When Alexander Payne's wine-soaked comedy-drama “Sideways” first premiered, the Santa Ynez Valley didn't have the sparkle of Napa or the breadth of the Russian River Valley. It still doesn't match the tourist appeal of either, but the plucky little sister of California's wine regions has grown since 2004, when Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church made their fateful bachelor trip to the region, declaring war on the Merlot and driving Pinot Noir sales through the roof.
Locals called it the “side effect.” In the years since the film's release, tourism in the region has skyrocketed, entire towns have been built, and eyes have focused on the once-sleepy Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos. (There is also a sixth town, Ballard, but it serves as a bedroom community for the region.)
Before “Sideways,” Los Olivos was primarily known as the home of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch; It is now a flourishing village. Solvang, the remnant of a Danish settlement that was once considered something of an oddity in the Central Valley, now has lines outside every restaurant.
And the region has benefited from the cannabis industry taking advantage of the terroir that makes wine taste so good. A total of 9.8 million pounds of marijuana were grown in the region last year, making it a more valuable crop even than wine grapes. Maybe the Santa Ynez Valley needs a “Sideways 2” starring Cheech and Chong (actually, it doesn't: Cannabis is highly controversial among residents).
Of course, the Santa Ynez Valley was a wine region before “Sideways” and will always be a prime destination just a stone's throw from Los Angeles. So plan your getaway to Santa Ynez, where you can learn to play polo from a teacher, the shops are hygge, the food is top-quality, and the wine flows like water at countless properties.
