Day Trippin in Santa Ynez Wine Country

My first ever visit to a winery was in the Santa Ynez Wine Country in Southern California. I was instantly smitten. And it will forever rank as one of my all time favorite areas to visit wineries. I mean, how can one not enjoy drinking good wine in a bucolic setting with fantastic views outside in perfect weather? And why hadn't I been doing this all my adult life?

Santa Ynez Valley is located a tad northwest of Santa Barbara and is unique in that most wine growing areas are in mountain ranges that are north-south and Santa Ynez is in a mountain range that is east-west. Hence, it's a bit sideways. So much so that there is an award winning movie - Sideways - that took place in Santa Ynez. And I was thrilled to return on my trip to Southern California this past spring. Here's what I got up to.

Santa Ynez We began our day trip in Burbank and our first stop was for lunch in the town of Santa Ynez at Panino, a quaint sandwich shop with a courtyard patio for dining right in this western themed town. If you wanted to spend more time here before hitting up the wineries, you could walk the boardwalk, shop, visit the historical society museum and maybe even see a horse tied up to a hitching post. Also nearby is the Chumash Casino Resort with gaming and live entertainment. We were on a mission, though, and after lunch we headed to our first winery.

Buttonwood Winery & Vineyard - Solvang
We began our day at the 39 acre vineyard - and 106 acre farm - of Buttonwood. Set in an incredibly peaceful setting, we decided not to do a tasting but enjoy a glass outside at the picnic tables overlooking the vines. Buttonwood Farm is sustainably managed and was green long before it was the norm. You can enjoy a tasting here, a glass on the patio or overlooking the gardens. 

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The Brander Vineyard - Los Olivos
I enjoyed my visit to Brander Vineyard, a vineyard known for it's quest to make the best Sauvignon Blanc. (In fact, Fred Brander the owner is known as the "King of Sauvignon Blanc")  We did a tasting and the customer service was great. Several people waited on us and they all gave us their attention discussing all things wine. And an added bonus at Brander is that they have a winery cat. I liked the wine,especially the rose, the winery and the french chateau vibe - and the cat!

Saarloos & Sons - Los Olivos
Saarloos & Sons is located in the cute little town of Los Olivos and we picked it for one reason only - they have a wine and cupcake pairing. If you know me, you know I'm a cupcake lover so this winery was a given when I found out there would be wine - and cupcakes! I loved the building, the patio, the cupcakes and pretty much this whole winery. It's a unique place - decorated very quirkily - and there's outdoor seating in the back and front yards which we enjoyed. The wine was good - and of course, so were the cupcakes. I'd definitely go back. (And no pretentiousness that you can get with wineries. It even says on their website that if you act uppity, you'll get kicked out. You're 86'ed! So don't do it!)

Firestone Vineyard
Firestone was my least favorite winery of the day for a few reasons - we arrived almost at closing time and the employees were busy setting up for an outdoor patio concert so they were quite preoccupied. And they only did tastings - no glasses of wine - so we split one. Not my favorite wine either. But to each his own. You may go there and absolutely love it!

Buscador Wine Company - Buellton
Buscador Wine Company is located in an industrial space in the town of Buellton with a very unique bar, lots of cool artwork and the barrels of wine stored right there in the winery. The industrial vibe and artwork worked for me - and I liked that it was different than anyplace else that we had been. The wine was good, too. 

I figure I'll have to get back to Santa Ynez Valley someday. There are still so many wineries to visit!


How about you? Have you been to Santa Ynez Valley?

California Fires
If you'd like to contribute to help those devastated by the worst wildfires in California's history killing over 40 and burning some 100,000 acres in both Northern California and Southern California, then here are a few choices:

If you prefer to give directly instead of through a relief organization then GoFundMe has an urgent cause section of their website helping those affected by the fire such as first responders, animals impacted by the fire or general relief funds. Go to GoFundMe.

Here's a compiled list of organizations helping on the front lines by the New York Times. Go to How to Help Those Affected by the California Fires.

And here's another compilation for giving - and not just for monetary donations but also volunteer options. Go to 19 Things You Can Do To Help California Fire Victims Right Now


Linking up with: Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global, The Weekly Postcard at California Globetrotter and The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party!