionado Miles (Paul Giamatti), who brings his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a male bonding experience.
Miles wants only to relax and enjoy the region’s wines, but Jack is intent on a fling before his nuptials. From there, things get more, well, lively.
Click here for tickets and more information about Sideways Fest.
The kickoff event Friday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., will feature a screening of the movie at the Solvang Festival Theater, 420 Second St. in Solvang, as well as wine from local wineries and resident winemakers featured in the film.
Limited VIP tickets for Friday have already sold out, according to Barbara Satterfield, executive director of the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance, but general admission seats remain available and are $75 each. A wine tasting hosted by several regional wineries featured in the movie will kick off the night.
“Sideways” producer Michael London, Hitching Post owner Frank Ostini and tasting room host extraordinaire Chris Burroughs will take part in the 7:15 p.m. pre-screening panel, as will a few surprise guests, who will reminisce about their time in the Santa Ynez Valley while shooting the film. The screening is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m.
Saturday’s main event will be the “Sideways” Bus Tour, which will shuttle guests on a tour of stops featured prominently on the big screen. Sites will include the Sideways Inn in Buellton, Peake Ranch (home of the former/original Sanford tasting room), the Hitching Post restaurant, OstrichLand and the Solvang Restaurant. The red “Sideways” Saab will be available for photo opportunities.
Various wines will be available for tasting at each of the stops, among them Fiddlehead Cellars’ sauvignon blanc, Sanford’s pinot noir and the Hitching Post’s “Highliner” pinot noir, crafted by Ostini and his winemaking partner, Gray Hartley.
At the Solvang Restaurant, where Jack and Miles had breakfast, bus tour guests will be able to enjoy an aebleskiver tasting. While one bus has already sold out, a second has been added, Satterfield said. Saturday’s tickets are $60 per person. The tour will begin and end at the Sideways Inn, 114 E. Highway 246 in Buellton.
There will be time for tour participants to enjoy a self-guided tour in Solvang or get tickets to the city’s annual Grape Stomp.
The Sideways Fest weekend will conclude Sunday with a wine festival from noon to 4 p.m. at River View Park in Buellton, 151 Sycamore Drive, off West Highway 246.
More than 40 wineries located in the Sta. Rita Hills or greater Santa Barbara County will pour wine tastes, and a food truck court, live music and more activities will round out the day. Local breweries also will participate.
Tickets for Sunday are $55 per person and include tastings and a souvenir glass.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.