My Santa Barbara & Santa Ynez Wine Tasting Recommendations
The Wine Routes of Santa Barbara County
Foxen Canyon: Start at either Los Olivos and go north towards Santa Maria or come down Foxen Canyon Road from the north by first going up the 101 freeway and exiting in the Orcutt area.
Los Alamos: Drive 15 minutes north on the 101 for a nice and beautiful half-day trip of food, wine, and antique shopping.
Los Olivos: The highest concentration of tasting rooms around, no need to go anywhere else if you like variety, there’s also food and shopping.
Lompoc: Smaller winemakers in an industrial area, but do not let that deter you; there is a great quality here to choose from.
Santa Rita Hills: Wide open spaces with much beauty and tradition, well worth the drive to access the many estates.
Buellton: Have lunch at Industrial Eats and stop by the legendary Ken Brown tasting room on the way.
Solvang: Very busy with tourists, with many tasting rooms to go with the windmills and eateries.
Santa Ynez: Estates on one end, with smaller tasting rooms in town on another, there are also options along Route 154 towards Los Olivos.
Santa Barbara: The urban wine trail is mostly about those located in the ‘funk zone’ but you also have tasting rooms in the midtown area, as well as the ‘Mill’ area.
Visit one of the many women winemakers in the area
Jessica Gasca - Story of soil
Dana Volk - D. Volk
Alice Anderson - Amevive Wine
Karen Steinwachs - Buttonwood Winery
Alison Thomson - Lepiane Wines
Adrienne St. John - Rideau Vineyard
Angela Soleno - Turiya Wines
Brit Zotovich - Dreamcôte Wine Co.
Helen Falcone - Falcone Family Vineyards
Kat Gaffney - Spear Vineyards & Winery
Sarah Holt Mullins - Rancho Sisquoc Winery
Sandra Newman - Cebada Wine
McKenna Giardine - E11even Wines
Gretchen Voelcker - Luna Hart Wines
Anna Clifford and Jill DelaRiva Russell - Cambria Wines
Kathy Joseph - Fiddlehead Cellars
Sonja Magdevski - Clementine Carter
More to Explore
Wine tasting with beautiful vistas
Reserve a guided wine tour with one of these great options
Official Wine Regions (AVA’S) of Santa Barbara County
Santa Maria AVA
The region’s first officially approved American Viticultural Area (AVA) enjoys extremely complex soil conditions and diverse microclimates. Consider Santa Maria Valley, the northernmost appellation in Santa Barbara County. The region’s first officially approved AVA enjoys extremely complex soil conditions and diverse microclimates. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are two varieties that especially benefit from the ocean’s influence and are AVA’s flagship wines. Other great varieties such as Syrah and Pinot Blanc grow amazingly, too.
Santa Rita Hills AVA
Sta. Rita Hills is a sub-AVA of the greater Santa Ynez Valley appellation. One of the smaller AVAs in California, the eastern edge of Sta. Rita Hills is about four miles west of Highway 101 in Buellton and continues to the western boundary, about two miles east of Highway 1 in Lompoc. The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to over 59 vineyards, totaling 2,700 hundred acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and 18 other cool climate wine grape varieties.
Santa Ynez Valley AVA
The Santa Ynez Valley is a long, east-west corridor, with very cool temperatures on the coast that become progressively warmer inland. Consequently, several varietals do well, from Pinot Noir in the west to Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc in the east. Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, and Viognier also thrive in the Santa Ynez.
Happy Canyon AVA
Its inland position means a significantly warmer climate that ensures complete maturation for later ripening varieties. The rolling terrain, high slopes and varied soils of this region are best suited for growing Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc, creating rich, concentrated wines. Syrah and other Rhône varieties also flourish here. Head to this Happy for the vistas but call ahead for access to these exclusive vineyards.
Los Olivos AVA
The AVA includes 1,121 acres planted to vines in 47 vineyards, making it the largest concentration of vineyards in a sub-appellation, with many of the valley’s heritage vineyards located here. The grapes are principally. Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone varietals take prominence, although the AVA also includes Spanish and Italian varietals… The boundaries of the AVA encompass the townships of Ballard, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, and Solvang.
Ballard Canyon AVA
The north-south oriented canyon provides a unique weather pattern of wind, fog, and maritime influence, giving each wine a fingerprint of the specific place. Ballard Canyon encompasses a small geographical area totaling 7,800 acres, of which only 550 acres are currently planted to vineyards. It is nestled between the towns of Solvang and Los Olivos. Over half of Ballard Canyon’s planted acreage is Syrah and an additional 30% of acres are planted to other Rhone varietals including Grenache, Viognier, and Roussanne.
Alisos Canyon AVA
The Alisos Canyon AVA exhibits a unique viticultural influence of the San Antonio Creek Valley which runs directly from the mouth of Alisos and Comasa Canyons to the Pacific Ocean 20 miles to the west. The ingress of cooling marine winds and fog along the San Antonio Creek Valley helps define the climate of Alisos Canyon AVA.