wine country notes

Wine in Santa Barbara & Santa Ynez

My picks for tasting rooms, bottles and drives across Santa Barbara County, from the Funk Zone to Foxen Canyon.

Tasting by area

Where to taste

Pick an area for my tasting room recommendations.

Santa Ynezsee my picks → Los Olivossee my picks → Solvangsee my picks → Sta. Rita Hillssee my picks → Lompocsee my picks → Los Alamossee my picks → Foxen Canyonsee my picks → Santa Barbarasee my picks →

bottles I reach for

Quick picks for your table

  • Brave & MaidenRule of Thirds Red Blend
  • Whitcraft WineryPinot Noir, Radian Vineyard
  • TatomerGrüner Veltliner, Sta. Rita Hills
  • TatomerRiesling, Kick-on Ranch 239
  • JaffursSyrah, Thompson Vineyard
  • Paul LatoPinot Noir, Solomon Hills Vineyard
  • Paul Lato“Space Cadet” Syrah/Grenache
  • Grimm’s BluffCabernet Sauvignon ‘Contango’
  • StolpmanHilltops Syrah
  • TerceroMourvèdre, Larner Vineyard
  • SandhiWilliam Hines Chardonnay
  • Alma RosaGrenache Rosé
  • Story of SoilGamay Noir
  • Story of SoilDonnachadh Riesling
  • Ojai VineyardSyrah, Santa Barbara County
  • CarrSangiovese ‘Amphora’
  • LumenPinot Gris
  • StormSauvignon Blanc, Santa Maria Vineyard
  • Luna HartSparkling Grüner Veltliner
  • LepianeNebbiolo
  • MarbesoChardonnay ‘Spear Vineyard’
  • AmeviveMourvèdre
  • Solminer‘Floral Feelings’ Riesling Blend

wine pairing request

Bringing bottles home?

Send me a note for Santa Barbara wine country pairing suggestions (sometimes Ojai too), or send your bottle list and I’ll shape your dinner menu around it.

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plan your day

The wine routes of Santa Barbara County

Los Olivos
The highest concentration of tasting rooms around. If you like variety, there’s no need to go anywhere else, and there’s food and shopping too.
Santa Ynez
Estates on one end and smaller tasting rooms in town on the other, with more options along Route 154 toward Los Olivos.
Solvang
Very busy with tourists, with many tasting rooms to go with the windmills and eateries.
Buellton
Have lunch at Industrial Eats and stop by the legendary Ken Brown tasting room on the way.
Sta. Rita Hills
Wide open spaces with beauty and tradition, well worth the drive to visit the many estates.
Lompoc
Smaller winemakers in an industrial area. Don’t let that deter you; the quality here is excellent.
Los Alamos
Fifteen minutes north on the 101 for a beautiful half-day trip of food, wine and antique shopping.
Foxen Canyon
Start in Los Olivos and head north toward Santa Maria, or take the 101 north to the Orcutt area and come down Foxen Canyon Road.
Santa Barbara
The Urban Wine Trail centers on the Funk Zone, with more tasting rooms in Midtown and at The Mill.

Official wine regions

The AVAs of Santa Barbara County

Santa Maria Valley

Chardonnay · Pinot Noir

The northernmost appellation in Santa Barbara County and the region’s first officially approved American Viticultural Area (AVA). It has extremely complex soils and diverse microclimates. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir benefit most from the ocean’s influence and are its flagship wines, and Syrah and Pinot Blanc also grow beautifully here.

Sta. Rita Hills

Pinot Noir · Chardonnay

A sub-AVA of the Santa Ynez Valley and one of the smaller AVAs in California. It runs from about four miles west of Highway 101 in Buellton to about two miles east of Highway 1 in Lompoc. It is home to over 59 vineyards, totaling 2,700 acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and 18 other cool-climate varieties.

Santa Ynez Valley

Pinot Noir to Cabernet · Rhône varieties

A long east-west corridor that is very cool near the coast and gets progressively warmer inland. Many varieties do well, from Pinot Noir in the west to Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc in the east. Rhône varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Roussanne and Viognier also thrive here.

Happy Canyon

Bordeaux varieties

Its inland position means a much warmer climate, so later-ripening varieties mature fully. The rolling terrain, high slopes and varied soils suit Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc, making rich, concentrated wines. Syrah and other Rhône varieties also flourish. Go for the views, but call ahead, since access to these vineyards is limited.

Los Olivos District

Sauvignon Blanc · Cabernet · Rhône

1,121 acres of vines in 47 vineyards, the largest concentration of vineyards in a sub-appellation, including many of the valley’s heritage vineyards. Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône varieties lead, along with some Spanish and Italian varieties. It covers Ballard, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Solvang.

Ballard Canyon

Syrah · Rhône varieties

The north-south canyon gets its own pattern of wind, fog and maritime influence, giving each wine a fingerprint of the place. Of its 7,800 acres between Solvang and Los Olivos, only about 550 are planted. Over half of that is Syrah, and another 30% is Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne and other Rhône varieties.

Alisos Canyon

cool and coastal

Shaped by the San Antonio Creek Valley, which runs from the mouth of Alisos and Comasa Canyons to the Pacific 20 miles west. Cool marine winds and fog funnel up the valley and define the climate here.

Open my wine map →

All my tasting room picks on one Google map.

worth a visit

Women winemakers in the area

Click the top right corner to open up the map