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By Root 1196 0

you work your way through Wine Country you’ll see vineyards and you’ll see wineries. They are not the same thing. The term ‘vineyard’ refers only to the place where grapes are grown. A winery, on the other hand, is the place where the grapes are actually fermented into wine. Wineries buy grapes from vineyards. If a winery makes wine using grapes from its own vineyards, it’s properly called an estate, as in ‘estate grown’ or ‘estate bottled.’ But estates, too, ferment grapes from other vineyards as well as their own. When you see ‘vineyard-designated’ wines, this means that a winery buys grapes from a particular vineyard known for its superior quality.

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The area is perfect for do-it-yourself exploring. With more than 100 wineries dotting the landscape, it can seem daunting to organize a tour. But don’t worry about sticking to a regimented plan or following overly detailed wine guides. Soak in the scenery, pull over where the sign seems welcoming or where the vibe feels right. Serendipity may lead you to a new favorite wine or even new friends of the road.

Orientation & Information

The Wine Country is north of Santa Barbara; you can get there in just under an hour, via Hwys 154 (San Marcos Pass Rd) and 101. The Santa Ynez Valley, where you’ll find most of the wineries, lies south of the Santa Maria Valley. Hwy 246 runs east–west, via Solvang, across the bottom of the Santa Ynez Valley, and connects Hwy 101 and Hwy 154. North–south secondary roads where you’ll find good wineries include Alamo Pintado Rd from Hwy 246 to the town of Los Olivos, and Refugio Rd into neighboring Ballard.

Five small towns in the Santa Ynez Valley – Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Ballard and Los Olivos – are scattered within 8 miles of each other, making it easy to stop, shop and eat during your travels. The cute, centrally located town of Los Olivos is a particularly good place to recharge since it’s essentially on the line between the Santa Ynez Valley and the Santa Maria Valley.

For a half-day trip, expect to spend no less than four hours, which will allow you to see one winery or tasting room, have lunch and return to Santa Barbara. Otherwise make it a full day and plan to have lunch and possibly dinner before returning to the city. There are numerous tours (Click here) offering guided Wine Country trips from Santa Barbara or Solvang.

The three appellations for the area are Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills (the newest), but local wine guides typically organize the wineries and tasting rooms into three primary wine trails: the Santa Ynez, Foxen Canyon and Santa Rita Hills. Tasting rooms dot Solvang and Los Olivos – town-based wine trails perfect for those with limited time.

The Santa Barbara Vintners’ Association ( 805-668-0881, 800-218-0881; www.sbcountywines.com) publishes a touring map of all the wineries in the area and has some useful information about the area, including lodgings, on its website. You can pick up its map in the Santa Barbara Visitor Center.

Santa Ynez Valley Trail

Most of the wineries on this route cluster along Alamo Pintado Rd and Refugio Rd south of Roblar Ave and just west of Hwy 154.

SUNSTONE VINEYARDS & WINERY

After a short jaunt on a dirt road, you’ll find this Provence-style destination winery ( 805-688-9463, 800-313-9463; www.sunstonewinery.com; 125 Refugio Rd; tastings $10; 10am-4pm), which looks like an 18th-century stone farmhouse. Inside, wander past the main tasting area into dimly lit hillside caves housing the barrel room and a library of vintage Sunstone wines. Sunstone crafts great Bordeaux-style wines and blends of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon – made from 100% organically grown grapes. Bring a picnic to eat in the courtyard beneath the gnarled oaks.

BUTTONWOOD FARM WINERY & VINEYARD

Bordeaux and Rhône varieties do well in the sun-dappled limestone soil at this friendly 39-acre winery ( 805-688-3032; www.buttonwoodwinery.com; 100 Alamo Pintado Rd; tastings $7.50; 11am-5pm) that’s fronted by a cozy, shacklike tasting room bordering Buttonwood Farms