Looks like the entire staff of the Los Angeles Times food section went on a retreat over the long weekend to Santa Barbara, with the entire section dedicated to the "local" wine country.

• On the Santa Barbara restaurant scene, Square One's Jason Tuley makes the best use of local ingredients, SIV reviews the SB outpost of LA's The Hungry Cat, and the section provides a mini-guide of dining options in the area.
• Concord grapes make more than just jelly for your sandwiches. Recipes include: Concord Grape Granita, Pork Tenderloin with Concord Grape Sauce, and Concord Grape Flatbread.
• You can't be in Santa Barbara without talking about wine, particularly five wineries and the newly taken over Firestone. SIV reviews 2005 Passopisciaro Rosso Sicilia.

Russ Parsons makes a visit to California's northern wine country, Mendocino, where "tasting rooms are uncrowded and friendly and, though mostly bare bones, the wines poured are often of astonishing quality. They are certainly of astonishing diversity. California's best sparkling wines and brandies are made here and so are Zinfandels from 50-year-old vines." Cafe Beaujolais's founder, Margaret Fox, heads off to greener pastures, as the Culinary Director at Harvet Market in Mendocino. She offers her recipes for Black Bean Chili, Mendocino Frittata, and Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffeecake.

In the kitchen, Amy Scattergood uses one basic recipe to make a whole basket of different breads. Dates are at their peak at local farmers' markets, and if you over-bought tomatoes, make a tomato paste to use later this season. Betty Hallock investigates and finds out Axe's recipe for Mint Ice Cream.

Out on the restaurant scene, Leslie Brenner travels down the coast to La Jolla's Dining Room at Jack's. Closer to home, retro is the new now.

The WIne of the Week is 2001 Domaine Caillot Meursault La Barre Dessus Clos Marguerite, which S. Irene Virbila says is "fine spun and layered with flavors and aromas."

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine section has officially moved from Thursday to Friday.

Wine tasting isn't exactly a cheap pastime, but still, California wineries drew more visitors than Major League Baseball in 2003. Because tasting rooms are a critical source of income for many wineries, they're stepping up wtih creating fancier, more elaborate :destinations." If you're planning to go tastin gin the Wine Country, the Chronicle aslo has tips for how to do it like a VIP, and ratings/reviews of tasting rooms. This week, the ylook at Coppola and Parducci, both of which get three out of four stars (***).

The Wine Selection of the week is South Central Coast Zinfandels, which "could convert Zinfandel naysayers by demonstrating that high alcohol and fruit can be present but not overshadow the wines' other charms."

To pair with the Zins? Braised meatballs. If you're drinking something along the lines of "a red wine that is not too serious or weighty, such as a California-appellation Merlot," then pair it with Beecher's Handmade Flagship, a Cheddar-like cheese from Seattle.

The question is, would you really go all the way to the Napa Valley wine country and not taste wine?

Doubtful.

However, Mimi Sheraton thinks that Napa has enough of a gourmet food offering - farms, cheesemakers and restaurants - that one could skip the vineyards, particularly during the September harvest season.

Her reasoning is multi-fold. The region benefits from the lingering after-effects of culinary giants like Alice Waters, Jonathan Waxman and Jeremiah Tower. There is also a branch of the CIA, Greystone, in the town of St. Helena, where Sheraton recommends appetizers (rather than a full meal). In the town of Napa, Copia, the American Center for wine, offers classes, demonstrations and tastings. There are farms thar provide the local restaurants with fresh ingredients, and the restaurants themselves are notable: La Toque, Mustards Grill, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Terra, and of course, Thomas Keller's Bouchon and French Laundry.

Still, I think I'd want to squeeze in at least one vineyard.

The New York Times recently featured a story about the tastings and tours offered by several California olive farms. Located mostly around Napa, many of these olive-growing, olive-oil-producing farms allow visitors to check out their facilities and sample what they produce. The article also gives some insight into the blend of old and new technology involved in harvesting olives and creating a variety of nuanced oils. There's also talk of the proper way to taste olive oil, which, if done correctly involves lots of slurping and coughing.

[Photo: Peter DaSilva/NYT]