A Day in Los Olivos

I visited Los Olivos as an extension to my visit to Pismo Beach. I have been attracted to Los Olivos upon passing through on previous visits and always found the area charming. It’s loaded with wineries and there is a concentration of tasting rooms on Grand Ave, a main thoroughfare in LO.

It’s a very easy place to visit. Just park and walk. I parked on a side street and walked up and down Grand Ave, exploring the town, tasting along the way, and enjoying a wonderful dinner at the end of the day. I tasted at Los Olivos Tasting Room, where I tasted an outstanding Pinot Noir from Center of Effort winery. My approach to tasting sometimes is minimal, asking to taste the one wine I should not leave without tasting, which is how I ended up with this taste.

I wound my way up the street to Jalopy Wine Company Tasting Room and chatted with Luke, the owner and wine maker. He was fun to talk to as Van Morrison in concert was projected on the wall. Luke’s into music with Grateful Dead and Elvis stuff around.

Again, I avoided going through the entire tasting menu, but did enjoy a few select tastes as Luke told me about them. We talked about who’s band was tighter, Van Morrison’s or James Brown’s.

After walking around town a bit more, I went into Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company for a nice, cold pint of pilsner. I know it might be wrong to mix wine and beer, but that beer and that day made it seem so right. The atmosphere is very casual there, almost frat-like, and while I was there a guy sang and played guitar.

By this time I was ready for dinner and went nearby to Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe. I ordered the Short Ribs, with polenta and asparagus, and glass of a nice Cab, which paired very well. Although upscale, the restaurant was not pretentious. It has a Southern California classy vibe that is oh so about the wine. The thing that drew me to this place was the wine selection, over 100 bottles to choose from, not all by the glass though. I even saw a celebrity eating at the bar while I was there.

It’s funny, but as I look at my day in Los Olivos now, I realize that I primarily stayed on one side of the street, the West side. Now I have something to look forward to the next time, the East side.

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