SANTA MARIA, CA—My thanks and appreciation to all the great folks who came out to sip wine and visit with me on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011 at Cambria Winery. What a great day it was!

Cambria Winery is about a 20 minute drive (12 miles east of downtown Santa Maria) off Hwy 101 past acres and acres of vegetables and vines. Don’t expect fancy gift shops and restaurants along the way. Here, agriculture is king.

The winery is perched atop a knoll overlooking the valley. As it is still fall, the early morning fog soon gave way to sunshine.

Inside you’ll find a spacious, modern tasting room with a window in the back allowing visitors to peer into the cellar.

Outside, you’ll find a working winery. This is where it all happens and, as visitors will see, the lush surrounding vineyards provide the estate fruit for their terrific lineup of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Viognier.

That morning, you could hear the distant echo of lively “radio” music coming from somewhere inside the vast winery building. It’s a sure sign that the “crush” is underway and that vineyard workers are busy harvesting and sorting grapes.

So many fascinating people filtered into the tasting room. I was fortunately enough to have had the chance to meet and visit with locals as well as out of town travelers.

I LOVE hearing about everyone’s favorite tasting rooms!

As soon as the doors opened, this upbeat Santa Maria local approached me with both our current books in hand. John and Kiki (not shown) told me that: “We’ve discovered so many great wineries with these books!” 

Debbie and Jim came up to Santa Barbara County from San Diego. They were traveling along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail to “have some fun!” During their trip, the couple also visited Paso Robles where they tasted wines at Calcareous Vineyard and Pianetta Winery. Jim confided that they especially enjoy Pianetta’s big glass jug. (90% Syrah; 10% Petite Sirah) I agreed with him. It’s nice quality and a great value.

There are a lot of California winery fans who live in the Santa Clarita Valley north of Los Angeles. John and Holly (not pictured) say that they “love to explore” the Central Coast wine country. He picked up a book and was heading to Foxen Winery next… (An excellent choice!)

Foxen now has two tasting rooms in close proximity to one another. Their original “shack” at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road and the new tasting room at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road. Don’t try to decide. Both are worth a visit. ;-)

A really cool couple—Pat and Mike—told me that they like to go camping while visiting wine country. They drove up from their home in Simi Valley (just north of Los Angeles). Mike is an amateur photographer and keeps coming back for the natural beauty of the area.

Kathleen, a Central Coast resident, lives in the midst of Arroyo Grande wine country. She stopped by to say “hello” and get a book signed as a gift to her friends “Frank and Carolyn” the founders of her neighborhood wine tasting club.

Eric from Camarillo, CA, told me that he’s been to most of the wineries featured in our Central Coast book: “Eberle, Volk, Chateau Margene, L’Aventure, Laeticia, Peachy Canyon…” He only stayed a short time and was most anxious to visit Foxen Winery.

Anthony has lived in Southern California for most of his life. He’s amazed to see the changes that have turned this once sleepy agricultural area into a world class wine region.

Like many visitors, Claudette drives up for a breath of fresh air from Orange County. One of her favorite places to stay while in the charming town of Solvang is Petersen Village Inn (aka The Inn At Petersen Village).

Followers of our website will note that this is one of my recommended wine country hotels. I’ve check out their rooms and find it to be a wine country classic. It’s refined and stately; an architectural wonder that is in sync with the unique flavor of this favorite Danish-themed town. The classical music on their website will set the stage.

Claudette also raved about the new play that just premiered there about the life of Hans Christian Andersen. I love live theater — thanks for the lead!

Before I end today’s post, I MUST mention how impressed I was with Cambria Winery’s tasting room staff. As followers of this blog and our Facebook fan page may be aware: I believe that tasting room hospitality is absolutely critical these days. I don’t care how good the wines are if the staff is not attentive and welcoming to visitors I simply cannot recommend a visit.

This tasting room invites guests to linger and relax. No pushy sales here. Pictured above is a large group who came by van. Their designated driver relaxed outside while his passengers tasted at their leisure.

Jenn, Bill, and Laura did a fantastic job serving customers that day… and always with a smile. Well done! Cambria Winery—you rock!