408925 Wed Jun 06 16:28:49 -0700 2007 21 34 Wine 0 2636671 Hi, am planning a trip to Santa Barbara this weekend and I'd love to know if anyone knows of any small or exceptional wineries I should check out? Thanks! Wed Jun 06 16:28:49 -0700 2007 90988 hyacinthgirl 1 2637278 I have been to Sunstone which was decent. I like Zaca Mesa wines and Melville but haven't been to their wineries. There are two distinct drives and you can find the maps online. I remember thinking that the Foxen Rd. drive looked good to me.. Wed Jun 06 20:31:44 -0700 2007 2636671 28030 AlabasterDisaster 2 2640282 I have been to the Zaca Mesa winery. Rustic and nothing fancy, not as touristy as most. The wines are great. You can buy a few wines that they only sell at the winery. I highly recommend it. It is relatively close to Firestone which has some nice wines but is slightly more touristy, and Fess Parker which, in my opinion, is definitely a tourist destination. Los Olivos is a nice town to stop in for lunch if you are in the area, and as Megiac points out, there are numerous additional tasting rooms in town. Thu Jun 07 17:40:55 -0700 2007 2637278 78406 scrappydog 1 2637296 Check out Lafond Winery. They got some good pinots and some other little gems. Also check out I think it's Paige 23. Good stuff also. Sanford is nice but has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years. If you want google Santa Barbara wineries and you will get a list of them. Wed Jun 06 20:39:08 -0700 2007 2636671 41298 cbutleriv 1 2638102 Keep in mind there are -- IIRC -- only a handfull winery tasting rooms actually IN Santa Barbara, so I hope you're planning on driving a lot . . . . Here is a link to an interactive listing of Santa Barbara Co. wineries -- you can click on each winery name to see what types of wines they make, what hours they are open, whether you need an appointment, etc., etc., etc. -- http://www.sbcountywines.com/wineries/wineries.html Go to this link -- it will show you the touring routes that AlabasterDiasaster mentions -- http://www.sbcountywines.com/visit/touring.html I have no idea what kind of wines you like (Chardonnay? Riesling? Sauvignon Blanc? Pinot Noir? Merlot? Syrah? etc., etc., etc.), and winery recommendations are sort of dependent upon one's tastes. Let me know what kind of wines you're looking for . . . . Thu Jun 07 07:41:09 -0700 2007 2636671 28122 zin1953 2 2639862 Thanks! The maps are very helpful. I have no problem driving... I personally am a fan of Pinot Noirs and generally prefer reds to whites, but I'm traveling with a friend and I don't really know his taste, so any place that stands out for any reason (exceptional wine, or just an interesting ambience) would be worth checking out. Thu Jun 07 15:23:50 -0700 2007 2638102 90988 hyacinthgirl 1 2638878 Foley makes good chardonnays and pinot noir. Alma Rosa makes good Pinot noir also. What do you want to taste? Santa Barbara wineries shines when it comes to Pinot Noir. As far as Rhone varietals, I find them to be so-so. Thu Jun 07 10:54:38 -0700 2007 2636671 96345 rpang 1 2638956 I went on a recent trip. I was with my mom and sister, who are total lightweights, but we did hit a few tastign rooms. I really enjoyed the tasting rooms at Foxen and Beckmen. Also, a number of wineries have their their tasting rooms along the main street in Los Olivos, and you could spend a day there going from tasting room to tasting room (Andrew Murray is not to be missed!). If you want Pinot Noir, you need to be further north in the Santa Maria area. For Syrah, stay further south closer to the Santa Ynez area. Thu Jun 07 11:11:52 -0700 2007 2636671 75002 Megiac 2 2639007 As noted in an earlier post, there aren't wineries to speak of in Santa Barbara. You'll need to go a bit further north, to the Santa Ynez Valley. There are about 8 tasting rooms in a couple of blocks in the town of Los Olivos. Carina Cellars makes lovely viogniers and syrahs; Andrew Murray is good. Have lunch or dinner at Patrick's Sidestreet Cafe or Mattei's Tavern. Both are great. Patrick's is a more casual environment with really good, creative food. Foxen Canyon to Foxen Winery and others. It's a shack on Foxen Cyn Road. Great Pinots. Good place to picnic. More fabulous Syrah at Stolpman Vineyards - tasting room in Solvang, along with many other lesser wineries. Have fun! Thu Jun 07 11:23:28 -0700 2007 2638956 70257 nanette90278 3 2639882 I was so focused on the wine, I hadn't even thought about eating! Thanks for the tips. I'm so excited now! Thu Jun 07 15:29:04 -0700 2007 2639007 90988 hyacinthgirl 2 2639148 There are some great Pinot Noirs near Solvang/Buellton/Santa Rita/Santa Ynez Valley. Foley is very good for Pinot Noir. I don't think that it's necessary to go to Santa Maria. Thu Jun 07 11:57:32 -0700 2007 2638956 71215 mlgb 1 2639135 Rusack and Beckmen are in beautiful locals and both have tasting roomss. Typically, I stick to the Santa Rita Hills area and take the "loop" into Lompoc to the wine "ghetto" and back out towards Buellton. Some of these places require appointments and some don't; you'll have to check online to be sure. I like Babcock, Palmina, Flying Goat, Fiddlehead, Clos Pepe, Sea Smoke and Michael Grace to name a few... Thu Jun 07 11:54:21 -0700 2007 2636671 74451 vinosnob 2 2642292 I'm pretty sure that Sea Smoke does not have a tasting room open to the public, by appointment or otherwise. Fri Jun 08 10:44:03 -0700 2007 2639135 75002 Megiac 3 2642548 You can visit them during the week if you're a list member Fri Jun 08 11:48:09 -0700 2007 2642292 74451 vinosnob 4 2644591 And what are the odds that . . . . Sat Jun 09 08:54:28 -0700 2007 2642548 28122 zin1953 5 2645395 make a phone call Sat Jun 09 17:08:46 -0700 2007 2644591 74451 vinosnob 6 2645465 And tell them that you BFF is Poppy? ;^) Sat Jun 09 17:37:27 -0700 2007 2645395 28122 zin1953 1 2639163 There is a tasting room in Solvang that carries Departures Viognier it is the BEST white wine i've ever had. I bought a bottle and then ordered a case. The tasting room name should be somewhere on their site. departurewines.com Thu Jun 07 12:01:02 -0700 2007 2636671 76015 Ben7643 1 2642375 A buddy of mine who goes through there fairly often loves Consilience, I think also in the Los Olivos area. Lots of Syrah and Pinot, but they make a monster not-for-the-faint-of-heart zin. I think in general, "not-for-the-faint-of-heart" would be the way to describe their style - apparently alcohol content is pretty high in all of their wines - but I liked that zin, and I believe the other wines are a bit more restrained. Fri Jun 08 11:08:13 -0700 2007 2636671 12859 jonasblank 1 2650155 Brander near Los Olivos makes some excellent whites, particularly sauvignon blanc. Mon Jun 11 15:12:10 -0700 2007 2636671 23430 Mr. Cookie 2 2652843 We got a little lost and that's exactly where we ended up! Turned out great. My friend really liked their Syrah. Tue Jun 12 11:33:02 -0700 2007 2650155 90988 hyacinthgirl 3 2660903 I went with some girlfriends to Santa Barbara in February. We toured 4-5 wineries, and Zaca Mesa was our favorite, hands-down. They gave us several extra pours that were not on the tasting sheet. The Eight Barrell Syrah, available only at the winery, was excellent! There's a short hiking trail that takes you to the top of a little hill with a picnic table and nice view of the area. Thu Jun 14 14:16:30 -0700 2007 2652843 104856 Jocelyn P