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Santa Ynez Valley

One of California's top viticulture regions, the Santa Ynez Valley is a compact area comprising a handful of small towns and dozens of vineyards. Put on the map back in 2004 by the movie Sideways, the area still draws the crowds and it's a hugely pleasant place to stay in upmarket lodgings, eat at high-quality restaurants and, of course, enjoy the many fine wines produced here. Los Olivos is the cutest town, Buellton the most down-to-earth, with incongruous Danish Solvang and tiny Santa Ynez and Ballard in between. Popular wineries cluster between Los Olivos and Solvang along Alamo Pintado Rd and Refugio Rd, south of Roblar Ave and west of Hwy 154.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards
Santa Ynez Valley
Richard Sanford left the powerhouse winery bearing his name to start this new winery with his wife, Thekla, using sustainable, organic farming techniques…
Kalyra Winery
Santa Ynez Valley
Australian Mike Brown traveled halfway around the world to combine his two loves: surfing and winemaking. Try his full-bodied red blends, unusual white…
Beckmen Vineyards
Santa Ynez Valley
Bring a picnic to one of the pond-side gazebos at this tranquil winery, where estate-grown Rhône varieties flourish on the unique terroir of Purisima…
Lincourt Vineyard
Santa Ynez Valley
Respected winemaker Bill Foley, who also owns Firestone Vineyards in Foxen Canyon, founded this vineyard in the 1990s on a former dairy farm. Today, the…
Sunstone Vineyards & Winery
Santa Ynez Valley
Wander inside what looks like an 18th-century stone farmhouse from Provence and into a cool hillside cave housing wine barrels. Sunstone crafts Bordeaux…
Mosby Winery
Santa Ynez Valley
Just west of Hwy 101 by a hillside olive orchard, this casual red carriage house pours unusual Cal-Italian varietals, including a lip-puckering, fruit…
Clairmont Farms
Santa Ynez Valley
Natural beauty awaits just outside Los Olivos at this friendly, organic, family-owned farm, where purple lavender fields bloom like a Monet masterpiece,…
Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard
Santa Ynez Valley
Bordeaux and Rhône varieties do well in the sun-dappled limestone soil at this friendly winery best for wine-tasting neophytes and dog owners. The…