A guide to the Santa Ynez Valley, the closest wine region to Los Angeles

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A guide to the Santa Ynez Valley, the closest wine region to Los Angeles

When Alexander Payne’s wine-soaked comedy-drama “Sideways” first came out, the Santa Ynez Valley didn’t have the glitz of Napa or the expanse of the Russian River Valley. That still doesn’t match the tourist appeal of either, but California’s spunky little sister has grown since 2004, when Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church took their fateful bachelor’s trip to the region, declaring war on Merlot and leading Pinot noir sales are exploding.

Locals called it “the side effect.” In the years since the film’s release, tourism in the area has boomed, entire towns have been built, and eyes have turned to once-sleepy Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos (there also has a sixth city, Ballard, but it serves as a bedroom community for the region).

Before “Sideways,” Los Olivos was best known as the home of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch; it is now a thriving hamlet. Solvang, a remnant of a Danish settlement once considered a curiosity of the Central Valley, now has lines out the door of every restaurant.

And the region has benefited from the cannabis industry which capitalizes on the terroir that makes wine taste so good. A total of 9.8 million pounds of pot were grown in the region last year, making it a more valuable crop than wine grapes. Maybe Santa Ynez Valley needs a “Sideways 2” with Cheech and Chong (actually, it doesn’t: cannabis is very controversial among residents).

Of course, the Santa Ynez Valley was a wine country before “Sideways,” and it will always be a top 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 master, the stores are all hygge, the food is as good as it gets, and the wine flows freely in countless areas.

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