The movie "Sideways" — and the line "if anybody orders Merlot, I'm leaving" — sparked a wine conversation that's still going strong.

Sideways may be an old, even obscure movie to the rest of the world, but in the Santa Ynez Valley, as the film celebrates its 20th anniversary this October, it’s spirit lives on, day after day.

If you're attending Taste of Santa Ynez Valley on Sept. 29, there's a "Sideways" festival at the Hitching Post 2, while Copia at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa will welcome director ...

The line in question comes about halfway into the movie. Miles, the pinot noir fanatic played by a typically agitated Paul Giamatti, and his about-to-be-married friend Jack (Church) argue outside ...

Ostini estimates that the restaurant was 40% busier for several years after the movie’s release, and the Hitching Post’s wine production in the years following went from from 2,000 to 4,000 cases.

Getting ‘Sideways’ in Buellton – 20 years after the cult fave movie came out – means a weekend of wine tasting, hiking and delicious explorations.

“The impact of Sideways on my brand and the Santa Ynez Valley in general was incredible,” says Joseph. “It’s like the movie came out yesterday.

Today, it’s an organic farmstead and estate vineyard. The 2004 movie, “Sideways,” put California’s Santa Ynez Valley and its wineries and vineyards on the map.

The 2004 movie, "Sideways," put California's Santa Ynez Valley and its wineries and vineyards on the map. Today, visitors flock to wineries -- including Folded Hills, pictured -- to sample the wines.