Santa Barbara Wine

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The Santa Barbara County AVA lies within the Central Coast territory of California. Like much of the state’s wine regions, grape planting began with the Catholic missionaries to make wine for ceremonial mass. Though Santa Barbara can boast some of the earliest plantings, beginning in the 1780s with Father Junipero Serra bringing Mission grape cuttings from Mexico and planting them in what is now the Milpas Creek district. From there, mission vineyards spread to San Jose, Santa Cruz, Carpinteria and Goleta (an adobe winery built there in 1804 has the distinction of being the area’s old landmark).

But also like most of California’s wine regions, production in Santa Barbara was hurt by the late 1800s Phylloxera crisis and further brought down by the Prohibition between 1921 to 1933. It wasn’t until the 1960s that a U.C. Davis study identified Santa Barbara County as a favorable wine-growing region due to its combination of soil types, geology, water and coastal climate conditions that favor long growing seasons and promote grape acid balance, low alcohol and less risk of grape rot on the vine. From the early 1970s, the virtually unknown region became one of the most sought after locations for wineries, many of them small production boutique operations.

The success of the 2004 film Sideways solidified Santa Barbara County’s star power, with many scenes filmed on location at regional wineries that have become tourist attractions since. That movie also had an unforeseen impact on varietal sales for a few years since its release, promoting Pinot Noir to top status and damaging sales of the tormented Merlot. (According to the film, think of Pinot Noir as the iPod and Merlot as the eight track tape of wine, regardless of whether they were even produced in the region). However, years later, Santa Barbara’s wines are still regarded as some of the finest in California. Yes, even for Merlot.

Santa Barbara County is divided into these subregions:

Santa Maria Valley
Santa Ynez Valley
Santa Rita Hills

– Description from Kate Statton (hide)

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Varietals Produced in Santa Barbara View all

Viognier

History of the grape: Viognier is thought to be an indigenous grape of Croatia that was brought to the Rhone in Franc...
Pinot Noir

“With so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, they make the blood run hot,” Joel Fleischman, wine columnist at Van...
Chardonnay

British wine writer and critic, Jancis Robinson, once noted that throughout the 80’s and 90’s in the United States, C...
Syrah

The irony here is that Syrah’s origins could give Carmen Sandiego a run for her international wallet. Syrah’s deepest...
Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is widely grown in California -- at over 15,000 acres, it’s now the third most planted variety -- and...
Cabernet Sauvignon

“King of the Red Wine Grapes.” The colonizer of the vineyards, pushing native wine grapes into its shadows. The Caber...

Subregions of Santa Barbara

Santa Rita Hills

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is located within Santa Barbara County in California’s Central Coast re...

Popular Wineries in Santa Barbara View all

Barnwood Vineyards

Laetitia Vineyard & Winery has a prestigious heritage, rich in French tradition that is still evi...
Lincourt Vineyards

There’s an atmosphere of casual grace at Lincourt that invites you to kick back and relax. But...
Jaffurs Wine Cellars

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is dedicated to producing great Rhone varietal wines with a new-world indepe...
Consilience

Our goal at Consilience is simply to make the most expressive & reliably high quality wines possi...
Presidio Winery

Presidio Vineyard & Winery was founded in 1991 from winemaker Douglas Braun’s concept of bringing...
Alchemy Wine Productions

Alchemy Wine Productions combines the forces of Nic & Gracey Donahue, two free-spirited indivi...

People getting updates on Santa Barbara Wines

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Santa Barbara on Snooth

July 2016

Unlimited Pours of 7 Wines with DinnerRegister ... Valley, Alexander Valley, Santa Barbara and Stag's Leap. Read more about each wine below and watch videos about each of these wines at http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/events/the-generous-pour-wine-tasting . The Restaurant: The Capital Grille Wall Street, located at 120 Broadway, in the historic... Read More

Forum post in the topic Dinner at Capital Grille Wall...
July 2016

Herman Story 2013

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by 453542Mr Dolce 453542
July 2016

Joel Gott Pinot Noir 2013

Snoothrank:

Really very good. Mouthwatering juice primarily red berry fruits, raspberry and cherry with chewy medium fine tannins, earthy notes and bright acidity. Good aftertaste with medium length. Drink now. 89 points Paul Read More

Wine review by rckr1951
July 2016

Fox, last decade I took both my daughters to a few colleges around SoCal (later ... ... smaller, friendlier UCs (Santa Barbara, San Diego), and even Occidental. Came back and talked to a friend who'd roomed with Ben Affleck (arguably a more interesting life-path there if you choose people in the public eye who are in a position to affect the vi... Read More

Forum post in the topic What have you bought lately? by 125836dmcker 125836
June 2016

The Ojai Vineyard Bien Nacido Pinot Noir 2013

Snoothrank:

Very nice wine. Fruit flavor is of strawberry. Very nice tartness. Maybe a bit of clove spiciness. (?) Fairly light-bodied. I can see the elegance that Pinot Noir fans seem to seek in this wine. Velvety smooth. Nothing smacks you in the face. Read More

Wine review by EMark
June 2016

Had the good fortune to attend a Masters of Wine, Syrah Panel Tasting on ... ... on ... I'd try another Santa Barbara Syrah, this was big and ripe and forgettable. Why not try a Chilean? Well, I wouldn't recommend buying this one, but it was there and was a bit different, but forgettable. As was the Portugese offering. One last takeaway, othe... Read More

Forum post in the topic Masters of Wine - Syrah Panel...
June 2016

Purchased a nice wild caught Alaskan salmon filet today and threw it on the ... is Pinot so we opened this Santa Barbara beauty first. Full of ripe red and black cherry, a hint of tar, a decent bite of acidity and a touch of menthol on the back end.Since it is Friday (this is a special day for some of us EM), and we drained that SB pinot fair... Read More

Forum post in the topic Whatcha drinking tonight? by 357808vin0vin0 357808
June 2016

Standing Sun Wild Mouse Rhone Blend Santa Barbara County 2012

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No written review

Wine review by Stubs66
June 2016

Ok, I'm sitting in on the VT. No $100 Santa Barbara County Syrah for me. No arty label.No autographs.And no personalized delivery by the owner.This is the third of these that I have opened, and it keeps getting better. Some flowers on the nose—orange blossom. That’s a first for this wine. Gentle hit of red fruit on introduction—hints of red ... Read More

Forum post in the topic Whatcha drinking tonight?
June 2016

You will never see me certify a wine that costs $100 unless it is Monprivato. Not from Santa Barbara at all, ever. My max there is like $30 or something.I'm thinking this is not going to be one I make it to. I think I will be reading DNA reports or painting baseboards or, well, anything. (Or rewatching game 5 of the NBA Championships, unless... Read More

Forum post in the topic Wine Art Music Virtual Tasting

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