episode 9: agritourism
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA
The U.S. Census of Agriculture first used the word agritourism in 2007 and the industry has exploded since then. In this episode, the Backroad Cowgirls took a ride through San Luis Obispo experiencing everything from trail rides to bourbon tastings through unique agritourism experiences.
The first stop of the day was with Madonna Inn Trail Rides located behind the iconic Madonna Inn (more on that in another episode).
Madonna Inn Trail Rides
offers guided one hour horseback rides to the public seven days a week. Owner Haddie Townsend shares, “It’s a really awesome opportunity to give guests a chance to experience the west, because most people today don’t have that opportunity.”
Not only do guests get to experience the horses, but the picturesque trail takes them through the Madonna ranch, a working cattle ranch with stunning views of the city and landscapes below. Most of the guides, also called wranglers, are students on the Cal Poly Rodeo Team, another opportunity for them to connect with guests and share a different side of the western lifestyle and sport.
Most guests have been on a horse less than three times in their life, and more than half of them have never ridden a horse at all! Haddie loves welcoming newcomers to the experience, honored to be their first warm welcome into western world. “I’m reminded every time that we have guests come out and ride with us how lucky we are.”
After a breathtaking trail ride across the ranch, we traded our horses in for a new mode of transportation, a vintage motorcycle sidecar, to explore more of what San Luis Obispo agritourism has to offer.
Our next stop was Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills where we met one of the co-owners, Hamish Marshall to learn more about, “how California does whiskey.”
Hamish Marshall
grew up on a farm in Australia. He shared that the culture there is based around bars. It’s where families go and where people find community. In 1991, he came to California where he met his wife, Jill. Since then, they have built a life and a handful of thriving businesses that offer locals and tourists special experiences along with raising their two daughters.
His business partner, Rodney, is a California native and former professional surfer. Their idea was to build a brand that blended both of their lifestyles. Rod & Hammer is where surfer meets cowboy. The decor in the tasting room is the quintessential Central Coast, a blend of where the wild west meets the sea with surfboards on the walls and saddles spread throughout.
At their distillery, they make both bourbon and rye whiskey. In order for whiskey to be considered bourbon, it must contain at least 51% corn which they procure from Kentucky before blending, filtering, and barrelling it on the Central Coast. Their Straight Rye Whiskey, on the other hand, is made using 95% rye grain that they import from Canada and Germany, and their Rye Reserve is a combination using 55% of rye grain. Besides their whiskey, they now offer canned cocktail beverages. We can attest, they are all just as delightful as the space we tasted them in!
With wind in our hair and maybe a few bugs in our teeth, we ventured in the sidecars through the vineyards of Edna Valley to our next stop, Wolff Vineyards. We met with the owner of the winery, Dr. Jean-Pierre Wolff, a European native who was born in Brussels. He earned his four-year degree in agronomy before switching his focus to nuclear engineering and continuing his education in the United States. He knew he always wanted to go back to his original vision and just 25 years ago he decided to come back to agriculture and pursue studying viticulture to have his own winery.
They opened the Wolff Vineyard tasting room 22 years ago. Jean-Pierre shared that the profile of customers has changed since they first opened. “Over the years it’s becoming more and more about experience. People want a story.”
Recognizing this, they put together eco tours sharing about their sustainability programs and wildlife habitats on the property. “The more we do that, the more people really like to connect with nature.” For Wolff Vineyards, agritouism is an ideal implementation especially being located on the Central Coast of California where weather is most often in their favor. Guests can have sand between their toes and in 15 minutes be at a winery enjoying a glass of wine.
Jean-Pierre Wolff
helped us refine our skills in wine tasting by showing us the proper form with a freshly opened bottle of pinot noir. The first impression of wine isn’t with taste, but with your nose, swirling the glass to release its aromatics. Next comes the fun part, the taste! Jean-Pierre said to let it sit in the mouth but don’t gargle it. “This is pinot noir,” he said, “not mouthwash.”
started in Temecula, California as a unique way to experience wine tasting. Wanting to expand to other wine regions in California, they scouted the area and identified that the Wolff Vineyards property would be an ideal hub for San Luis Obispo with its panoramic views. One of the sidecar motorcycles was even named after Jean-Pierre’s wife, Elke.
The BACKROAD COWGIRLS
are so thankful for the opportunity to explore the diversity of San Luis Obispo agritourism in such a unique and memorable way, goggles, helmets, and all. We can’t recommend booking a tour of your own to experience agriculture in style!