In Los Olivos, pairing wine with the equine

Getting ready to set out on the gravelly trail, Diego and his girlfriend, Cash, are rubbing noses. It's a warm spring-feverish day in April in the Santa Ynez Valley, and the two can't seem to get close enough. And I can't avoid watching. Diego, my horse for the next 90 minutes, has a thing for this mare, and because I'm just along for the ride, who am I to intercede? Besides, as a novice equestrian, I welcome Diego's distraction — anything to avoid being thrust into a full gallop as once happened to me in the rocky desert outside Palm Springs.

By Arnie Cooper