California Wine Country?s Best Wineries Featured in SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES

(PRWEB) February 26, 2008 -- ?In search of wine,? the tagline from the 2004 Oscar award-winning film Sideways, features scenic Santa Barbara County?s wine country as the backdrop for the Paul Giamatti smash hit. Santa Barbara is world renowned as a premier wine-growing region. The area features unique tasting rooms set among bucolic, vineyard-covered valleys and rolling hills and in the charming villages of Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, and Solvang, as well as in the city of Santa Barbara.

In SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES (www.janetpennfranks.com) (Central Coast Press, 2007), author and photographer Janet Penn Franks makes the tour of the county?s many early and newly established wineries easy, fun, and informative. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES is currently available throughout North America for a suggested retail price of $39.95.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES profiles 50 of the area?s premier wineries and includes six wine-tasting venues representing 26 additional wineries, providing wine tasters with clear and simple directions to the vintners and wines of their choice. The striking color photographs illustrate these perfect destinations for wine sampling, gourmet gifts, attractive décor, and enchanting landscapes.

?I am proud to present SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES,? said Franks, who is also the author of San Luis Obispo County Wineries (Central Coast Press, 2005) and San Luis Obispo: A History in Architecture (Arcadia Publishing, 2004), and has published several Web-site pieces and numerous magazine articles on Central Coast architecture and history. ?My goal was to offer a user-friendly guide to outline the setting and history of each profiled winery, its precise location, the winemaker?s specialty, tasting-room hours, and contact information.?

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES also features special recipes to match featured wines, as well as a list of available lodging for overnight visitors to this spectacular wine region. ?The book has something for everyone, from wine connoisseurs to those seeking the adventures of the movie Sideways,? said Franks. Sideways (Fox Searchlight Pictures), is a hilarious comedy about two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, who embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES:

- Gives an informative history of county winemaking

- Explains AVA (American Viticulture Area) designations

- Outlines the setting and history of each profiled winery

- Pairs selected wines with signature recipes from each profiled winery

- Lists six other wine-tasting venues

- Lists winery locations, tasting-room hours, winemakers' specialties, and contact information

- Offers a glossary of wine terms

- Provides lodging suggestions for visitors

?For any fan of the emerging Central Coast wine region, I suggest buying SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES,? said Dave Chambers, Sideways Wine Club Blog. To purchase a signed copy of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINERIES, click www.janetpennfranks.com.

About Janet Penn Franks:

Janet Penn Franks is a journalist, photographer, historian, and the author of San Luis Obispo County Wineries (Central Coast Press, 2005) and San Luis Obispo: A History in Architecture (Arcadia Publishing, 2004), and has published several Web-site pieces and numerous magazine articles on Central Coast architecture and history. She specializes in features and books about California's Central Coast. Franks earned a degree in art history from the University of California, Irvine, lives in San Luis Obispo with her husband, John, and has two grown children.

For more information, contact:

J.D. Bowles @ JD@JDBConsultants.com

818-742-5880

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