It’s been more than 20 years since the midlife-crisis-meets-wine-travelogue Sideways spotlighted the bucolic splendor of Santa Barbara County wine country, espousing the ability of its wines to compete on a New World stage ruled by Napa and shaming merlot drinkers into near obscurity along the way.
The Oscar-winning film was most people’s introduction to the upstart Central Coast region — despite being an admired presence on the modern wine scene since the 1970s — and marked the beginning of its era as one of the Golden State’s prized weekend getaway locales.
If only its fallible protagonists, Miles and Jack, who were as temperamental and thin-skinned as the plentiful pinot grapes that surrounded them, could see it now. Although the county has maintained its small-town vibe, with many of the wineries and vineyards remaining in family hands, it has become a bucket-list destination for wine connoisseurs and a full-blown tourist attraction, featuring luxury hotels, acclaimed restaurants, local shops, notable art and hot air balloon rides.
More than 300 wineries harvest more than 75 types of grapes in seven recognized American Viticultural Areas. The variety is made possible by the mostly Mediterranean climate, wide diurnal temperature shift and its unique geographical feature — a transverse mountain range that runs east to west (nearly all ranges in the Americas go north-south), which allows cooling ocean winds and fog to creep deep into the valleys, hang onto the slopes and add an intense minerality to the soil.
All of the growth means that no two trips to Santa Barbara wine country are ever the same, and like the wine, each becomes a snapshot of a specific time. To that end, here’s a guide to what’s new to help plan your next California wine-fueled getaway.
Sip and Stay Overnight
Santa Barbara and neighboring celebrity-filled enclave Montecito suffer no shortage of places to lay your head. Among the Forbes Travel Guide Star-Rated properties, two stand out for their local wine-themed programming.
To blend Bordeaux varietals, bocce and beach time, check into Five-Star Rosewood Miramar Beach. You will be tempted to kick off your shoes and slip into a gloriously deep tub in your garden bungalow or post up on a cozy terrace hovering over the surf, but Five-Star Caruso’s is reason to resist the urge to stay in.
As the sun sets and the salt air perfumes the open dining room, chef Massimo Falsini plates edible magic that draws on his Italian roots. He takes advantage of California’s plentiful ingredients, including uni, spot prawns and Seascape strawberries, emphasizing seasonality and sustainability on his menu.
Bolstering the five- or six-course prix fixe feast is the optional Sense Of Place pairing curated by Rob Smits, the director of wine, who might be the region’s biggest cheerleader outside of the winemakers themselves. He has a giant, well-researched binder full of maps, AVA histories and wine house profiles to prove it.
From the sparkling chardonnay by Racines that adds pop to a trio of amuse-bouches to the sweet kiss of Babcock’s ultra-late harvest viognier, all of the wines were made by Santa Barbara County producers, most of whom are highlighted because their commitment to sustainable viticulture and regenerative farming matches the environmental ethos of the restaurant.
Also, with Smits’ help, the resort introduced a less formal summer dinner series called Bounty. Once a month through September, the on-property chef’s garden is converted into an alfresco pizza parlor, where burrata salads and wood-fired pies, topped with foraged mushrooms or fennel sausage, are served family-style alongside favorite splashes from a featured winery, such as Lo-Fi, Amevive or White Buffalo Land Trust’s Sandhi Wines.
To sample Santa Ynez Valley syrah somewhere that takes wine just as seriously, journey up the hill to Four-Star San Ysidro Ranch, a creekside collection of 38 cottages awash with vibrant bougainvillea, twinkling lights, quiet shaded patios and breathtaking Pacific panoramas.
While wine has long been served in the hotel’s Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Stonehouse Restaurant, speakeasy and minibars, San Ysidro Ranch leveled up its grenache game when it launched the Ty Warner Wine Collective last year. The program’s expert team tailors tastings and classes to each guest’s preferences, pulling pours from its 15,000-plus bottle collection, which houses a 70-vintage Chateau Petrus vertical, 138 years of Chateau d’Yquem (including one bottled when Napoleon was emperor) and a deep bench of local makers and cult favorites such as Sine Qua Non and Mail Road.
The hotel team also arranges guided excursions to invite-only wineries and organizes private dinners inspired by three of the world’s most storied wine regions in the depths of the underground stone cellar.
Sip and Play for a Few Hours
Between the two resorts, oenophiles don’t need to step off the property to have their thirst quenched. But where’s the fun in that?
Santa Barbara boasts more than 25 tasting rooms within the city limits. There’s even one on the 150-year-old Stearns Wharf pier. The highest concentration is still found in the Funk Zone, a once-industrial neighborhood now brimming with art galleries, craft breweries and restaurants like Loquita (Spanish tapas) and Rare Society (steak) that sits about two blocks from the water. The crowd tends to skew younger, and you can make it a whole-day affair, especially if there’s a band playing at Pali Wine Co.
The Presidio neighborhood has a growing number of options. We’re partial to the husband-and-wife-led Loubud, which specializes in sparkling varieties, one of which is on the list at Napa’s Five-Star French Laundry. Laura Hughes makes the wine. Spouse Paul crafts wooden puzzles to assemble while you sample the refined blanc de blanc.
Across the street, Tyler x Lieu Dit is part tasting room, part wine bar and part restaurant, especially if you pop in on hamburger or chicken schnitzel night. Tyler Winery boasts a strong lineup of reds, including an estate-grown pinot noir and cabernet, while Lieu Dit puts its focus on sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and cabernet franc.
Most in-town tasting rooms can usually make space for walk-ins. However, some of the boutique producers require an appointment. One worth the effort is Sanguis on the Eastside. Wine-making, rock-drumming Munich native Matthias Pippig runs his small but mighty four-label empire (Sanguis, WhaleSong, Loner and The Missoula Flood) out of a restored architectural warehouse between writing poetic tasting notes and suggesting eclectic music pairings.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend making the 45-minute drive over the mountains and down into the valley or up the coast toward Lompoc for even more vino magic. But be warned: tasting on this side of the mountains, especially at the most high-profile wineries, typically requires reservations.
On the Santa Ynez Valley floor, Brave & Maiden’s appointment-only estate is a beautiful blend of olive trees, huge picture windows, wood and concrete, best appreciated during a tour that incorporates a behind-the-scenes and vineyard walk while savoring a glass of Pride Rosé, which raises money for a regional LGBTQ+ support group. You can also enjoy live music at an after-hours Summer Sunsets event with the easy-drinking grenache.
Happy Canyon, which traces its name back to Prohibition, is home to the 8,000-acre estate that houses Star Lane Vineyard. Once a working cattle ranch and a retreat for Golden Age entertainment icons, the property is best explored with the Astral Experience. The 120-minute immersive and exclusive tasting ends with sips of the vineyard’s iconic cabernet sauvignon from the family’s private cellar.
Foxen Canyon is a study of opposites. There’s Fess Parker, a larger house started by the same-named actor who quit Hollywood in the ’70s to run cattle. By 1989, he’d planted his first rows of riesling, and now its chardonnays regularly earn acclaim. Its immaculately landscaped property appears in Sideways under the name Frass Canyon.
In contrast, a couple of miles away, there’s tiny Demetria, which produces only about 8,000 cases annually, on a 213-acre easement so far off the main road that Google gets confused. You’ll threaten to turn around at least two times before a Tuscan-esque villa appears. Worries start to melt away with the first heavy pour of the Rhone varietals farmed biodynamically with help from a resident flock of sheep. You’ll be at ease once the breeze blows across the chaparral-flecked hillside, cats Tom and Murphy start begging for pets, and the hints of strawberry and leather found in the 100% mourvedre awaken your palate.
In the Santa Rita Hills, The Barn at The Hilt Estate, which opened in 2021, is one of wine country’s most architecturally stunning hospitality spaces. Within this dark wood, leather and concrete wonderland, sample the wares of three legendary vineyards (Radian, Bentrock and Puerta del Mar) as well as vintages from JONATA, a sister label found in the Ballard Canyon AVA.
Designated Drivers
To keep enological outings from going sideways, leave the logistics and driving to Coastal Concierge, which has been organizing premium wine tours of Santa Barbara County for nearly 20 years. All customizable excursions include private transportation, a guide and a gourmet picnic lunch. For example, it can create an itinerary that visits producers specializing in sparkling, red, white or Tuscan types, like chianti.
Coastal Concierge can also blend some adventure — including a one-hour Cessna soar through the clouds, a two-hour yacht cruise where you might glimpse dolphins or whales or a 75-minute horseback ride through vineyards — into the tasting schedule.
