Hi everyone! We are dropping DD off at USC in a few weeks and it fortuitously looks like we be able to drive up to Santa Barbara County for a day. I would like to hit two wineries. Criteria:
My initial research indicates that Carhartt plus Stolpman in Los Olivos may be a good choice for our first visit. Maybe the Taste of Sta Rita Hills tasting room too. Need a great spot for dinner too. Looking forward to your thoughts!
Los Olivos has transformed into “Wine Mom City” the last couple of years but it does seem to be where the action is at these days. Taste of Sta. Rita Hills is a good call, they showcase some smaller producers and will do tastings for Sea Smoke and also the wines from Moretti (I believe Signor Moretti runs the tasting room unless that’s changed). I would skip Stolpman and/or Carhartt and replace with Holus Bolus.
No one here is going to know what you can or cannot get in VA, so maybe look at a winery and ask yourself “can I get this in VA?” You might consider going up Foxen Canyon. Fess Parker is well regarded and Rancho Sisquoc has sort of moved away from tastings and does a “buy wine and hang out on the property” thing that can be pretty fun. If you’re really willing to travel, Presquile in Orcutt is an excellent tasting experience.
For dinner if you’re out in the Santa Ynez Valley, Bell’s is up a little ways in Los Alamos and would be a good high-end choice. If you’ve never been to Cold Spring Tavern it’s not haute cuisine but its unique and worth it to soak up some local history.
We’ve spent a fair amount of time in Los Olivos. Favorite wineries for combination of atmosphere and wines include Sunstone, Demetria (reservations required), Rancho Sisquoc, Foxen and Zaca Mesa. None of these serve food other than snacks to my knowledge except Sunstone usually has a food truck on the weekends. We typically bring our own picnic provisions. Favorite place for dinner is SY Kitchen in Santa Ynez. Also second the rec for Cold Spring Tavern.
Thanks – I’ve not heard of most of these wineries so I suspect their offerings don’t make it to the East Coast other than by shipping. We have had some Fess Parker wine and enjoyed it.
While Holus Bolus sounds great we really want to visit two wineries so I think Rancho Sisquoc, also mentioned by cookiemonster, looks like a great choice. In fact, it’s definitely going to be part of the trip. Probably another one in that Foxen Canyon Road area as well.
Winery food is definitely not a must as it appears there are some great restos in this area.
Thanks – I have known about Zaca Mesa for years and that might be worth a visit. Same for Foxen.
Looks like Cold Spring Tavern might be the choice for dinner.
Read this - tons of reccs for that area
Thanks to my fellow Bob; that thread is a great read.
@LouisianaMouth knows the area well and told me she has some ideas for you
Quick recap: We had a great time. Started in the amazing town of Los Olivos, home to 1120 souls and 40 tasting rooms. No joke, so I was told. Picked up some sandos at the Gandolfo Family grocery store and made our way to the remote and picturesque Rancho Sisquoc winery where we enjoyed sharing a red flight and a white flight. NB: The red flight includes a merlot!
Acting upon a tip from some locals we chatted up, we then made our way to the Zaca Mesa winery back down Foxen Canyon Road towards Los Olivos. They specialize in Rhone varietals – their current offerings include seven different Syrahs! They have also established a sister operation called TREAD Winery that makes their cabs and chards now so they can maintain Zaca Mesa as Rhone specialists. Again, very good wines and we ordered a few more.
Got back to Los Olivos and while wandering the streets I came upon the Solminer Tasting Room, which offers “orange wines.” What could this be? I ventured inside and learned that Solminer specializes in Austrian-style wines and that orange wines are not made from oranges but from white grapes with the skins left on long enough to create the beautiful orange hue. Picked up two more bottles and headed back to LA.
NB: Visiting the area gave me a completely different impression than what Sideways left. First, the valleys are really steep! I mean crazy hilly. Second, this is a big area for cattle and horse ranches too. It’s like the wild west. I had no idea The Hitching Post (which we drove past) was so apty named. Third, it’s nothing like what you think of when you picture “wine country.” Some areas looked more like African Savannahs. Beautiful vineyards right in the middle of nothing. The amount of water used to irrigate the vineyards must be off the hook.
Labor Day Weekend '24
Curated by @LouisianaMouth
Stay:
Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, Los Olivos
Eat:
The Victor, Santa Ynez
The Tavern at Zaca Creek, Santa Ynez
Bell’s, Los Alamos
Bar Le Cote, Los Alamos
Floriano’s, Lompoc
Bob’s Well Bread, Ballard
Tastings:
Spear, Lompoc
The Hilt, Lompoc
Demetria, Los Olivos
Donnachadh, Los Olivos
Presquile, Santa Maria
Tribute to Grace, Los Alamos
Bars:
Mattei’s Tavern, Los Olivos
Mavrick Saloon, Santa Ynez
thanks! Hoping our next visit is longer than a few hours.
