20 Years Ago, This Movie Changed a Tiny California Wine Region Forever

Is the Santa Ynez Valley still feeling the 'Sideways' hangover?

A middle-aged man staggered out of an ornate wooden door under a red awning, illuminated by a sign in school-bus-yellow overhead that reads “The Hitching Post II, World’s Best BBQ Steaks.” He lurched, groaned to himself, then shuffled towards a country road in the moonlight.

Just past the high yellow sign, a woman stood holding her iPhone, filming the whole sequence. This sober couple has just recreated a drunken scene from the movie Sideways , two decades after its theatrical release.

Sideways may be an old, even obscure movie to the rest of the world, but in the Santa Ynez Valley, as the film celebrates its 20th anniversary this October, it’s spirit lives on, day after day.

“I always hated the color of that sign,” says Frank Ostini, owner of The Hitching Post II in Buellton, California. “We wanted to replace it, but after the movie [came out], a hundred people a day were taking pictures by that sign. So we were stuck with it.”

The impact Alexander Payne’s Oscar-winning 2004 film made in the Santa Ynez Valley is dubbed “the Sideways effect.” The valley of 20,000 residents saw its daily population swell by as much as 20% over the next year, as visitors poured in from all over the world to take the Sideways tour, visiting spots featured in the movie.

Sam and Shawnda Marmorstein, owners of the Wine Merchant Café , whose alleyway played host to character Miles Raymond’s Merlot meltdown, and whose wine wall was the backdrop to the double date scene and one of the best drunk-dial scenes in cinema, saw a nearly 50% increase in business the year following the movie’s release.

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“It’s not like Los Olivos was a ghost town before Sideways ,” says Sam. “A certain wine crowd knew about it. But then, all of a sudden, everybody knew.”

Shawnda adds, “No one in the area was prepared for it. We were scrambling to hire staff. But it was so exciting.”

I was one of those tourists taking the Sideways tour 20 years ago. Though I lived 3 hours away, I had never heard of the Santa Ynez Valley until I sat in a movie theater in October 2004.

Two weeks later, I drove up the coast to confirm it was an actual place, not a Hollywood backdrop. It was love at first sight. I had climbed into the wine backcountry, where endless skies extended over miles of undeveloped pasturelands, vinescapes eased into western frontier towns, and where the best Pinot Noir I had ever tasted was poured in tumbledown shacks and A-Frame barns.

“ Sideways introduced more people to the beauty of Pinot Noir ,” says Richard Sanford, co-founder of Sanford & Benedict vineyard and winemaking pioneer in the Sta. Rita Hills — a designated American wine grape-growing region in Santa Barbara County, California, and the first stop made by the movie’s protaganists.

“ Sideways introduced more people to the beauty of Pinot Noir.”

Richard Sanford, co-founder of Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

Pinot Noir sales soared 16% nationwide in the year after the movie debuted. “Yet Pinot wasn’t well known in California,” says Sanford. “It was remarkable to have so many people hunting for Pinot after seeing the movie.”

Not everyone enjoyed the Sideways effect. Drunk o’clock struck early in the valley in those days. Some locals protested the dive-bar portrayal of their beloved wineries. Others were incensed that they couldn’t get a table.

“The locals were getting frozen out, and they were upset,” says Ostini. “So we had to start blocking tables just for them.”

20 years later, the Santa Ynez Valley has mostly recovered from a Sideways hangover. While iconic movie scenes are still cherished, and sometimes acted out, there are plenty of new stories being told.

The area that became famous for Pinot Noir has cultivated around 80 different grape varieties, making it arguably one of the most diverse winegrowing regions in the world. The region boasts the highest percentage of women winemakers in the U.S., and the culinary scene has been embraced by chefs looking outside major cities for places to raise children and embrace a slower rhythm of life.

What was once a wine hinterland has become a world-class destination. Yes, the tumbleweeds still bounce across country roads, but now they collide with Michelin stars. Old stagecoach stops remain, but now house luxury resorts. You can still feed ostriches, but why would you want to?

With all the changes and all the newcomers, the heart of Santa Ynez still remains. More than 200 wineries call the valley home, compared to only around 50–60 across all of Santa Barbara county in 2004, but most are family-owned labors of love that produce only a few hundred cases annually, often in small industrial buildings.

Here are a few local recommendations for your next visit, most of which you won’t find on the Sideways tour.

Food

Chandeliers and cow-print pillows capture the farm-to-table elegance of Ellie’s Tap & Vine , tucked into the town of Santa Ynez. Owner Joy Reinhardt works the kitchen at dinner, but she usually serves at lunch, and is happy to chat with guests about the town and her own history. As the weather turns cooler, the heat lamps on the wraparound patio will warm you alongside Reinhardt’s cassoulet. This is an absolute gem and locally guarded secret.

Chef Budi Kazali of The Gathering Table played a significant role in the culinary renaissance of the Santa Ynez Valley, introducing Asian and French-inspired influences into a traditionally meat-and-potatoes dining culture. Don’t miss the miso sake black cod and the locally focused by-the-glass wine list.

Revisit the Wine Merchant Cafe , where alongside their award-winning wine list, creative seasonal menus utilize produce sourced from the restaurant’s own certified organic farm. Try the seared ahi tostadas, drizzled with wasabi crema.

Wine

If you’re feeling some Sideways nostalgia, make an appointment at the Alma Rosa ranch house, just across the creek from the shack where Miles teaches Jack how to taste wine. Bosnian-born winemaker Samra Morris has taken Richard Sanford’s passion project to new heights, showcasing the lush, lively style of Pinot Noir that has made this region a destination. You can even book a hike through their vineyards.

Set among the lumberyards of industrial Solvang, King’s Carey is one of many wine speakeasies in the area. Winemaker James Sparks pours Grenache, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, and others with a joy that transforms the spartan setting.

Matt McKinney hosts visitors on his family homestead for McKinney Family Vineyards . He makes an array of wines sourced from organic sites, and grows Bordeaux and Rhône varieties on his property. You may also get to feed a few friendly goats.

In Los Olivos, mother and son team Dalita and Duncan Harmon are scoring rave reviews for their Terre et Sang project, which features dark, velvety Rhône wines from local vineyards, poured in a sleek tasting lounge.

Future Perfect Wine is the sparkliest space in Los Olivos, where actor-turned-winemaker Sunshine Stricker makes some of the best bubbles in the region, as well as Riesling, Grenache rosé, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc, under the lights of a disco ball.

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