November 15, 2000
When in Burgundy, drink Burgundy.That's what the French say. It's a good rule. It means drink local.I just got back from a visit to Nebraska. At Denver International between flights to Omaha, I was drinking Fat Tire on tap, a local brew from Boulder and it was very tasty too. No Miller Lite or Coors Light or Bud for this kid. And while I was in Omaha, I was drinking a tasty unfiltered wheat beer brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City.
Here at home I drink Firestone Double Barrel Ale. Besides liking the taste and crispness of the brew, it's always fresh and it's fresh because it's local-still brewed in Los Olivos near the winery. Other tasty regional brews I like are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor from San Francisco. For lack of a better term I think I would call it local pride-pride in the region where you live.
I drink local wines too. Many wines from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are among the very best produced in the United States-especially the pinot noirs from the Santa Maria Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley and Rhone varietals from such esteemed producers as Bob Lindquist of Qupe and John Alban of Alban Vineyards.
From my occasional sojourns to grape growing regions like Paso Robles and Templeton, I am always impressed by the marked presence of local wines on restaurant wine lists-the kind of regional pride I am talking about. Several years ago I was treated to a Mozart concert in the mission up in San Miguel for my birthday. We had dinner at McPhee's in Templeton. Every wine on the list was a San Luis Obispo County wine. I recall having a delicious Edna Valley pinot noir from Stephen Ross Wine Cellars which is located in south county. The wine was outstanding as was the wine list. It was well thought out, featuring the best from virtually every winery in San Luis Obispo County.
This observation is strictly impressionistic and based on no empirical data, but my sense is that San Luis Obispo and environs are much more "into" their wines than Santa Barbara County is. The city of Santa Barbara, with all of its restaurants, is getting better in offering local wines. The Paradise Cafe, Chuck's of Hawaii, and of course the Wine Cask with its world-class list have been major supporters of county wines for close to two decades.
I want to be challenged if I am wrong, but here in the north county, home to the Santa Ynez Valley and the Santa Maria Valley, I think you can count on both hands the number of restaurants with well thought out winelists which are strong on local wines.
In the Santa Maria area, Chef Rick's Ultimately Fine Foods and the Casmalia Hitching Post come to mind as having outstanding wine lists featuring local wines. The Santa Maria Inn has been a long-time supporter of Central Coast wines too, and the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe has put a fine winelist together making quantum leaps from a time not too long ago when they had maybe a half-dozen wines on a list and nothing local!
In the Santa Ynez Valley you will find the Hitching Post II in Buellton with a great winelist. (Both the Buellton and Casmalia Hitching Posts offer the seminal pinot noirs under the Hitching Post label made by Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini.) Two other eateries with quite impressive lists are Grappolo in Santa Ynez and Cafe Chardonnay in the Ballard Inn bed and breakfast.
This listing works out to ten restaurants. I know there has to be more out there.
It's a matter of pride in region-where you live-local fruits, vegetables, wines. Give me pinquito beans, Santa Maria-grown strawberries and Santa Maria Valley and Edna Valley pinot noirs and syrahs, and well... black angus beef from Nebraska!
Bon appetit!
Bob Senn lives in the Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
