Wine Country...

You see vineyards everywhere in the the Central Valley of California, from Santa Barbara northward. We wanted to get at least a taste of the local wine culture as part of this trip. We drove on the grounds of four wineries, all beautiful in their own way, but very diverse - from formal and grand like EOS, to charming like San Marcos Creek and Eberle, to the more rural and rustic Wild Horse.
Touring and tasting have never been part of the equation in our minds, not with our four legged friends along. But, when we arrived at Eberle (with the wild boar logo) we decided to ask if it was possible to do a tasting out on their beautiful covered patio to accommodate us and the dogs. "Are they other dog friendly?", we were asked. "If so, bring them on in to the tasting room. The owner has two standard poodles. Dogs are welcome here." So, in we went. We sampled a few lovely wines, while Sassy and Nica worked their charms on customers and employees alike. (They even got some broken up pieces of the resident dogs' Dog Bone treats.) We left with three bottles of wine and the knowledge of at least one winery we hope to return to some day soon.