Santa Barbara has turned into a preferred area for wine tasting tours. The vast majority of pleasure seekers go wine tasting in the beautiful mountains behind the city itself , at the ample number of outstanding wineries one can find in the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys – also known as the Santa Barbara Wine Country. This is a course of action that has a lot to recommend it: the scenery in the Santa Ynez Mountains, that is at once bucolic, rustic and stunning; a large variety of wineries in a comparatively small region; a remarkable variety of wines to sample; a variety of styles and atmospheres at the wineries themselves, varying from casual to grand; the charming city of Los Olivos and its large number of tasting rooms; a great many fantastic locations for a picnic lunch. The only downside to going on a wine tasting tour in the Santa Ynez Mountains is that you require some form of four-wheeled vehicle to do so (cycling tours are an additional option, but maybe not for everybody), that means having a designated driver with you, renting a limo with a driver, or taking an organized tour. Luckily, another option does exist for the wine enthusiast who is either without car or is inclined to do their wine tasting more economically , and that is to take advantage of the wine tasting rooms situated in the city of Santa Barbara–pretty much within hiking distance of one another . I advise trying the following six tasting rooms, listed from top to bottom, in order of my personal preference:
- Carr Vineyards and Winery
- Jaffurs Wine Cellars
- Kalyra By The Sea
- Whitcraft Winery
- Santa Barbara Winery
- Stearns Wharf Vintners
Carr Vineyards and Winery: Of all the tasting rooms inside the Santa Barbara city limits, Carr Vineyards and Winery is the one I like best due to the fact that I love the combination of its laid back ambiance and delicious wines. The place itself is unprepossessing . It’s situated in an industrial part of downtown, and housed in a 1940s vintage quonset hut, which looks for all the world like an old airplane hangar. Once you’re inside , it still appears to be an airplane hangar from an earlier era , except for the fact of the wine casks you can see in the back . Once you walk in, the initial thing you observe is the cozy and inviting wine tasting counter. Carr’s wines are excellent. They produce an uncommon mix of varietals that includes Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Gris. The proprietor, Ryan Carr, takes a hands on approach to creating wine . He says that “I love the vineyards. 90% of wine making is done in the vineyards. Wine makers, people, will tell you differently, which way or another, but the fact of the matter is the grapes don’t get any better than the day they are picked.” Wine tastings at Carr Vineyards and Winery, located at 414 N. Salsipuedes Street, are $10.00 a head. They are open for tasting daily, from 11 am to 5 pm, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm.
Jaffurs Wine Cellars: For those who would like to taste world-renowned wines made in Santa Barbara City, the best place to go is Jaffurs’ tasting room. They are renowned for their Rhone varietals, especially their Syrahs, which are given consistently high marks from well known wine critics. Robert Parker praised Jaffurs’ owner back in 2008, saying that, “Over the last few vintages, Greg Jaffurs has emerged as one of Santa Barbara’s finest, most consistent winemakers, and his wines continue to go from strength to strength.” Naturally, when he says “Santa Barbara” he is talking about the entire Santa Barbara County winemaking region, not just Santa Barbara City. Jaffurs Wine Cellars, located at 819 E. Montecito Street, is open to the general public Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 11 am to 5 pm. During the summer, they are open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. They charge $10.00 per person.
Kalyra by the Sea: This fun place is situated on Santa Barbara’s main drag, at 212 State Street . It’s Kalyra Winery’s city tasting room. The Winery itself is situated in the Santa Ynez Valley. The proprietor, Mike Brown, is the son of an Australian winemaker . He has a wealth of experience making wine in both Australia and Santa Barbara County, and is a typical Australian in his lack of pretentiousness and fun loving nature . Kalyra creates large variety of wines employing grapes from a range of sources, including Australia. Their unusual name is an Aborigine term that means “a wild and pleasant place.” That is a great description of Kalyra by the Sea, with its younger crowd and striking decor–an uncommon mix of Aborigine and surfer motifs. Kalyra by the Sea is open for tasting Monday to Thursday, from 12 pm to 7 pm and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 12 pm to 8 pm, at $10.00 per person .
Whitcraft Winery: Just like Carr Vineyards and Winery, Whitcraft is situated in the industrial district (Actually, it’s five and a half blocks down from Carr, on the exact same road but, oddly, the street changes names two times inside of that short space. Up to the block that Carr is on, it’s known as N. Salsipuedes Street, after that suddenly turns into N. Calle Cesar Chavez, and once you pass below the freeway, the name changes to S. Calle Cesar Chavez.) in downtown Santa Barbara . It’s just two blocks up from the East Beach and located quite near by Fess Parkers Double Tree Resort, but it’s exceedingly inconspicuous. It’s housed in the type of structure commonly found in an industrial park, and has no distinguishing features to establish it as either a winery or a tasting room. It’s really worth the hassle to discover though. Whitcraft Winery is known for it’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays made in the classic Burgundian style. They create, 2000 cases at most of hand (and foot) made wine per year ; even the labels are pasted on by hand. it is run by the founder’s son , Drake Whitcraft, who even now adheres to his father’s philosophy that, “great wine is nothing more than Mother Nature at her best, with the grape shepherded by a vintner with no ego to impart upon its natural qualities.” Whitcraft Winery is situated at 36 A S. Calle Cesar Chavez, and open for tasting Friday to Sunday, from 12 pm to 4 pm.
Santa Barbara Winery: Established in 1962, it’s Santa Barbara’s first winery, not counting earlier wineries that were put out of business by Prohibition. When they initially started producing wine , there were no vineyards in Santa Barbara County so they had grapes shipped down from Northern California. Their early wines did not really take the industry by storm, but as Santa Barbara has become more and more of a big identify in the wine world in current years, so has Santa Barbara Winery grown up. They now have a lot of top notch grapes available to them in Santa Barbara County (which includes those from their own vineyards, some of the oldest in the region), and produce a large assortment of wines, with an emphasis on food-friendly varietals. They also create a unique blend called ZCS for the 3 varietals employed in its production: Zinfandel, Carignane and Sangiovese. Santa Barbara Winery’s spacious tasting room, situated at 202 Anacapa Street (two blocks over from State Street, and two blocks up from the beach) is Open to the public each day from 10 am to 5 pm.
Stearns Wharf Vintners: I recommend this tasting room much more for the location than for the actual wine served there. Not that their wines are bad, they’re just not up to the same degree of quality as my other recommendations . The location by itself is quite great though. It’s located on Stearns Wharf, on the second floor above the souvenir shops. Stearns Wharf is a bit touristy , but it’s usually not too crowded and has stellar views of Santa Barbara City, the Santa Ynez Mountains, and of course the ocean. This is not the tasting room I’d propose to somebody who principally cares about the wine they are tasting itself, but it’s a great place to indulge yourself with a stunning view, great wine and a pleasant atmosphere–and they also have food. Stearns Wharf Vintners is open each day from 10 am to 6 pm. The cost for a tasting is $5.00.
If you would like to find out more concerning wine tasting in Santa Barbara, then why not visit Eric Hilton’s website, at http://santabarbarawinetasting.net