HP+SIDEWAYS PRESS RELEASE

WHO:
Chef/Winemaker Frank Ostini of Hitching Post 2, Winemaker Gray Hartley of Hitching Post Wines, Buellton, California, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures; La Paloma Cafe, Santa Barbara; Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Ynez Valley; CIA at Copia, Napa; and Jar, Los Angeles.

WHAT:
This fall, the Academy Award-winning film, SIDEWAYS, will stream on Hulu in celebration of its 20th Anniversary. Hitching Post Wines has partnered with Searchlight Pictures to showcase Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir, the wine featured in the movie. The Highliner Pinot Noir is always one of the most consistent, highly regarded wines of Hitching Post, and the 2021 is one of the best vintages of the past two decades. This 2021 vintage has a special label to commemorate the film and the Anniversary.

In celebration of this partnership, Hitching Post 2 and Hitching Wines announce a series of special events, including three Hitching Post + Sideways Winemaker Dinners scheduled for September and October as follows. Hitching Post Wines will also offer specially produced and limited edition SIDEWAYS Highliner Pinot Noir wine available for purchase at the restaurant, the Hitching Post tasting room and select retailers throughout California.

WHEN and WHERE:
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Hitching Post + Sideways Winemaker Dinner at the Hitching Post 2
Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley host a 20th Anniversary Sideways dinner with a signature menu from the Hitching Post 2 paired with special edition Pinot Noir vintages celebrating the film.
Hitching Post 2
406 E Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427
$150 per person
5:00 p.m. reception followed by dinner
Reserve with OpenTable Experience

Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Hitching Post + Sideways Winemaker Dinner at La Paloma Cafe
Executive Chef Jeremy Tummel hosts Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley for a 20th Anniversary Sideways dinner with a menu inspired by the Hitching Post 2 paired with special edition Pinot Noir vintages celebrating the film.
La Paloma Cafe
702 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
$110
6:00 reception followed by communal dinner
Reserve with RESY

Sunday, September 29, 2024
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley - Sideways 20th Anniversary Festival
One of the highlights of the four-day festival in the Santa Ynez Valley is the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the award- winning film Sideways. Join fans and friends at Hitching Post 2, an iconic location featured in the film There will be bites from Hitching Post 2 and other Buellton restaurants, along with Sta. Rita Hills and Buellton wine, beer, and live music. Look for Instagramable moments from the film scattered throughout the venue and an appearance by Virginia Madsen.
Tickets to Sideways 20th Anniversary Festival include tickets to the Sideways Film Screening at Solvang Festival Theater in the evening.

Screening of Sideways at Solvang Festival Theater – 5-9 p.m.
Celebration at Hitching Post 2 with bites, wine, beer and live music – 12 - 3 p.m.
$150

Saturday, October 12, 2024
Copia at Culinary Institute of America, Napa
Screening of Sideways followed by a Q&A panel with Director Alexander Payne and actor Virginia Madsen. Frank Ostini is special guest
500 1st St, Napa, CA 94559
Pricing and ticketing TBA

Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Hitching Post + Sideways Winemaker Dinner at Jar
Chef/Owner Suzanne Tracht hosts Hitching Post Wines’ Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley for a 20th Anniversary Sideways dinner with a menu inspired by the Hitching Post 2 paired with special edition Pinot Noir vintages celebrating the film.
Jar
8225 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Reservations from 5:30 p.m.
$200 inclusive of menu & wines plus tax & gratuity
Reserve with OpenTable Experience

Hitching Post + Sideways Wine Offerings:

Single bottle -Highliner 2021 - $45 - available at retail stores throughout northern and southern California.
Three bottles - Highliner 2021 - $125 - available at Hitching Post Wines and Hitching Post 2, Buellton, California.
Three bottles - “As Seen in Sideways” 2001 Hitching Post Pinot Noir Bien Nacido, 2001 Hitching Post Pinot Noir Highliner and 2021 Hitching Post Pinot Noir Highliner - $650 - available at Hitching Post Wines and Hitching Post 2, Buellton, California.

For more information on the event and where to buy wines, visit https://sideways.hitchingpost2.com
Photos from the film can be downloaded HERE; courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Toolkit of logos, wine photos and portraits of Frank Ostini HERE
Photo of Miles and Jack at the Hitching Bar from the filming HERE; photo credit Merie Wallace

ABOUT HITCHING POST 2 and HITCHING POST WINES:
The Hitching Post 2 Restaurant and Hitching Post Wines offer an authentic Santa Barbara Wine Country experience in the Santa Ynez Valley. Guests can enjoy traditional Pinot Noirs in a nearly 100-year-old tasting room, paired with a high-quality BBQ lunch in a scenic outdoor setting. The iconic Hitching Post 2 steakhouse, established in 1986, serves Central Coast oak wood BBQ steaks and seafood, complemented by Hitching Post and local wines. Owned by Frank and Jami Ostini, whose family has led Central Coast oak wood BBQ since 1952, the Hitching Post 2 honors a tradition dating back over 200 years. Originally a beef-only restaurant, its menu now includes quail, duck, lamb, seafood, and oak-grilled vegetables, supporting local farmers and fishermen and sourcing America’s best beef from the Midwest. Frank Ostini, a unique figure in the food and wine industry, oversees both the kitchen and winemaking. Starting in 1984, he and his winemaking partner Gray Hartley crafted Pinot Noir to pair with the restaurant's cuisine, an endeavor that continues to inspire him. The experienced staff, many with over 25 years of service, contribute to the family atmosphere and success of the Hitching Post. Hitching Post 2 has been acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Sunset, USA Today, Eater and Forbes and featured on Food Network. It gained international fame through the 2004 film Sideways." The restaurant and tasting room are committed to high-quality, uniquely flavored foods and wine along with warm customer service in a casual, friendly environment.

ABOUT SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Searchlight Pictures is a global specialty film and television company that develops, produces, finances and acquires motion pictures and series for both worldwide theatrical and streaming releases. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and is part of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, the company’s titles have grossed over $5 billion worldwide, amassing 51 Academy Awards including five Best Picture winners since 2009:  Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, The Shape of Water, and Nomadland; 62 BAFTA Awards, 34 Golden Globe Awards, and 10 Grammy Awards. Searchlight Television, the division which develops and produces series for streaming, network, and cable partners, earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress and an additional 5 nominations for its first production “The Dropout'' from Elizabeth Meriwether, in partnership with Hulu and 20th Studios.  Searchlight recently released Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe; Lanthimos’ Golden Lion and 4-time Academy Award winner Poor Things, starring and produced by Stone; Ned Benson’s The Greatest Hits starring Lucy Boynton, Justin H. Min, and Austin Crute; Laura Chinn’s Suncoast, which stars Laura Linney, Nico Parker, and Woody Harrelson, and won U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance at Sundance; Andrew Haigh’s critically acclaimed romantic drama All of Us Strangers; Taika Waititi’s underdog comedy Next Goal Wins; Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s award-winning Sundance debut feature comedy Theater Camp; and Eva Longoria’s Academy Award nominated Flamin’ Hot. Upcoming releases include Tina Mabry’s The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat starring Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Sanaa Lathan; A Real Pain, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at Sundance; Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch starring Amy Adams; and James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown starring Timothée Chalamet.