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By
Rick VanSickle
SANTA
BARBARA, California — Pinot Noir
was once just a lonely little grape quietly
living out a modest existence for a handful
of diehard "pinot-philes" scattered
around the world. It didn't get much attention
outside of its natural habitat of Burgundy,
France.
Oh,
yes, it was planted in every wine region
in the world but it just didn't have the
same following as some of its more popular
brothers and sisters such as cabernet
sauvignon, shiraz and merlot.
All
that changed in 2004 when a quirky little
Hollywood movie called Sideways, a surprising,
multi-Oscar nominated hit that had a long
run at theatres and DVD rental stores,
offered up a wake up call for all those
who had not yet been smitten by the smooth
and flavourful wines made from pinot noir.
The reverberations are still being felt
today.
Sideways
centres on a failed writer (Miles, played
by Paul Giamatti) who's living a rather
unremarkable life in San Diego as an English
teacher. His buddy Jack (played perfectly
by Thomas Haden Church) is a TV actor
whose career is fading fast. The two pals,
both nearing middle age, go on a road
trip through California's wine country,
mainly Santa Barbara County and the little
known Santa Ynez Valley. It's a sendoff
for Jack on the eve of his wedding. Miles,
a dedicated wine lover, just wants to
taste wine and golf while Jack wants to
have one last fling before he gets married.
While
the pair search for their identities,
they make their way through the vineyards
and tasting rooms along California's Santa
Barbara coastline and inland. It's a wine-soaked
adventure that is both tragic and hilarious
but the pinot noir worshipping from Miles
and the many vineyard and tasting room
scenes (will we ever forget Miles pouring
a spit-bucket full of red wine down his
gullet?) is what turned the tide for this
grape — especially in North America.
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The
wine's popularity soared to new heights
— from Ontario to California
— while merlot, much maligned
by Miles in Sideways, suffered a downward
trend in popularity. Today, while
the economic crisis continues to knock
the stuffing out of wine sales and
tourism at most of the world's wine
destinations, wine country just north
of Santa Barbara, where Sideways was
filmed using existing vineyards and
wineries, is continuing to pack in
wine lovers looking to visit and drink
at the places featured in the movie.
The
region is simply spectacular and has
always been a quiet, out of the way
playground on the coast of California
with exclusive spas and resorts for
those with deep pockets. Until Sideways
came along, wine was in the background
with a few small-production, boutique
wineries eking out a satisfying living
far from the glare of better-known
regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma.
The
central coast area has welcomed the
constant influx of people who come
to request the same hotel rooms and
restaurant booths where the movie's
characters slept, ate and drank the
wonderful wines made at the wineries
surrounding Santa Barbara County.
Wine brings in about $360 million
annually for the county with a million
cases of wine produced in a good year.
About 25% of that production comes
from the 75 or so mostly pinot noir
and chardonnay producers in the Santa
Ynez Valley.
A
visit to Santa Barbara wine country,
a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles,
with its spectacular ocean vistas,
is an easy to manage getaway with
plenty of tours designed around the
movie Sideways.
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One
of the more famous landmarks in the movie
is the Hitching
Post Restaurant where Miles meets
his love interest Maya, played by Virginia
Madsen. The restaurant still serves the
house pinot noir Highliner that was also
featured in the movie.
Another
great place to visit is the Los
Olivos Café and Wine Merchant.
It was here that Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie,
played by Sandra Oh, share a boozy scene
where the characters share, in order, Fiddlehead
Sauvignon Blanc, Whitcraft Pinot Noir, Sea
Smoke Pinot Noir, Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot
Noir and a Pommard from Burgundy.
Two
great wineries that were featured in the
movie include Foxen
Winery and Sanford
Winery, which both operate tasting
rooms in old wooden barns. Wine Spectator
Magazine described Foxen's facility as "rustic
at best" but that hasn't stopped a
constant flow of wine lovers still wanting
to capture a piece of the romance from the
movie.
Sanford
was the scene for one of the funniest bits
in the movie where Miles describes the wine
he's sniffing as "citrus, strawberry,
passion fruit … and the faintest soupçon
of asparagus, and just a flutter of like
a nutty Edam cheese."
One
of the other landmarks from the movie is
the Fess
Parker Winery. Called "Frass
Canyon" in the movie, it's where a
despondent Miles drinks from the spit bucket.
It's the passion in which Miles embraces
his favourite wine that has driven sales
of pinot noir and made many new fans of
that "heart-breat" grape.
"It's
thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early,"
Miles explains during one scene in the movie.
"It's not a survivor. Only when someone
has taken the time to truly understand its
potential can pinot be coaxed into its fullest
expression. And when that happens, its flavours
are the most haunting and brilliant and
subtle and thrilling and ancient on the
planet."
And,
it seems that more and more wine lovers
are seeking out its hypnotic powers.
Note:
There are many Sideways tours to choose
from. Here's a great place to start with
a downloadable Sideways map and many suggestions
for touring and staying in the area: http://www.santabarbaraca.com/sideways
Some
great wines from the movie:
If
you make it to Santa Barbara, here are some
wines that are featured in the movie that
are worth seeking out. These were all sampled
during the premier of the movie in Santa
Barbara.
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Sea
Smoke Pinot Noir
Santa Rita Hills Botella
One
of the best pinots I have tried
from California. It explodes
with extracted black cherry,
hints of raspberry and echoes
cedar and spice.
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Andrew
Murray Syrah Central Coast Tous
les Jours
Everything
you want in a big, bold syrah.
Smoke, tar, licorice and wild
game aromas that lead to a sweet
core of red fruits richly spread
over the palate.
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Fiddlehead
Sauvignon Blanc
Santa Ynez Valley
A
more personable sauvignon blanc
you will not find in California.
As described in Sideways, there
is an asparagus aroma with diesel,
quince and grass all playing
a role in this oaken wine. It
morphs into a white flowery,
citrus-infused, smart wine that
is powerful and zippy.
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Foxen
Pinot Noir
Santa Maria Valley
Another
wild style of pinot with earth,
cherry and barnyard accents
that turn spicy and warm on
the palate with a toast, cedar
and vanilla edge.
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11/09
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On
the Sideways tour
There
are several tours that will take you to the locations visited
in the movie Sideways. A full itinerary of tour stops can
be found by CLICKING
HERE. Here are some highlights of the tour:
Kalyra
Winery — Here, Miles and Jack meet Stephanie,
a flirtatious wine pourer who becomes the object of Jack's
affection.
Los
Olivos Café & Wine Merchant —
You can even order off the Sideways menu. Los Olivos Café
is where Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie enjoy dinner and
several exquisite bottles of wine.
Fess
Parker Winery — (Frass Canyon) to see where
Miles phones his agent and finds out his book will not be
published. After the pourer refuses to serve him a full
glass, Miles guzzles the spit bucket.
Hitching
Post II — Miles and Jack share a bottle
of Highliner at the bar. While having dinner, they talk
to Maya who waits tables there. Later, Miles returns on
his own.
Foxen
Winery — During the split screen portion
of the film, Miles and Jack help themselves to full glasses
when the pourer turns her back.
River
Course at the Alisal Guest Ranch — While
golfing, Miles and Jack frighten the impatient foursome
chipping into them.
Sanford
Winery — Miles teaches Jack the basics of
wine tasting. Chris Burroughs starts them off with the Vin
Gris in which Miles smells "citrus, strawberry, the
faintest soupcon of asparagus and just a flutter of a nutty
Edam cheese."
Wine
according to Miles
On
Merlot — Merlot, a quintessential
grape, when left to its own devices almost always –
Petrus notwithstanding – results in a bland characterless
wine.
On
Chardonnay — Chardonnay is the most corrupted
varietal in the world.
On
Pinot Noir — Pinot is a finicky, elusive,
but rewarding varietal.
On
Riesling — I used to think Riesling was
indicative of an unsophisticated palate, lack of taste,
but not anymore.
On
Sauvignon Blanc — The Sauvignon was steely;
mineral and gunmetal on the palate, but bright and citrusy.
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