Mixing it up in wine country

There is little I love more than escaping to the country. Give me sunshine, the perfume of freshly mown hay, a view of planted hills rolling peacefully into the distance, top it off with great food and wine, and throw in a massive pile of lobster I’m about to dig into. There is no better place on a spring day than this vineyard spot.

At the Sanford Winery & Vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, we’re not merely tasting wine; we’re diving into our own wine-making experience and immersing ourselves in pure indulgence at an old-fashioned lobster boil paired with a modern Pinot-blending party.

My husband, Bill, and I try to visit the Central Coast wine country in spring and fall, roaming through Santa Barbara wine country, San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles. Over the years, Bill -- nicknamed “the wine god” by my friend Nancy -- has joined half a dozen or so wine clubs to ensure a constant flow of premium wines, at a discount, to our home.

This spring, we took advantage of another membership perk, wrapping a weekend around Sanford Winery & Vineyards’ annual lobster feast, one of a growing number of wine country events that are more than just simple tastings. It is a full-blown celebration of spring, wine, food and the camaraderie of like-minded travelers.

As a member of Sanford’s wine club, Bill pays $90 for each of us for the day’s activities, and he may bring friends, who pay $105 each as nonmembers. So we invite Nancy, Jim, Jane and Kevin to join us.

One drawback to living with a wine aficionado: We must take a separate car instead of pooling with our friends. Before the weekend is over, the back of our Ford Explorer will be crammed with cases of wine, so there is no room for luggage or passengers.

Kevin and Jane can’t come until Saturday anyway. We leave Friday morning and rendezvous with Jim and Nancy for lunch at the Beachside Bar-Cafe on the sand at Goleta Beach. There, we watch waves lapping the pier and discuss which wineries to hit this afternoon. It’s 30 minutes or so up U.S. 101 to the greater Buellton area, our base for the weekend.

We head first to Rideau, whose New Orleans-born owner has restored El Alamo Pintado Adobe (circa 1884) and imbued it with a pinch of Southern charm. The tasting room features cascades of Mardi Gras beads spilling from baskets, and what other winery gift shop would sell Cafe du Monde and pralines?

It’s quiet as the four of us sample the estate Rhone varietals. But owner Iris Rideau often throws parties, such as her September birthday celebration for 300 people, complete with authentic New Orleans cuisine and live music. Back at our hotel, we take a relaxing soak in the spa and, as the sun sets, have dinner on the sun porch overlooking a broad lawn at Brothers’ Restaurant in historic Mattei’s Tavern. The early fresh pea soup with mint tastes like country on my tongue.

The next day, we drive up scenic Santa Rosa Road to Sanford’s winery at Rancho La Rinconada, about 10 miles west of U.S. 101 in Lompoc. There, cellar master Agustin Rodriguez ushers us into the coolness of a building whose 30-inch-thick adobe walls ensure a temperature of 55 to 65 degrees year-round.

We sit at one of about 20 round tables, where we’ll spend an hour blending bottles of Pinot Noir. Each person will create a blend; then each table of eight will select a favorite to enter in competition.

Winemaker and general manager Steve Fennell explains that we’ll be using two Pinots from the La Rinconada Vineyard, and two from Sanford & Benedict, the oldest vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. Each vineyard is divided into blocks, and the wines that come from different blocks can be very, well, different. Thus, “the art of winemaking comes with the blending,” Fennell tells us.

We each pour four glasses and set them on our place mats inside stenciled circles labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4 -- so we don’t get confused about which is which. In just a few minutes, our table is laughing, tasting, passing around pitchers of the four wines and mixing our blends in calibrated test tubes and beakers -- stopping often to taste.

I keep things simple, using only my two favorites, mixed half-and-half. Surprisingly, mine wins the table’s vote.

We pour a few mouthfuls into a small bottle for the Sanford staff to judge. Then each of us bottles his or her concoction, designs a label (these will be judged too) and has the thrill of seeing the bottles professionally corked, waxed and foiled.

After all this work we head outside, where three long tables have been set up at the edge of the vineyard. Cooks dump the contents of steaming pots onto paper tablecloths that run the length of the tables, revealing mounds of lobster, shrimp, artichokes, potatoes, corn, sausages and heads of garlic. Nutcrackers, cups of drawn butter and other condiments sit every few feet along the tables. At this meal, everything is finger food, and as we go at it, staff members circulate tirelessly, pouring more wine, plopping down baguettes of French bread, passing baskets of cookies.

As people have their fill, they begin to drift off to look at the barrel room or walk through rows of vines. After awhile, Fennell calls us together to announce the winners of the label and wine contests. When judging a Pinot, he says he looks for a blend with a “perfect balance of power and grace.” Nope, that didn’t describe mine. But my loss doesn’t matter.

If we were smart, we’d work off some of that wine and food with an easy hike to Nojoqui Falls. Instead, we opt for showers, a rest, a snack at the Los Olivos Cafe and an early bedtime.

The next morning we meet for breakfast at Paula’s Pancake House, one of our Solvang favorites where we sit on the patio and order apple pancakes, oatmeal, eggs and toast.

Bill and I decide to make one last stop before heading home over scenic State Route 154. Although Bill’s been buying wine at every stop, the car isn’t quite full enough, so we visit Sunstone, a small family-owned winery west of town on Refugio Road.

Sunstone, I learn, hosts dinners and luncheons in its romantic cuvee cave. A summer evening of “Cinema Under the Stars” is planned in the vineyard. Events are for wine club members only.

Want to join another club, Bill?

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susan.denley@latimes.com

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Kiss of the grape

THE BEST WAY TO SANFORD

U.S. 101 takes you to Solvang and Buellton. Exit at State Route 246 exit. Go east toward Solvang.

WHERE TO STAY

Ballard Inn & Restaurant, 2436 Baseline Ave., Ballard; (805) 688-7770, www.ballardinn.com. Romantic 15-room inn with antique furnishings. Complimentary breakfast. From $245 a night.

Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Road, Buellton; (805) 688-1000, www.marriott.com. 122 rooms, 27 suites. Rooms from $159 a night during the week, $219 Fridays and Saturdays.

Best Western Pea Soup Andersen’s, 51 E. S.R. 246, Buellton; (805) 688-3216, www.peasoupandersens.com. Morning pastries, juice, coffee. Rates from $71.

WHERE TO EAT

Brothers’ Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern, 2350 Railway Ave., Los Olivos; (805) 688-4820; www.matteistavern.com. Dinner only, classics with seasonal ingredients, entrees $18 to $49.

Los Olivos Cafe, 2879 Grand Ave., Los Olivos; (805) 688-7265, www.losolivoscafe.com. Lunch and dinner, California Mediterranean cuisine, entrees $13 to $36.

Paula’s Pancake House, 1531 Mission Drive (S.R. 246). Breakfast and lunch, starting under $10.

Ballard Inn & Restaurant, 2436 Baseline Ave., Ballard; (805) 688-7770; www.ballardinn.com. Dinner only, French-Asian cuisine, entrees $18 to $32.

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Vino events

For the most comprehensive information about activities in the Santa Barbara wine country, contact the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Assn. at www.sbcountywines.com or (805) 688-0881. Although the association offers a great roundup, it’s worth contacting your favorite wineries directly to see whether they have special events planned. Here is a sampling of some I checked into.

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Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard, 1500 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang; (805) 688-3032, www.buttonwoodwinery.com. Buttonwood sponsors an annual concert and picnic, but the star is the All-Buttonwood Farm Dinner, scheduled for Aug. 8. Because Buttonwood is a working farm, the menu features farm-raised pork and lamb, cheese from goats, farm-raised veggies and peaches, along with Buttonwood wines. Tickets cost $100 per person; reservations required.

Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard & Winery, 3940 Dominion Road, Santa Maria; (805) 937-9063, www.cottonwoodcanyon.com. From the time of the Vintners’ Festival in April through the Harvest Festival in October, Cottonwood Canyon sponsors a monthly “Friday Night Wine Down” on the third Friday of the month, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Live music and a bring-your-own food picnic. Wines are available by the glass or bottle. Cottonwood also puts on dinners every other month or so, pairing wines with various cuisines such as Caribbean barbecue or Southern cooking. A highlight of the year is the annual Christmas in the Caves dinner. More on this year’s dinner will be available on the winery’s website this fall.

Gainey Vineyard, 3950 E. State Route 246, Santa Ynez; (805) 688-0558, www.gaineyvineyard.com. Annual Crush Party, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 26. This includes grape-picking, cooking demonstrations, barrel tasting, a barbecue and more. $85 for the public, $75 for wine club members. Reservations required.

Rideau Vineyard, 1562 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang; (805) 688-0717, www.rideauvineyard.com Rideau is notable for good wines served with Creole food and a side of live jazz and blues. You can partake of all of the above on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. at Rideau’s “Friday Night Supper Club” dinners. The next is Aug. 7. $30 for wine club members, $50 for nonmembers. The biggest event of the year is owner Iris Rideau’s Birthday Party, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12, featuring Cajun and Creole specialties. $80; $65 for wine club members.

Roblar Winery & Cooking School, 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez; (805) 686-2603, www.roblarwinery.com. Saturday cooking classes from 5 to 8 p.m. Upcoming cuisines include French and Indian. Reservations required. $145 per person per class. Roblar also offers a Sunday brunch buffet with wine pairings for $45 per person, or $35 for wine club members.

Sanford Winery & Vineyards, 5010 Santa Rosa Road, Lompoc; (805) 735-5900, www.sanfordwinery.com. Annual open house and barbecue every April, including music and tours of the winery. $15, free for wine club members.

Sunstone Vineyards & Winery, 125 Refugio Road, Santa Ynez; (800) 313-9463, (805) 688-9463, www.sunstone. Most Sunstone events are for wine club members.

The public can linger longer when Sunstone participates in areawide events. The Annual Celebration of Harvest each fall brings together local vintners, restaurants, caterers and other purveyors for a festival of food, wine and music. This year’s harvest celebration is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 on the Rancho Sisquoc Winery estate in the Santa Maria Valley. The association also sponsors the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival every spring. A smaller organization, the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Assn., offers a wine passport a few times a year. The next two passport days are scheduled for Sept. 26 and Dec. 5. For tickets or information, call (800) 563-3183.

-- Susan Denley