Santa Barbara wine country is located just 35 miles north of the beaches of Santa Barbara in the wild and wonderful Santa Ynez Valley.
Cleverly disguised within a neoclassic modern industrial warehouse at the western tip of the Santa Ynez Valley, Avant Tapas & Wine entices guests with an amazing variety of wines, local artisan cuisine, and lots of ways to have a good time.
Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard produces wines that are well structured, balanced, and speak of the soil of the Buttonwood Estate.
Since its inception ten years ago, Carina Cellars continues to exemplify Ralph Waldo Emerson’s belief, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
Fess Parker had an affinity for Santa Barbara wine country, and he found the perfect way to share it—through Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards and the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn.
A strong sense of pride and family define Grassini Family Vineyard as a premier wine destination in the Santa Barbara County.
The vineyards of Lucas & Lewellen have fast become legendary for lovers of distinctive premium wines from Santa Barbara County.
Sanford Winery & Vineyards planted the first Pinot Noir vines in the heart of the Santa Rita Hills, a region now heralded for that varietal.
Robin Bogue, founder of William James Cellars, puts a lot of energy into getting wines the attention they deserve.
It has been 40 years since Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards first broke ground in the northern reaches of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. From its earliest days, the Zaca Mesa Winery has cultivated superior quality grapes from its well-drained Santa Ynez Valley soils.
Set on two miles of private, natural beach within minutes of the charming community of Santa Barbara, the four-star Bacara Resort & Spa provides its guests an unrivaled vacation destination.
Fess Parker Winery consistently creates wines of the highest quality. Led by a talented winemaking team that includes two former recipients of the André Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year Award—Eli Parker and Blair Fox—the wines are routine winners in all of the top tier wine competitions
Naturally warm and elegant, Hotel Corque personifies Santa Barbara wine country, making it an ideal retreat for anyone wishing to settle back in this special part of the world.
The Santa Ynez Inn has been honored with the AAA 4-diamond award rating every year since opening.
Located in the heart of Santa Barbara Wine Country on a 10,000-acre working cattle ranch, the Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort gives wine tourers enough outdoor activities to warrant a real vacation.
18-HOLE GOLF Rancho San Marcos Sandpiper Golf Club CONCERTS Chumash Casino Resort Gainey Vineyard Lobero Theatre Santa Barbara Bowl DINING Los Olivos Café Olio E Limone Opal Petros Los Olivos Root 246 Trattoria Grappolo Wine Cask MEETINGS & EVENTS The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort Bacara Resort & Spa Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort Hyatt Santa Barbara The Canary Hotel WEDDINGS Four Seasons Biltmore San Ysidro Ranch Santa Ynez Inn Sunstone Winery The Simpson House Inn WINE BARS Tastes of the Valleys Wandering Dog PICNICS Bridlewood Estate Winery Buttonwood Farm Winery Fess Parker Winery Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Rusack Vineyards Sanford Winery & Vineyards R&R Ballard Inn El Capitan Canyon Resort Fess Parker Wine Country Inn Santa Barbara Inn Santa Ynez Inn STANDOUT TASTING ROOMS Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards Fess Parker Winery Grassini Family Vineyards Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards WINE TOURS Breakaway Tours Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours DeeTours Santa Barbara Adventure Company Sustainable Wine Vine Tour
The progress in production size and quality of wines made in Santa Barbara County over the past few decades is one of California’s great wine success stories. In an age when Napa was the only big player on the American wine scene, Santa Barbara winemakers accepted the challenge of producing quality wines to rival the best in the state. Now, Santa Barbara County has earned great respect and won many highly esteemed awards, particular for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Syrahs, Sauvignon Blancs, Cabernet Sauvignons and fantastic blends. With vineyards stretching from as far north as the Santa Maria Valley to the Santa Rita Hills in the coastal southwest and the Santa Ynez Valley whose stellar wines prompted a major motion picture about wine, Santa Barbara’s diverse terroir ideally encompasses a variety of geographical attributes and climates, making it the perfect local for nearly every varietal of wine grape.
The resort city of Santa Barbara is home to sparkling beaches, premium shopping and outstanding restaurants, while the inland wine regions offer a less hurried, more rural form of elegance. There is plenty to do no matter what your passion is. There are miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, kayaking tours, fishing at the local lake and even glider rides over wine country. For a less adventurous afternoon, visit some of the many museums, explore the tenth California mission and, of course, relax at a winery with a glass of wine in hand!
In the history of California wine, Santa Barbara wine country is a new frontier. Meet nine of the region’s most talked about vintners, destined to make their own marks in Santa Barbara wine.
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Even the name “Santa Barbara” makes people smile. Soaked in sunshine and serenity, the beautiful little city is located on California’ s Central Coast just 90 minutes north of Los Angeles, making it a great getaway for couples, friends, and families.
From the Eastern Seaboard to the heart of the Midwest to the Pacific West Coast, there are so many wonderful places to tour, taste, and stay. In this section we explore the wine regions of Asheville, North Carolina, Galena, Illinois, and Solvang, California.
Rich in cultural diversity and heritage, Santa Barbara County has much to celebrate. It’s a land of sunshine, fresh produce, fun people, and wonderful wines.
Beautiful Santa Barbara County embraces rambling cattle ranches, quaint western towns, rolling oak-peppered hills, white beaches, and the charming seaside city of Santa Barbara—home to Touring & Tasting and its editor.
There are many fine winemakers in Santa Barbara wine country. The vineyards here are spread far and wide—from Northern Santa Barbara County to Santa Maria Valley to Santa Ynez Valley to the Santa Rita Hills.
From Santa Maria to Santa Ynez, Solvang to Santa Barbara, experience fun, new ways to tour wine country and taste wines in Santa Barbara County.
Discover what makes tasting rooms great in Santa Barbara wine country.
After spending the day wine tasting, discover great places to have lunch in Santa Barbara wine country.
This trail begins in the heart of Santa Barbara Wine Country, with wineries both behind you and in front of you. Start at Curtis Winery and make sure you taste their Vineyard Series Syrah. Get back in the car and head north on Foxen Canyon Rd. Take the second left onto CA-154 W/San Marcos Pass Rd. Then turn right onto Zaca Canyon Rd and Firestone Winery will be on the left. Taste in their recently remodeled tasting room overlooking their vineyards. Take a tour of the vineyard and indoor and outdoor production and barrel room and end the tour with a flight of six Firestone Wines. Take a left back onto Zaca Canyon Rd and continue straight for half a mile to arrive at Koehler Winery. Taste amongst their menagerie of unusual animals and exotic birds. Continue on Foxen Canyon Rd and reach Fess Parker Winery in one mile. At Fess Parker Winery enjoy a tasting of 6 superb wines. Continue on Foxen Canyon Rd to reach the last winery on our trail, Zaca Mesa Winery. Relax on one of their many picnic tables or play a game of chess on their life-size chessboard. End at Zaca Mesa Winery or continue on to visit Rancho Sisquoc, Riverbench Vineyard and more.
Come celebrate our 40th Anniversary here at the winery! Enjoy the history of Zaca Mesa, wine education, barrel samples, new release wines, food, live music and winery tours!
Grassini Family Vineyards will be pouring our newest releases at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club during the match on Sunday, May 19th.
This annual event offers guests a rare opportunity to stroll between downtown venues which are each paired with a downtown restaurant and a winery. This year, Grassini Family Vineyards is thrilled to be paired with Julienne Restaurant and 33 Jewels!
We're delighted to celebrate the anniversary of our Tasting Room opening in the historic El Paseo building this Memorial Day Weekend!
Join Buttonwood Farm Winery and Longoria Wines for our annual Blues Concert in-the-vineyard. Located in the middle of Buttonwood’s 39-acre vineyard, next to the pond, enjoy the afternoon sipping wine and listening to blues underneath the oaks.