Wine Country and the Sideways Effect

Northwest of the city, over the mountains, lies the Santa Ynez Valley, a landscape of oak dotted hills, horse ranches, and vineyards. For years it was quiet, rural wine country, largely overlooked. Then came a movie.

Sideways, released in two thousand four, followed two middle aged men on a wine tasting road trip through these very valleys, and it changed everything. Filmed at real wineries and restaurants around Los Olivos, Buellton, and Solvang, the film sang the praises of Pinot Noir while mocking Merlot. The effect on the wine world was immediate and lasting.

Pinot Noir sales jumped sharply for years afterward, while Merlot slumped, an impact that vintners still call the Sideways effect. Tourists poured into the valley to retrace the characters' route. Roadside spots like the Hitching Post and the wine merchant cafe in Los Olivos became pilgrimage sites.

The region that was once far quieter now has roughly a hundred wineries. The valley had been quietly producing excellent cool climate wine for decades, helped by ocean fog that drifts inland, but it took one bittersweet comedy to put Santa Barbara wine country firmly on the map.