California's other wine trail : Mixing the game with the grape - golf courses and vineyards on California's Central Coast - Brief Article

Golf Digest, Dec, 2000 by Ted Johnson

Napa may be the epicenter of California wine, but the state's biggest grape-growing region stretches more than 150 miles along the Central Coast between the fancy golf hot spots of Monterey and Santa Barbara. Plenty of great cheap wine here--and great cheap golf, too.

[C] Eberle Vineyards in Paso Robles (805-238-9607) makes great pinot noir. Nearby is the excellent Hunter Ranch Golf Course (805-237-744).

[C] To the south are Chalk Mountain Golf Course (805-466-8848) in Atascadero, and the new Cypress Ridge (805-474-7979) outside Arroyo Grande. Between the two is the Edna Valley Vineyard (805-544-5855), which many say makes the best chardonnay in the state.

[C] Los Olivos is home to Michael Jackson and Brooks Firestone, grandson of the tire-company founder who owns Firestone Vineyards (805-688-3940). Nearby is Curtis Winery (805-686-8999), Zaca Mesa Winery (800-350-7972), and Sanford Winery (800-426-9463), which some say makes the best sauvignon blancs in the world.

[C] Near the Danish town of Solvang is Alisal Guest Ranch (805-688-6411), a working cattle operation that also has two great courses.

[C] The grand finale is 20 miles west: La Purisima (805-735-8395) outside Lompoc was the site of the 1996 PGA Tour Q school. It's tough, but that just makes the grape afterward taste that much better.