Golden State of Mine: Los Olivos

Wine pairing with cupcakes? - BAM!

Need I say more?? I love Los Olivos - it's a fun, romantic, quaint little town nestled among Santa Barbaras's 50 wineries and horse ranches in the San Ynez Valley. Perfect for a get-a-way with someone you love or night on the town with girlfriends. I did the latter. My girlfriend and I took for the hills to check out the annual Olde Fashioned Christmas that Los Olivos puts on every year. It was adorable and would have been perfect for the kids, but this trip wasn't just about Santa Clause (though he was there) or hot cocoa - it was about relaxation, good food and LOTS of wine tasting - so, the kids weren't invited!

We checked in at the fabulous Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa and were on our way within minutes. The first stop? A tasting room of course, and then another and another and another and another and.... well, you get the idea. My favorite was Saarloos & Sons. The wine was AMAZING (my favorite being 194Six:Moon) and the place is a knockout - beautiful fireplace, amazing pourers, great decor and as I mentioned above..... CUPCAKES AND WINE PAIRING!!! Love it!

After tasting just about every wine in the town, we decided to walk it off a bit! The town looked so festive!! There were luminaries lining the streets, shops stayed open late to welcome stray shoppers, there was snow and music in the park and a beautiful tree lighting in the center of it all.

As we made our way back to our hotel we came across Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe - it was so warm and inviting that we couldn't resist!

The fireplace was warm, the wine was pouring and the food was scrumptious. After some serious girl time filled with loads of laughter we headed out in the crisp night air to find our way back to the hotel - can you believe there were a group of men gathered together playing sensational blues music?