#skipthebigcities

This was taken at the Cholame Vineyard Tasting Room last fall. Most tasting rooms are adjacent to their vineyard, not so with Cholame. Cholame vineyards is a small production winery located in San Miguel, CA, at the southern tip of Monterey County. Not far from Paso Robles, but the tasting room is in Industrial Way, Buellton. At their location in Monterey County, Cholame grows Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel because these varietals thrive in that region. Also, Cholame purchases both Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay from La Presa Vineyard, which is one of the oldest vineyards in Santa Barbara County’s Central Coast. Cholame’s tasting room is in Industrial Way because their winery is there. Well, before they had a tasting room in Industrial Way, they were making wine there. So the wine is produced and tasted in the same place. The vibe is fun and unpretentious. We loved Cholame because the wines are different for Buellton. And if you love bold, smooth reds, you will love Cholame. We are still California Dreaming! @buelltonca #skipthebigcities #winecountry @360viewpr #travelwithus #travelcouple #couplestravel #buellton ##californiatrip #californiaroadtrip #usaroadtrip #travelcouplelife #roadtrippin #roadtripping #centralcalifornia #californiadream #visitcalifornia #wineloversclub #retireearlyandtravel #retireearly #earlyretirement #monterey #montereywines #wineries @cholamevineyard #redwine🍷 #santabarbaracounty #californiawine #winetravel #barrels #greatwine #lovewine (at Buellton, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB_eureDcwt/?igshid=10r2mpaajs7h5

From Horses to Wine at Brick Barn Wine Estate In Buellton, California. Brick Barn is a lovely winery with elegant decor. Tastings are available at the bar, on the comfy couches, or cozied-up fireside under ancient oaks on their patio. Brick Barn began as a world-class Arabian horse farm. An Italian stonemason created a 36-stall brick barn with a mid-century modern roofline. Forty years later, the barn is a gorgeous wine tasting room surrounded by a 50-acre wine estate located on a historic 1,100-acre ranch. Brick Barn Wine Estate vineyard lies just north of the Santa Ynez River just outside of Buellton. Brick Barn grows their white varietals in their river basin land and their reds in the upper highland area of the ranch, where rocky loam and limestone soils impart qualities of intensity. Additionally, the back hills of the ranch remain uncultivated, populated by ancient oaks, wild pigs, red tail hawks, and other wildlife. As you can see the views are stunning and tranquil. Another day of California dreaming! @brickbarnwineestate @buelltonCA @hamptonbyhilton @ostrichlandUSA #skipthebigcities #buellton #winecountry #centralcalifornia #wineries #wineloversclub #travelwithus #californiaroadtrip #usaroadtrip #roadtripping #roadtrips #retireearlyandtravel #retireearly #earlyretirement #firemovement #blueskiesandsunshine #slocountry #winelovers🍷 @360viewpr #winewinewine #winetasting🍷 #brickbarns #winebarrel #californiadreaming #travelcalifornia #californiadream #californiawine #lovewine #vineyards #grapevines #buelltonca (at Brick Barn Wine Estate) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3U23ajHxx/?igshid=1rc4e68kogam9

What’s better than Great conversation, great food and great wine? We had all of this last October at the Hitching Post in Buellton! The Hitching Post is known for being featured in the Rex Pickett novel Sideways and the Academy Award-winning 2004 film adaptation of the same name. The hitching post is where actor Paul Giamatti’s character Miles meets the lovely waitress Maya, played by Virginia Madsen. Additionally, wine snob Miles loved the Highliner Pinot Noir at The Hitching Post. Secret...so did we! On our visit we had the pleasure of having lunch with Gary. Gary Hartley, an Alaska fisherman-turned-winemaker and co-owner of the Hitching Post named his Pinot Noir, Highliner because it’s blended from the best barrels of that year, like the best fisher in the fleet. Its been fifteen years since the film debut and Pinot is still quite popular. Many people visit Buellton each year just to visit all of the movie locations. We sampled the hitching Post wines while enjoying lunch and Gary’s company and storytelling. We decided that the day was so lovely we would sit outside, but their tasting room is gorgeous and inviting, so the choice was difficult. More California Dreaming! #sideways #pinotnoir #pinot @buelltonca @hitchingpost2 #skipthebigcities #winecountry #travelwithus #travelcouple #couplestravel #travelcouplelife #buellton #californiatrip #californiaroadtrip #usaroadtrip #roadtrippin #roadtripping #centralcalifornia #slocountry #visitcalifornia #californiadreaming #californiadreamin #californiadream #retireearlyandtravel #earlyretirement #retireearly #firemovement #winelovers🍷 #wineenthusiast @360viewpr #wineries #wineloversclub #winewinewine (at Hitching Post 2 Restaurant & Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBx-ditDxub/?igshid=1p982kpk4yjiu

Here is another Buellton wine tasting photo taken at Loring Wine Company, also located in Industrial Way. Brian Loring owns Loring, and he is obsessed with Pinot Noir. He is the winemaker too. He buys his grapes from vineyards throughout the surrounding area. Brian believes that the wine is a reflection of the vineyard owner as much as it is of his winemaking skills. Something unique at Loring is that they do a cookie and wine pairing. The cookies are unusual, but each cookie perfectly complements the flavors of the different wines. Known as one of California’s top Pinot Noir producers, Loring Wine Company produces fifteen Pinot Noirs as well as some other exceptional varietals. You are welcome to bring food or snacks to the tasting room to enjoy with the excellent wine. The vibe of this tasting room is hip, urban casual. California Dreaming! #skipthebigcities @buelltonca @loringwine @hamptonbyhilton #buellton #buelltonwine #winetasting🍷 #pinotnoir #winecountry #californiawine #visitcalifornia #californiaroadtrip #californiadreaming #californiadream #usaroadtrip #roadtripping #winetravel #travelwithus #couplestravel #travelcouple #travelcouplelife #centralcalifornia #winewinewine #wineloversclub #wineenthusiast #winelovers🍷 #wineries #industrialway #californiatrip #retireearlyandtravel #retireearly #earlyretirement #slocountry @360viewpr (at Industrial Way, Buellton) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBnifB_Dgja/?igshid=161xvj2k36jtk

Imagine if all days were Fridays. TGIF everyone. #SkipTheBigCities #BuelltonCA #winetasting #winefriday #wine #winelover #winestagram #travelblogger #foodblogger #foodbloggers #wineblogger #winelovers #chardonnay #douglaslagos (at Buellton, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpsTdjYhGVL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=z4ch7kygeh6i