With a cool glass of chardonnay in hand, it's no longer a sizzling summer day at a crowded theme park. You're in Napa Valley, a vineyard of Riesling grapes around one corner and eager sommeliers nearby.
Even the Mickey Mouse ears donned by seemingly every other child in sight don't ruin the illusion.
This is the Golden Vine Winery at Disney's California Adventure, a respite for adults who suffer from Mickey burnout.
"This is like big-kid Disneyland," marveled Canadian tourist Susan Basran, 35, sipping a glass of Clay Station Zinfandel. Basran and her husband, Guy, took in a tasting, then carried glasses back to a table on the winery's patio, where their young daughters waited.
The Mission-style "winery" is a bucolic spot nestled near California Adventure's entrance, next to the park's tortilla and sourdough bread factory tours and a 3-D film attraction called "It's Tough to Be a Bug!" Breezes find their way to the terrace even on the most blistering August days. A giant rock formation shaped like a grizzly's head looms above.
With 100 grapevines near the entrance for effect, Golden Vine is not a real winery, but a combination of two restaurants, a wine bar and a chilly barrel room where guests can watch a seven-minute film on winemaking.
Golden Vine opened with California Adventure in February 2001 and was run by Napa's Robert Mondavi Winery. Disney took over operations that October, when the post-Sept. 11 economic slump hit theme parks and Mondavi pulled out.
Since then, Disney officials said, the attraction has emphasized educating guests about wines. And just as the cotton candy and hot dogs at the nearby "Paradise Pier" might stir an interest in visiting Santa Cruz's boardwalk, goes the reasoning, the wine tastings might inspire visitors to make their own trips to Napa Valley.
"We try to make wine less intimidating," said Mary Niven, vice president of food and beverage for the resort. "It's about creating a true California experience for our guests."
Tastings cost $10 and include three samples. There are six options for the Wine Country tasting -- three reds and three whites -- and four for the Sauvignon Blanc tasting. A sampling of port wines and blue cheese is also offered, as are dozens of wines by the glass.
All but two of the employees who lead the tastings are sommeliers, trained by Disney in a yearlong course, and the others are taking classes.
