20 Years Later, We’re Still Talking ‘Sideways’: Santa Ynez Valley to Spotlight Cult Film During Annual Feast

Actress Virginia Madsen got an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2004 film, Sideways. Twenty years later, she’s still feeling the impact, and enjoying it.

“It changed my life,” she told me during a recent conversation. “And it’s still so alive, this movie. It became a cultural phenomenon, and there are very few movies that do that.”

Sideways, set primarily in the Santa Ynez Valley as it follows a bachelor duo through a series of wine-fueled antics, many of them eye-popping, reeled in a slew of accolades in its release year. Director Alexander Payne took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film was named Movie of the Year by the American Film Institute. Its actors, including Ms. Madsen, were showered with accolades that ripple to this day.

Sideways’ greatest accomplishment, though, was what it did to wine culture. At a macro level, it put pinot noir on a pedestal, sending its sales (and plantings) soaring, all while sending the image of merlot into a tailspin. And at a micro level, it sent the Santa Barbara County wine industry’s appeal as a viticultural powerhouse, and as any budding oenophile’s dream vacation, soaring.

“It’s still a favorite getaway for me,” says Ms. Madsen, a Studio City resident. “The Santa Ynez Valley is so welcoming, you really feel at home there. There are incredible places to stay, and of course the incredible wine tasting experience.”

Those of us who’ve actively watched the territory grow over the last 20 years can attest to the fact that its approachable magic remains, all while its gastronomic caliber, including globally-renowned wine brands and several Michelin-recommended eateries, has soared. 

It’s a no brainer, then, that Sideways will feature prominently during this year’s Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley, an annual feast launched in 2019 by the area’s tourism team, Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, to celebrate the region’s wine, food and experiential treasures. This year’s four-day fête is set for September 26-29, culminating with a Sideways-inspired culinary party and 20^th anniversary screening. And Virginia Madsen is going to be there.

“I love watching this movie – if it’s on, I’ll sit down and watch it!” she says. “And I’m just so pleased that they’re going to show it right there – where it was filmed – so that everyone can celebrate with me and raise a glass!”

The Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley lineup for September 29^th includes a “Sideways 20^th Anniversary Festival” from noon until 3 pm at the Hitching Post II in Buellton, including food from various restaurants, as well as wine, beer, and live music. The popular roadside steakhouse plays a supporting role –of sorts – in Sideways, as the place where Ms. Madsen’s character, Maya, meets wine-loving Miles, and where the main characters often stop for sips of pinot noir. 

Festivities continue that evening from 5-9 pm at the open-air, just-refurbished Solvang Festival Theater, with more food and wine, and where the movie will get its official 20^th anniversary screening, introduced by Ms. Madsen. “I love the feel of the audience,” she admits, “and seeing their faces as they watch the movie!” 

Tickets are $150 for the all-day experience, or $50 for the evening screening alone.

And there’s plenty more.

Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley features more than a dozen events across the six towns that make up the SYV – Solvang, Buellton, Ballard, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, and Santa Ynez. Several popular events, like a horseback ride with breakfast at the Alisal Guest Ranch, communal dinners set along the iconic downtown streets of Los Olivos and Los Alamos, and a banquet inside the Sunstone wine caves, are sold out. But tickets still remain for myriad unique experiences.

Vineyard Yoga SYV will put on a “Yoga in the Vineyard” event ($45) on the grounds of Sunstone Winery on Friday morning, September 27^th, from 9-11 am. The one-hour Zen moment will be followed by tastings of wine or Sunstone’s new line of THC-infused spritzes (must be 21+). Also on Friday, the Santa Barbara County Vintners will put on a rosé tasting ($40) from 1-3 pm at The Ballard Inn. The walk-around event will feature rosé wines from all over the county, along with light bites.

Highline Adventures in Buellton will be offering ziplining tours ($135) on Saturday, from 9 to 11 am. Home to three of the longest and fastest zip lines in all of California, the event will send guests soaring across 1,000 vertical feet above vineyards and flower fields.

A “Franc & Blanc Tasting” ($40) takes places Saturday from 1-4 pm at Gainey Vineyards, the classic brand which is itself celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year. Wineries from all over the area will pour their versions of cabernet franc, along with “blancs” like sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc. There will be food and live music, too.

On Sunday the 29^th, Sarloos & Sons will lead a hike through the vines ($35), followed by wine tasting, from 8-11 am. And “Watercolor in the Vineyard” ($90) will take place at Kaena at the Ranch, along Highway 246, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. 

There’s a charitable aspect to Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley: proceeds benefitting the Santa Barbara County chapter of the California Farm Workers Resource Foundation, which provides health and wellness services, educational resources and civil assistance to California’s ad workforce. 

For more information and tickets, check out www.visitsyv.com/taste-of-the-santa-ynez-valley. And I’ll see you there!

And One More Thing…

The Hitching Post II is producing its own Sideways celebration in partnership with Searchlight Pictures, which distributed the film. Winemakers Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley have released a special bottling of their 2021 Highliner Pinot Noir, the wine featured in Sideways, with a special commemorative label. And, along with the September 29^th festivities at Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley, they’re hosting a series of dinners across the state, including at Santa Barbara’s La Paloma Café on September 24^th, Copia at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa on October 12^th, and Jar Restaurant in L.A. on October 29^th.  

Get more info at www.hitchingpost2.com