The Santa Ynez wine region, tucked away off the 101 just north of Santa Barbara, is an idyllic quilt of rolling hills, vineyards, winding roads, and oak trees. (Jarring side note: Michael Jackson’s Neverland is off of one of these roads!)

Dave (husband) and I have several favorites that we try to visit each time we visit (which we try to do at least yearly).

Curtis (http://www.curtiswinery.com/) features Rhone-style wines, a change of pace from Chardonnay and Cabernet. Firestone (http://www.firestonewine.com/), with the same owners, is a more typical, very Republican (photos of prominent Republican politicians abound) winery, featuring nice wines and lots of wine-related and other products (olive oils, mustards, etc., also available for snacking).

Zaca Mesa (http://www.zacamesa.com), farther down on the wine trail, has excellent wines and a short hiking trail from which you get a nice vista of the rolling hills.

Winery maps are available in some of the various stores in Los Olivos, a small town nestled in the middle of the valley. Guided tours are also apparently available, but we've always gone on our own.