wine tasting in a small town

If it's a warm and breezy afternoon in late May and you find yourself in one of the tasting rooms in the tiny town of Los Olivos, chances are it's your birthday.

At least that's the way it seemed on the afternoon we arrived for our very first official wine tasting experience. Of course, we've been drinking wine since Bacchus first donned a toga, but don't really know much about it and had never been to a tasting per se. Everywhere we went, groups and couples were coming or going from tasting room to tasting room accompanied by the cheerful sounds of birthday wishes.

We started at the pretty little family run Longoria (http://www.longoriawine.com/tasting_room.html) where we were pleased to let the friendly woman behind the bar guide us. We ordered a flight of whites and sipped slowly, trying to look savvy as a party of a dozen or so revelers enjoyed their glasses, the jazz paintings on the wall and needling the birthday boy in their midst. It was a scene that repeated itself everywhere we went that day ~ as if everyone were having a birthday and the entire town wanted to celebrate. Very much like a cozy little garden party, people drifted in and out, winding from house to patio and patio to garden, acknowledging friends and strangers with each passing encounter, full of good spirits of and some very nice wine.

As it happened it was also the estimable Turk's birthday, which was partly the reason we were following the Sideways trail, which was of late one of his favorite movies. Normally he is a reticent guy and adamant that we never let on to anyone in public on such occasions; he's afraid they'll sing at him in restaurants or much, much worse. He's shy that way.

Me, I'm just the opposite; they can sing, they can shout, they can shoot me out of a cannon for all I care, just as long as it gets me a free mud pie and maybe a candle or two. I love candles. Bring on the dancing waiters.

But Turk is emphatically not that guy, so it was with some surprise and delight that, as we wandered along the half a dozen or so blocks of art galleries, quirky cafes, and classic California style bungalows he started announcing his birthday somewhere around our third tasting stop.

"Today's my birthday, too," he said, by way of conversation.


"Happy birthday, man," said the barman. We chatted for a while, the barman telling us about the history of the town and the surprising fact that the predominant field of employment for the locals was not the wineries but the growing construction business. It seems there is much new wealth in the area and quite a few new estates being built. We joked about being able to afford one, and wondered about the loss of such a bucolic lifestyle.

"Happy birthday, man!" our new friend said again on our way out, handing the Hubs a bottle of a Starwood Sauvignon Blanc .

"Thanks!" he hollered, grinning from ear to ear.

I don't know why. But it made me quite proud.