‘Sideways’ still lures tourists to Santa Barbara wine country

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The global economic crisis has squeezed tourist spending in the wine country north of Santa Barbara.
But five years after the Santa Ynez Valley was featured in an Oscar-winning film ‘Sideways,’ the region is still soaking in the benefits.

Visitors continue to snap up maps that mark the wineries and restaurants shown in the film offbeat comedy about the wine-addled adventures of two hapless buddies. And to the delight of merchants and wine makers, the continued popularity of the 2004 film has helped soften the blow of the worst recession in a generation.

Even today, tourists request the same hotel room and restaurant booths where the movie’s bottle-tilting heroes, Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church), sleep, eat and drink.

To lure visitors, wineries are offering specials and two-for-one coupons. Tourists are economizing by bringing their own food to some tasting rooms, taking day trips and lugging home a few bottles rather than a few cases.

To read the story by Hugo Martin, click here.

Here’s a video about the wine region.