The Sideways movie wine trip continues down the windy Santa Rosa Road about six miles outside of Buellton.  Fields of vines line the country road, dotted with a few farm houses, a few fruit stands…a few tractors pull out in front of  you.  Not a whole lot happening….

Welcome to the Santa Rita Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA), home to the finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the Central Coast Wine Country!  The Santa Rita Hills  AVA was  established by the Bureau of American Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms as a sub wine growing area of the greater Santa Ynez AVA.

What makes the Santa Rita Hills AVA so special is the proximity to the ocean (approximately five miles) and the position between the east and west mountain ranges of the Purisima Hills and the Santa Rosa Hills, which in effect, extend the growing season with the ebb and flow of the coastal fog combined with the sunny inland heat. [Read more…]