Peter Moller | film professor | Santa Ynez Mountains | Santa Barbara Tourism Bureau

Sideways is the latest example of the big screen's ability to inspire popcorn pilgrimages.
It was early January when Peter Moller and his friend decided to escape the gray. Moller, a Syracuse University film professor, and his West Coast friend left behind L.A., which at the time was enduring a record-breaking rainfall, for an adventure in the Santa Ynez Mountains. "As soon as we got there, I started to recognize locations and streets from Sideways," Moller says. "Being a film buff and a wine lover, I said, 'I want to track down every spot that they were in, and let's see if we can find some good Pinot Noir in the places they went.'"

Moller was part of the first wave of tourists who created "the Sideways phenomenon," travelers who seek out every winery and restaurant featured, reenact key moments from the movie, and boost tourism to the region. (Sideways maps, which were produced by the Santa Barbara Tourism Bureau, have been printed, and the area now bills itself as Sideways Country.) Moller and his friend enjoyed the entire Sideways experience: Moller bought three cases of wine; a waiter showed them a Polaroid of his bit part in the movie. One local winemaker sat down with them, shared her breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, and explained why the area produces such good Pinot Noir. Just like Miles and Jack, the film's protagonists, Moller found the region's superior wine, friendly people, and charming beauty a seductive mix. "One day I got up early and walked out to a street that led to a field and an outlook where you could see the whole valley," he says. "At that time of year, there's this fog that descends and cloaks everything. It was breathtaking. "