Little Denmark in California – Solvang

Buelton (made famous by the movie Sideways), Los Olivos and Solvang are common stops for people touring the Santa Ynez, Santa Rita and Santa Barbera wine country. The Rhone-style wines here are great - Grenache, Syrah, and of course Pinot Noir. It’s extremely difficult to find Merlot here. I wonder why…:-) My favorite wineries here are Kenneth Volk, located at the base of a beautiful small canyon north of Los Olivos (a visit is worth the scenic drive through Oak-covered hillsides and vineyards) and Tensley wines, which has a tasting room conveniently located right in the town of Los Olivos.

It’s amazing to me how a movie can change the whole wine industry. I remember when I first arrived in San Francisco about nine years ago, was ordering a glass of red wine and being offered by the bartender, a choice of Cab Sauv or Merlot. Huh? Being offered wine by the grape varietal was rather strange to me at that time. Anyway, Pinot Noir reins supreme now and prices have definitely increased over the past years.

Now, back to our little Denmark – Solvang. It’s a quaint little town, complete with Danish folklore architecture and a large windmill in the town center. Solvang's rich heritage dates back to 1911 when adventurous Danish-Americans traversed the plains from Iowa to establish a settlement in the golden state of California. The Danish pastries here are splendid, like seriously good. I have not seen such a variety of Danish - from cream cheese to apricot jam, raspberry jam to combo ones (cream cheese on one side and fruit jam on the other). The pastry is buttery, flaky and just delicious. The quintessential Danish breakfast is ebleskiver, a round doughnut sprinkled with powder sugar and served with raspberry jam. The famous ebleskiver can be found at the Solvang Restaurant and passers-by can also see how ebleskivers are made through a small window at the restaurant.