Getting to know the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Region

We have all heard of Napa Valley and Sonoma, two of the most renowned wine regions in California and all of the United States. But, have you heard of the Santa Ynez Valley? If not, you should know about it.

Only 40 minutes from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, two hours north of Los Angeles and four-hours south of San Francisco, you’ll find the Santa Ynez Valley. What might be Hollywood’s closest wine region is the furthest thing like its star-studded neighbor.

The laid back, farming communities of the Santa Ynez Valley make up the largest of the six federally-sanctioned American Viticultural Areas AVAs within the Santa Barbara County AVA. The Santa Maria Valley AVA is the second largest within the Santa Barbara County AVA. The other four AVAs are actually sub-AVAs of the Santa Ynez Valley – Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon.

The Santa Ynez Valley is home to six distinct towns, each with its own lodging and restaurant scene, but all only 10-15 minutes from one another.

One the smallest towns in the Santa Ynez Valley both in size and population, is home to the infamous Ballard Inn and award-winning restaurant, The Gathering Table. This little town offers visitors a quiet, retreat in wine country.

One of the larger, more active towns within the Santa Ynez Valley, Buellton offers visitors a variety of hotels, distilleries, outdoor activities and wineries.

At the northern end of the Santa Ynez Valley you’ll find the quaint town of Los Alamos. It’s only seven blocks long yet filled with a world of Old West heritage. While you may feel a bit transported back in time with the historic buildings and scenery, this little town is quickly becoming a hip, culinary and wine tasting destination. With restaurants such as Bell’s French Bistro, Plenty on Bell, Pico Restaurant, and Bob’s Well Bread this little gem of a town is one worth exploring in the Santa Ynez Valley.

This is a charming, picture-perfect country town that has done an amazing job melding its history with modern-day wine tasting rooms, art galleries and upscale shops.

The town of Santa Ynez is the largest in size in the Santa Ynez Valley. It does an excellent job in taking visitors back to the Old West with its period-style false-front building facades housing shops, saloons, feed stores and random horses hitched to posts.

Founded in 1911, the community of Solvang has held true to its Danish-American heritage. Farm-style architecture and windmills of all sizes line the streets of the pedestrian friendly village. You can easily spend the day in Solvang exploring the boutiques, restaurants and of course tasting rooms.

Read on to find Carpe Travel’s first-hand travel tips and recommendations to help make your stay in the Santa Ynez Valley a memorable one.

With 50 hotels and lodging options in the Santa Ynez Valley, finding a place to stay in wine country can be easy to uncork. All six towns in the Valley are about 10-20 minutes away from one another so staying in one town doesn’t limit where you do your wine tastings, restaurants and other activities.

Recently renovated, The Ballard Inn is one of the most sought-after small luxury inns in the Santa Ynez Valley. Voted one of America’s Top Ten Most Romantic Inns, it offers comfortably elegant accommodations, attentive staff, and award-winning cuisine at The Gathering Table.

The Cottages at Bob’s Well Bread is an AirBnB rental managed by Bob’s Well Bread – home to the most amazing sandwiches and pastries!!

Having a prepared picnic lunch for a day of wine tasting is a must, at least for me. I love to have a few sandwiches, cheeses, salads and treats ready at a whim. That way we can grab a picnic table – and bottle of wine – at a winery we’re sipping at. Or, throw down a blanket for a spontaneous picnic lunch at an overlook featuring stunning views of the Valley.

During my visit to the Santa Ynez Valley I had the chance to try out THREE different deli’s that all prepared picnic lunches for a day of sipping through Santa Ynez Valley wineries. I highly suggest you call ahead and order your food so you can simply run in and grab your picnic. Although, if you are starting in Los Alamos with Bob’s Well Bread, you ought to consider doing breakfast there as well. I’m still dreaming of the egg sandwich on a banquette with prosciutto and arugula. (My Keto diet went out the window…I’m officially back in love with bread.)

This deli is amazing! Food is made fresh daily without corn syrup, preservatives, GMO, food dyes or anything artificial. Only the finest, freshest seasonal ingredients are used, resulting in a delicious and good-for-you end product.

The sandwiches are big enough so you can split them. It’s a great way to do a bit more sampling from the menu. The Husband and I shared the Fresh Roasted Turkey Breast sandwich with cranberry-fig compote, triple cream brie, pancetta, arugula, rosemary aioli and the Mustard & Herb Crusted Beef sandwich with piquillo peppers, greens, sweet onion jam, ale-mustard cheese, rosemary aioli. BOTH ARE AMAZING! Make sure to also grab a cheese board for either pre or post lunch sipping.

Founded in 2011 by Bob Oswaks — the former president of worldwide marketing for Sony Pictures — Bob’s Well Bread has quickly become a landmark in Los Alamos. Known for its artisan bread, baked in a custom-made stone-deck oven, as well as classic French-style pastries Bob’s is a must for any visit to the Santa Ynez Valley. One thing I want to point out about Bob’s is they only use natural indigents with no added preservatives. This includes all their gluten-free menu items too. (Want some food and wine pairings from Bob? Take a peek at this wine and meatloaf wine pairing.)

The location in Los Alamos is a popular spot and can become busy during peak hours so make sure to call ahead to place your picnic order. When you arrive, go up to the counter and let them know they have a pre-order. No waiting in long lines for you… If you choose to eat a Bob’s the shaded, outdoor patio is a perfect spot.

SIDE NOTE: Bob is planning to open a second location in Ballard – directly across the street from The Ballard Inn – so if you’re tasting in that area, make sure to pop in for a slice of heaven. Also, make sure you’re ordering/picking-up at the right location if you called it in ahead of time.

This is more like a Whole Foods type of setting, making it perfect for a grab and go picnic option. Along with a salad bar and prepackaged sushi, pasta salads there is also a deli. I personally did both the salad bar and deli. The sandwiches were called in about two-hours before pick-up and were ready when we arrived. Better yet, they were delish!

There are 100+ Santa Ynez Valley wineries so you’re bound to sip well no matter where you go.

UberWINE is available for your wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley, it’s not reliable though. I tried, read my experience here. Maybe you’ll have better luck… If you want to make sure your day wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley is totally taken care of and want someone else to book your tastings, call Jose at Wine Country Cab & Wine Tours. A few other services to consider, Solvang Taxi & Wine Tours and Stagecoach Co.

Now that you have your hotel and picnic lunch’s planned, let’s talk about where to sip. I’ve mapped out a few different itineraries to help you sip your way through Santa Ynez Valley wineries. Now, it’s up to you to pair it for your own Santa Ynez Valley wine tasting experience.