Lompoc: The Central Coast’s Best-Kept Wine Tasting Secret
Story and photos by Katherine McMahon
Heading north just after the Gaviota Pass, State Route 1 splits from the California 101 to curve west, passing through serene valleys in the Santa Ynez Mountains and along Salsipuedes Creek to the City of Lompoc. Lompoc sits in its own valley surrounded on the north and west by Vandenberg Air Force Base. On the east side of the city is the Santa Rita Hills which contain some of the best grape growing conditions in the region. Yet when Lompoc was founded 150 years ago, it was established as a temperance colony where the manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor was prohibited. Fortunately, that stage in Lompoc’s history didn’t last long and today there is a rich local wine culture. Part of what makes the area special for winemaking is the significant presence of diatomaceous earth, which is a white, rocky soil formed from ancient deposits of sea life, much the same way that Paso Robles is known for its calcareous soils. But what stood out for me on my visit to Lompoc was the devotion and passion of the artisans making wine.
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Cannabis Experiences Bloom on the Central Coast
By Barbara Verde
Cannabis is stepping out in high style on the Central Coast After years of enjoying voter-approved recreational consumption status or 21+ adults, upscale cannabis experiences are beginning to beckon in a region already known for fine wine-making and phenomenal foodie delights. Some might say the Central Coast is the perfect place for cannabis tourism to bloom.
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Luffa Love
By Clarissa Fishman
What is a luffa? And where do these things come from? Curiously, the answer can be found just off the 101, in the small town of Nipomo. It is there that Deanne Coon-Saucerman and Brooke Gamble grow these unusual vegetables at The Luffa Farm. Yes, you read that right, there is a luffa farm in Nipomo!
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