Another fabulous full day wine tour on a cool late April day. Guests Denise and Chico had driven from Anaheim to Santa Barbara to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They called Captain Jack’s Tours yesterday after finding us on Yelp and were all set to join others on a public tour.

Lucky for them, another couple had cancelled, so when I picked them up at their hotel they were thrilled to find out that their “public” tour had turned into a “private”.

As we drove north on 101, the heavy fog didn’t dampen their spirits as they marveled at the natural beauty of the Gaviota Coast, still mostly green from the rains that fell on the area this year.

Our first stop was Mosby Winery that sits at the entrance to the Santa Rita Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) on Santa Rosa Road. I had mentioned we might get a glimpse of Mr. Mosby, the 96 year old owner, and right as we got out of the car he pulled up in a cart he was driving around his vineyard. In the year I have been giving wine country tours I had never met him, so I took this chance to introduce myself and my guests, who were delighted to meet “the man”.

Once inside the tasting room the guests were impressed by the depth of knowledge displayed by Zack, the young man who poured Mosby’s Italian varietals. Good fortune was with them again as they were the only customers during the 40 minutes spent there.

Following the Mosby Vineyard was the Andrew Murray tasting room. Even though she was busy with another couple, Taylor immediately greeted us with a warm welcome and set two glasses with menus on the counter. As my guests enjoyed the Andrew Murray setting, I gave them some privacy and returned to the SUV to continue listening to my downloaded book, Origin by Dan Brown. After about 20 minutes I returned and took their photograph in front of Murray’s personal wine collection, a massive 20 foot wall of wine bottles laying in custom made slots. I’ll add a photo later…..

The next stop was Rancho Olivos for olive oil tasting. I pointed out Mattei’s tavern as an old stagecoach stop, (reminding me that my husband and two children were currently at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio.) I drove through Los Olivos to give them a glimpse of the quaint town, then headed back to 154 to Roblar Road to reach Shannon’s olive oil tasting at Rancho Olivos.

The Corqis were there to greet us on cue, as was Bailey the Irish setter who spends 99% of her day lying beneath the olive oil display in hopes of a piece of bread accidentally being dropped. Shannon’s olive oil is remarkable; my favorite is the garlic rosemary. My guests purchased a few bottles then allowed me to show them the woodpecker granary tree. Thousands of acorns have been embedded into this tree by a family of woodpeckers. It is really quite fantastic to see. Again, I’ll add a photo later!

We then left and headed for Solvang. Denise and Chico had never heard of the village before, and as we drove into it they had to laugh. It looks like some sort of amusement park that needs at least one rollercoaster. I pointed out the small copy of The Little Mermaid statue (photo?!), then led them to my friend Harold Welch’s Caribbean restaurant, Hummingbird’s. They ordered the Jerk Chicken and told me it was the best they’d had.

After leaving Hummingbird’s we walked to Sort This Out Cellars, a wine tasting room that provides small production wines. Alana is the main pourer and dons rockabilly clothing and a hairdo to match (green in color). She is also extremely knowledgeable about the wines she pours which my guests appreciated. Their favorite was a warm cider they ended up purchasing a bottle of, planning to save it for Christmas. We’ll see if it lasts until then….

Our final stop was Roblar Winery. It is usually much more crowded than it was today as it is very popular with large groups. There was plenty of space at the bar for my guests and Maria greeted them warmly. They took their time with each glass, wandering the grounds and meeting other visitors. One they met suggested they buy a “Reserve” red wine. After returning inside, Maria offered them a taste of the reserve and they agreed it was delicious. They bought a bottle (or two?) and looked forward to enjoying it at home in the near future..

As I waited for them to complete their time at Roblar I ran into two other drivers that I have met over the past year. It is always fun to compare notes. Each tour company does things a little bit differently. Now that Billy and I are soon to own Captain Jack’s we want to offer the best possible tours and choices for our customers.

As I dropped Denise and Chico off, I told them what a great day it had been for me and they agreed. I gave them the name of a couple of restaurants in Santa Barbara where they might want to dine before heading back down South. They were so grateful for the day and repeatedly told me it was beyond what they had expected. This is what I love about my new life as a tour guide. I meet the nicest people! I must say I am so happy to have found the courage to say goodbye to my career as a children’s Library Teacher and head into the touring business. I’ll never forget the day I followed Captain Jack home. But that is a story for another day…..(you can reach me at embracesantabarbara@gmail.com)