It’s a dreary winter morning in LA. We arrive at Union Station after a short ride on the red line. The historic station is quiet at 7am on a Saturday morning. Regardless, we eagerly await the boarding announcement of Amtrak train #799. Today we are off to Santa Barbara’s urban wine trail aboard the vintage Overland Trail lounge car.
We are warmly greeted on the boarding platform by owner and train enthusiast Bill Hatrik. Bill and his wife Debbie are the proud owners of The Overland Trail. The rail car, built in the late 30′s, is a former Southern Pacific club lounge that originally ran along with the San Francisco Overland. The famed Coast Daylight, that ran from 1937 to 1971, carried businessmen and travelers from Los Angeles to San Fransisco for over 30 years. The car was meticulously restored by Bill and his wife, complete with a barbers chair for those last minute trims.
The Overland Trail lounge car, coupled to Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner #779 train to San Luis Obispo, departed promptly at 7:30 AM. There are about 20 of us today (the train holds up to 36 total people) to enjoy the Santa Barbara Vino Train. Bill, our host and conductor for the afternoon, regaled us with stories about the lounge car and its history. In fact, at one point, there was a dance floor in the car, where people could dance with live music.
Once out of the radius of the city, and through the rocky terrain north of Simi Valley, we are prepared a wonderful brunch of chicken sausages, pesto frittata, Belgian waffles, and fresh fruit. A true family affair, the meals are prepared and served by the daughters and friend of Bill and Debbie. Of course no vino train would be complete without mimosas, which are bottomless if you should want more than one or two. The large picture windows of the lounge car are perfect for enjoying the Santa Susana pass, passing farms, backyards and seaside towns along the Pacific Ocean.
[fb-like-button]
Brunch on the Overland Trail lounge car.
Upon arrival in Downtown Santa Barbara, you can choose to follow a tour guide to the various tasting rooms around town, or explore on your own. (FYI, tastings range from $5-$10 each.) We decide to stick with the friendly guide who promptly takes us to our first winery of the day. The Santa Barbara Winery is the oldest working winery in the downtown area. And bonus for us early morning wine drinkers, it opens at 10am. They are well known for their Pinot of course, but their library of wines is vast. From Chardonnay and Pinot Gris to Grenache and Primitivo.
Santa Barbara Winery
A short walk away is Oreana Winery. A quirky tasting room, with eclectic art and gifts to peruse while you taste. Their wines are as idiosyncratic as the tasting room itself with wine names like Barely Legal, Project Happiness, and Eliminator, a high alcohol Tawny Syrah.
Oreana Winery
Our next stop of the day, is also one of the favorites. The Kunin Wines tasting room is located couple of blocks from the wharf. Kunin’s small production wines include Viognier, a Rhône blend called “pape star”, Zinfandel, and a delicious Syrah of which we came home with a bottle of.
Kunin Wines
Municipal Winemakers is located just behind Kunin wine and could compete with the smallest tasting room in the Santa Barbara area (currently held by Carhartt). Municipal is a project of winemaker Dave Potter. Potter’s passion of Rhone wines comes from his wine travels and work across two hemispheres and three countries. He specializes in small-lot, handmade, highest quality wines from fruit that he sources from various farms in Central California. The wines range from Rhône style blends to Riesling, Rosé, Cab, and Syrah.
Municipal Winemakers
Our next stop, a bit of a sobering hike, is over at Carr Winery. Located in a nondescript commercial area, it’s large tasting room has a sizable bar for tasting along with a large, hanger type warehouse lined with oak barrels to the ceiling. It produces about 3000 cases a year, and specializes in production of Pinot, Syrah, Grenache, Pinot Gris, and Cab Franc.
Carr Winery
At this point, as you can imagine, we are generously marinated with plenty of vino. We decide to grab some lunch along state street. There are plenty of choices and we end up choosing Mexican. Our lunch, it’s sole purpose to absorb the booze, is forgettable but serves its purpose. We have a little while before the train departs so we head to the Wine Cask. A wine bar and restaurant that features the wines of winemaker Doug Margerum. Doug produces small lots of premium wines sourced from top vineyards around Santa Barbara County and includes M5, a Rhône blend, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris.
We return to the train station for our 4:31 departure under drizzly conditions. The train arrives and Bill loads us quickly onto the train. The lounge car, warm and inviting, smells of something delicious. It’s our dinner. A comforting chicken strudel with tomato basil sauce plus a blue cheese salad with avocado, is perfect for the ride home. If you’re so inclined to drink more wine, it’s included with dinner. Or feel free to open a bottle from your days exploration. You can also choose from a selection of vintage sodas, and of course hot coffee to go with that double chocolate brownie tower dessert.
The next trip on January 22 is sold out, but they have added a trip on the 30th. Other trips include monthly trips starting in February, making the perfect Valentines day gift. Check out their web site for pricing. It’s not only a great trip for wine lovers, but there are lots of things to do while you are in Santa Barbara. Like shopping, sightseeing, including bike and trolley tours. Get your tickets by calling 714.546.6923 or 1.800.KEY.RAIL.
Had no idea the vino train existed. Can’t wait to check it out!