Not quite "Sideways" Part II, or Velkommen!

Miss Part 1? Catch up here. Otherwise,

According to the tourist maps, most of the local wineries closed for the day at 5, but a handful generously stayed open til 6. At 4:32 we were back on the road, headed three miles south to a small block in Solvang that housed at least three we hoped to hit before close. My research on the Danish town had produced mixed reviews: the tourism boards painted it as "charming" and "quaint" while the trip advisor boards warned it was "only worth going to for the pastries." Always the jaded skeptic, I expected to agree with the advisor boards, but I - and my friends - were more than pleasantly surprised, and all but fell in love at first sight.

Block after block featured restaurants, gift shops, tasting rooms, and even regular old municipal buildings like the post office all seemingly plucked from the pages of Hansel and Gretel. Well, maybe not that story exactly - I didn't see any gingerbread colonials or gumdrop awnings - but there was an entire museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen. In my research I learned that "Solvang" is Dutch for "sunny field" and as we arrived with the late afternoon sun setting behind the nearby hills, I couldn't think of a more appropriate name for a such a beautiful, yet common and friendly area.

We hit Royal Oaks Winery first, because it was said to close at 5:30. Small and unassuming in the middle of a short block, this turned out to be the best find of the entire trip. For $5 we tasted six wines, and because it was otherwise empty, we got to talk in length with the pourer/manager. Turns out, he was also the official consultant for Sideways and freely dished with us about the movies' stars and some of the behind-the-scenes gossip. I asked for, and got, his autograph because a.) I am a huge dork that likes to embarrass my friends, and b.) hoped to butter him up just enough to keep his pouring hand heavy. It worked. I bought a few bottles, and if I like them just as much here, I plan on signing up for the wine club which will ship my favorites a few times a year for a discount, and give me other perks should I return, which I intend to do.

From there we headed around the block to Presidio, which officially stayed open til 6 but didn't actually close it's doors until long after. Unlike the intimate atmosphere of Royal Oaks, Presidio was crowded with rowdy winos elbowing their way up to the bar for the afternoon's tasting. That may have impeded my enjoyment, but I also personally wasn't a fan of any of the wines I tasted - they were all too sweet - and so we headed out to a third tasting room we heard was open until 10. Party on, Hans!

Our third destination was located in a cellar and named accordingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, I don't remember its proper name. More like a neighborhood bar than a wine tasting room, the place was large and empty except for a handful of people sitting at the bar. We pulled up stools as well (so nice to sit down, finally!) and were presented with three tasting menus - one wine, one beer, one champagne. One fabulous place, I'll say! Tiring of wine, and too full for beer, I chose the champagne menu. Seated and comfortable(ly numb), we leisured over our drinks, trading sips of strawberry flavored sparkling wine for banana flavored amber beer until we decided that maybe some real food was in order.

It was only 7:30, but I could have gone to bed happy with only my liquid diet. Since my friends are often smarter than me, they insisted that we eat, so we walked down the block to Meadows, and enjoyed a lovely, if heavy, evening meal. Stuffed and finally satisfied that we had packed enough fun into one day, we finished at 9PM and, like the Golden Girls, headed back to the hotel for an early retirement.

To be continued...