Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard
1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., (805) 688-3032. Tasting daily 11-5.
Set on the outskirts of town in the splendid Santa Ynez Valley, this farm produces more than grapes. Formerly devoted to horses, then to growing organic vegetables, the Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard has settled now into vineyards plus olives, pomegranates, peonies, herbs, summer vegetables, and peaches. To fully enjoy a visit, bring a picnic to eat under the shady buttonwood trees the property is named for (actually California sycamore trees). Begin with a tasting, select a wine to go with the picnic, and then pick up some fresh fruit at the adjacent farm stand.
Wine tasting occurs in a pleasant open room decorated with paintings by one of the owners (some of the art also appears on the labels). One of the oldest wineries in this area famous for being where the movie “Sideways” was shot, Button’s vineyards were planted in 1983 and first harvested in 1991. According to winemaker Karen Steinwachs, Merlot has not recovered since release of the movie which celebrates its 10th anniversary is this year. “ ‘Sideways’ was good for Pinot Noir people, not so good for Merlot people,” she says. “We don’t grow Pinot Noir grapes here.” Wines we tasted including a fresh, aromatic 2013 Zingy Sauvignon Blanc blend and a smooth and peppery 2010 Cabernet Franc (100%). “We’re known for Blanc and Franc,” quips Steinwachs. We also sampled a 2012 Pinot Noir made with grapes from Hibbits Ranch in nearby Lompoc, but no Merlot.
After leaving this informative tasting room, we visited the farm stand and picked up a lug of beautiful ripe peaches to take with us.
images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Set on the outskirts of town in the splendid Santa Ynez Valley, this farm produces more than grapes. Formerly devoted to horses, then to growing organic vegetables, the Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard has settled now into vineyards plus olives, pomegranates, peonies, herbs, summer vegetables, and peaches. To fully enjoy a visit, bring a picnic to eat under the shady buttonwood trees the property is named for (actually California sycamore trees). Begin with a tasting, select a wine to go with the picnic, and then pick up some fresh fruit at the adjacent farm stand.
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| winemaker Karen Steinwachs conducts a tasting at Buttonwood Farm Winery in Solvang, California |
Wine tasting occurs in a pleasant open room decorated with paintings by one of the owners (some of the art also appears on the labels). One of the oldest wineries in this area famous for being where the movie “Sideways” was shot, Button’s vineyards were planted in 1983 and first harvested in 1991. According to winemaker Karen Steinwachs, Merlot has not recovered since release of the movie which celebrates its 10th anniversary is this year. “ ‘Sideways’ was good for Pinot Noir people, not so good for Merlot people,” she says. “We don’t grow Pinot Noir grapes here.” Wines we tasted including a fresh, aromatic 2013 Zingy Sauvignon Blanc blend and a smooth and peppery 2010 Cabernet Franc (100%). “We’re known for Blanc and Franc,” quips Steinwachs. We also sampled a 2012 Pinot Noir made with grapes from Hibbits Ranch in nearby Lompoc, but no Merlot.
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| farm stand at Buttonwood Farm Winery in Solvang, California |
After leaving this informative tasting room, we visited the farm stand and picked up a lug of beautiful ripe peaches to take with us.
images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
I would love to visit to try the wines and then pick some fruit, great concept.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, you don't pick your own fruit from the tree, but you do from the already picked fruit at the farm stand.
DeleteI just like the name, Buttonwood. I would go there just for the name. And Sideways - that was quite the film!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that it was the 10th anniversary of Sideways! This is the year to celebrate Merlot and there's no better place than Buttonwood from the sounds of it
ReplyDeleteButtonwood is a name that would be easy to remember and it sounds like the wine is memorable too. Being able to stock up on fresh fruit to go with those wines sounds delightful.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Napa and Sonoma and even the Margaret River Valley near Perth, Australia, but I have to look up where the Santa Ynez Valley is. I'm washing this read with a G&T, but I've signed up to visit a winery in South Africa in October.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice destination and a good time!!
ReplyDeleteWine tastings are always fun in my opinion. Looks like a good time. Peaches are probably the only fruit I like unless I'm in Hawaii :)
ReplyDeleteMy latest blog posts are about Kauai, http://travelswithcarole.blogspot.com/search/label/Kauai. You might especially like Recipe for Kauai Fruit Salad, http://berkeleyandbeyond.com/Way-Beyond/SuperSimple-Recipes/Kauai-Fruit-Salad/kauai-fruit-salad.html.
DeleteAnother great way to spend an afternoon.
ReplyDelete