California Central Coast wineries

Discussion in 'On The Road Again' started by 1990txgirl, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. 1990txgirl

    1990txgirl 250+ Posts

    We have explored Napa/Sonoma for the past 7 years and are interested in checking out the Central Coast this year (Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monterey, etc.)

    Would appreciate any suggestions for itinerary, wineries, lodging, restaurants. Thanks!
     
  2. Mack Tripper

    Mack Tripper 500+ Posts

    Don't go to Frass Canyon. Its a tourist trap. [​IMG]
     
  3. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    When you say "Santa Barbara", you probably mean the Santa Ynez Valley. There are a few wineries actually in Santa Barbara, but all of that SIDEWAYS stuff happens on the other side of the mountains.

    Other than that, I don't personally know one from another. My friend's cousins in Santa Barbara would, but that's 3 degrees of separation from you and I think that you're looking for a little more.

    suerte
     
  4. Longhorn_in_LA

    Longhorn_in_LA 100+ Posts

    Recently took my girlfriend up to Santa Ynez for a weekend, so i'll jump in.

    Wineries:
    Sunstone, Kalyra, Gainey (offer a tour if I recall), and Rideau are the best i've visited. Firestone vineyard is up there too. Here is a link to a site that led me to try Sunstone and Kalyra on my recent trip: Top Wineries

    Depending on how long you want to stay in the area, I would recommend you visit Solvang for an afternoon. It's a small tourist town, that has a Danish theme. Danish architecture everywhere. Kind of neat. Variety of restaurants too.

    1-2 days is enough to take in the area. Would recommend you probably stay one full day in Santa Barbara.
     
  5. YChang

    YChang 500+ Posts

    have a friend's nephew attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (I think this is the area from the Sideways movie) and majoring in wine making...I didn't even know there was a major for that. Anyway he took us out to Edna Valley and the tour was typical winery stuff, but the scenery was fantastic.

    Edna Valley Vineyard
     
  6. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    In reply to:


     
  7. YChang

    YChang 500+ Posts

    Well...there is tons of tulips and windmills in Solvang...and the billboard nearby advertise it as such. [​IMG]

    It's worth a stop for a hour or so.
     
  8. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    In reply to:


     
  9. YoLaDu

    YoLaDu Guest

    Definitely spend a day in Santa Barbara.

    Stroll down State Street, one of the nicest, well designed and planned business/shopping districts in the country. And of course the weather will be perfect.

    The beaches there are so-so, but there are nice touristy type places on the pier to eat and drink.

    Drive through Montecito (enclave of SB) and see how the ultra super rich live.
     
  10. Kahuna

    Kahuna 25+ Posts

    My wife and I made this same trip about six years ago (Santa Barbara, SLO, Paso Robles, Monterrey) and all points between. All were scenic destinations and worth visiting, but our favorite wine area was around Paso Robles. The Paso area produces a lot of good cabs and zins. We planned on spending an afternoon in Paso, but ended up staying three days. The wineries weren't on the same grand scale as some of the Napa Valley wineries, so I wouldn't name any of them as places you had to see. Many of them produced very good wines, however, at least the year we visited. Our favorite wines were at Opolo.

    A good side trip, by the way, is the Hearst Castle. The only place we stayed that I would highlight is the Post Ranch Inn located up on the Big Sur towards Monterrey. Check out their web site. We stayed there about this time of the year and they had off season rates that made the place almost affordable. The room rate included breakfast and dinner on-site at one of the best restaurants in California. We stayed in a treehouse suite. When you checked in they gave you two bottles of wine, and had your room fridge stocked with all kinds of high end snacks that were provided at no extra cost. The wine and snacks served as our lunch most days. We soaked in the large, negative edge spa overlooking the Pacific, sipping vino, and watched California condors fly by on the up-current.

    Since this is Hornfans, I will note that we visited the Fess Parker Winery. Fess Parker, famous for his role as Davy Crockett in the Disney version of The Alamo, is a UT grad. His wines were only so-so, however.

    Have a great trip!
     
  11. drycreek

    drycreek Guest

    I've been to Santa Ynez several times and it is awesome. One of my favorite things to do. Some of the wineries that were mentioned before are ones that I really liked. Sunstone, Kalyra and Gainey are all nice but if your just there for say a day I think the best thing to do is take the 101 up a little from Buellton and exit at the 154 then take a left up Zaca Station Road and you will get to hit several good spots. You start out with Firestone, then roll on to Fess Parker, then stop at Foxen on the way and end at Rancho Sisqua. Fireston is bigger and there's always a lot of folks there. Then I always like Fess Parker cause heck he was Davy Crockett and they have a real good/cheap table wine called Frontier Red that I like. After that Foxen is just a neat little "shack" on the side of the road with a nice patio behind to sit and enjoy the weather. Then Rancho Sisqua is great because it's way down the road and the views are just really awesome and they have a big ole lawn that you can enjoy a pic nic on. All in all it's a lot of fun. Oh and for dinner try the Firestone Brewery in Buellton. They have some good brews and a damn good burger made with Kobe beef. I think there Pale Ale won best in America a couple of years back, I'm not sure though.
     
  12. 1990txgirl

    1990txgirl 250+ Posts

    Thanks for all the replies so far!
     
  13. AggieFactFinder

    AggieFactFinder 250+ Posts

    we went to the Santa Ynez Valley before both Rose Bowls, had 2 great trips. I like the area a lot and the experience is so different from Napa.

    We stayed both times at the Ballard Inn in Ballard, just outside Los Olivos, and will stay there again. We did talk to another couple there who felt they had a better stay at Fess Parker.

    Foxen has been mentioned and I would visit. I also really like the scenery at Rusack and would definitely stop in there.

    Dinner: Brothers Restaurant at Matteis Tavern in Los Olivos. I would also have lunch or some wine at Los Olivos Cafe.

    We stopped off in Paso Robles to visit Justin, one of my favorites, but other than that I don't know much about it.
     
  14. CalHornGal

    CalHornGal 25+ Posts

    Be sure to stop by the Andrew Murray Vineyards Tasting room in Los Olivos. That one stop will make the trip worth your while. Rideau and Kalyra Wineries are some of my faves as well. While Fess Parker has a nice tasting room - its often packed with buses of tourists. Its really hit and miss. Personally I like the smaller tasting venues.

    If you have the means to stay at Bacara Resort north of Santa Barbara, I would definitely recommend it.
     
  15. drycreek

    drycreek Guest

    Oh and if you like to camp you can't beat Lake Cachuma which is right along the 154/San Marcos Pass Road between Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara.

    We also camped on the beach right off the 101 at Refugio Road. If you head north toward the mountains on Refugio Road you will come up on a Dude Ranch where you can ride horses for a reasonable rate. It's an awesome experience. They take you straight up the mountains to the top where you can see the Reagan Ranch house and look out into the Pacific at the Channel Islands. Incredible view!
     
  16. Longhorn_in_LA

    Longhorn_in_LA 100+ Posts

    FYI - The dude ranch Dry Creek is referring to is:
    Horseback riding

    I did this on the way back to LA from Santa Ynez last month. I highly recommend it. Very reasonable rates. Fantastic views.
     
  17. drycreek

    drycreek Guest

    Yeah my only beef with the Circle B was they wouldn't allow you to pay more if you wanted to go off on your own with your buddies. You just have to stay in tow. Still an awesome time but would be better if you could go where you please.
     
  18. AggieFactFinder

    AggieFactFinder 250+ Posts

    txgirl I'm bumping this because my wife and I just got back from a last-minute trip to the area. The weather was phenomenal, which made the lanscape far more beautiful than I remembered, as it had been somewhat rainy the first 2 times we went. Waking up in the morning and taking a short drive to Los Olivos Grocery as the sun rose was just great. We also took a bike ride one of the days. I can't say enough about how much we enjoy this area.

    We stayed at the Ballard Inn again. It's in Ballard, about 4 minutes from Los Olivos. You might prefer to stay in Los Olivos since you can walk to a bunch of tasting rooms, but I like the Ballard Inn so much it's an easy choice for me. There are several towns- Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Ballard, Solvang, Buellton- that are within just a few miles of each other. Staying in any of them is fine.

    Found a new restaurant that we loved- Grappolo in Santa Ynez. Really good Italian. Los Olivos Cafe is a great spot any time of day starting with lunch. They have an excellent snack menu that's perfect for afternoons after tasting.

    Also, I recommended Rusack as a winery to visit in an earlier post. Even if you don't care about their wines, you have to take the drive from Los Olivos to Rusack. I forgot how nice it is. It's just amazing.

    Usually these places aren't crowded anyway, but going to some of them during the week was even better; there was hardly anyone there, so we were able to talk at length with the staff.

    Also recommend Koehler as a vineyard to hit. It's also on Foxen Canyon road along with Foxen and some others that were recommended here. I think the wine is great, and the guy normally working the counter is informative and pretty entertaining.

    Also be mindful of the weather. It can get very hot in the summer. Rainy season is from December until March.
     
  19. 1990txgirl

    1990txgirl 250+ Posts

    Just got back last night from a FANTASTIC vacation driving up the California coast, tasting wines along the way!

    CalHornGal--THANK YOU for mentioning Bacara! We'd never heard of it. Oh my... what a little piece of heaven. From the moment we arrived to the moment we reluctantly departed, we felt completely pampered. The staff couldn't have been more gracious and accommodating.

    Kahuna, you and about 3 other people mentioned the Post Ranch Inn so we stopped there for a drink on our way to Carmel. You weren't kidding about the rates [​IMG] but the view was spectacular.

    Thanks to everyone for the winery suggestions. Unfortunately, it turns out that many of the recommended wineries are only open half the week and happened to be closed the one day we were in the area. We tried some and discovered a couple on our own. We enjoyed Paso Robles the most and will definitely plan to spend more time there on a future visit.

    I'll try to post more when I have a little more time.
     
  20. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts


     

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