Wine trip to Ojai, CA.

My husband and I decided to take a mini-getaway to celebrate our 17^th wedding anniversary. We thought about going to Temecula to do a couple of our favorite things- wine tasting and golf. However, we decided to go north from L.A., instead, to Ojai (pronounced "Oh-hi"). We left midday on this past Saturday in March. The weather was beautiful- in the high 70's.

Our 1^st stop was the Old Creek Ranch Winery (www.oldcreekranch.com) in Oak View (just outside of Ojai on Hwy. 33). It is a little tough to find because they are not allowed to have a sign on the highway. Apparently, people are not having any trouble finding the tasting room because when we arrived, shortly after noon, the place was packed. This is the second time we have been to the tasting room. We weren't disappointed either time. The staff was friendly, the tastings are free and the wines are well made and tasty. I understand that they will be charging for their tastings in the near future, but, for now, they are free. They have a nice selection of red and white. Personally, I prefer red wine and my favorites were the Petite Sirah and the Pinot Noir. I brought a picnic lunch with us and was hoping that we could enjoy lunch at the winery under the Oak trees. Unfortunately, the place was so busy that all of the tables were filled.

We ended up enjoying our lunch on the balcony of our motel room at "The Capri". The motel is a wanna-be "boutique" hotel. The rooms have some nice touches like the 42" plasma hanging on the wall and the retro white "leather" lounge (very comfortable). However, I was disappointed that they have not been able to follow through with their vision for the motel. The upgrades like paint and crown molding were poorly done. The carpet and drapes didn't match the updated modern lighting and color of the walls. With a little work, this place could be a really great place to stay. The pool area looked very nice although we ran out of time and didn't get the chance to enjoy it.

For dinner, we went to the Auberge at Ojai. We had a superior dining experience. It is located above street level in a converted house. We sat outside on the heated, wrap-around porch. It felt like we were in a treehouse. The service was excellent. They have a limited menu that changes monthly. Their wine list has something for every budget and taste. The food was excellent. When they found out it was our anniversary, they brought us a crème brulee for dessert.

After dinner, we stopped at the Movino Wine Bar and Art Gallery. They have a nice tapas menu, a wonderful selection of wine by the glass and live music. It is a popular place for locals and tourists with a very friendly atmosphere.

Sunday, we got up and drove across the street to the Soule Park golf course. This golf course has been renovated in '05-'06. It's a municipal course but we enjoy the course and the layout. It has a lot of interesting holes. The one down side was the pace of play. We started about 20 minutes late and it seemed like we waited on just about every hole.

Overall, we had a very nice mini-getaway for our anniversary weekend. When you are in the Ventura/ Santa Barbara area, you should visit Ojai. Next time we visit Ojai, we want to check out the shopping, antique stores, and art galleries.