Vineyard Day – Saarloos & Sons

The building is designed much like those in old westerns, with a tall, squared building facade that was meant to look grander than the tin building behind it. This building has aged in a charming manner, with some loving restoration to the space that the winery houses today.  Enter Pattea Torrence, who grew up close by, her parents had lived here during the ’70s. Her loves of the area and to refurbish old things drew her to Edna and in 2000 Pattea and her husband purchased the property and have been restoring the buildings and grounds to create what is now called Old Edna.  In 2009 Craig and Nancy Stoller opened the tasting room for Sextant Wines, complete with a gourmet deli.

During the first half of the 20th century, both the Pacific Coast Railway and the Southern Pacific Railway ran through town and stopped at the Edna depot to unload supplies and passengers.  The Crib is a small building that served as a place for call girls to entertain weary travelers. The little house is now picturesquely covered in vines as if it was imagined in a fairy tale and holding untold secrets behind the overgrowth.

Sextant Winery is located just 6 miles south of San Luis Obispo, a great destination by itself.  But you may have noticed that being a Cal Poly grad, I am openly biased about what is one of the most beautiful places to live in California.  As a matter of fact, in 2011, Oprah named SLO Town the “Happiest Place in America”.  The Edna Valley AVA was formed in 1982 and now includes 30 local wineries.  Temperatures are cool at night and fog rolls in most mornings, allowing for cooler growing conditions than the surrounding areas. The cool temps result in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes being the primary choice of growers.  In the early 19th century, Grapes were planted by Spanish missionaries, and in the 1970’s new vineyards were planted to start California’s second gold rush, this one with the liquid gold that has become a large part of our state economy.