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Consider those around you. Smoking and heavy perfume? Not so considerate. And smoking dulls your wine-tasting senses.

Picnics and purchases welcome. It’s very cool to purchase a bottle from the winery before spreading out the picnic blanket.

Be kind to your tasting-room manager. Managers tend to be social creatures. Be friendly, but that doesn’t mean acting like Miles and Jack – Miles dumped a spit cup over himself, remember? Burroughs sums up the wine-sipping philosophy best: ‘I’d rather drink a mediocre bottle of wine with a cool person than special wine with a jerk.’

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ZACA MESA WINERY

Just north of Fess Parker, stop by smaller, barn-style Zaca Mesa ( 805-688-9339; www.zacamesa.com; 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd; tastings $10; 10am-4pm) for a rustic, sipping-on-the-farm ambiance. The friendly hosts at the tasting room are happy to share their knowledge and the vibe is low key but convivial. One of the oldest wineries in Santa Barbara County, Zaca Mesa is known not only for its Rhône varietals, but also for an over-sized outdoor chessboard and a short, scenic trail overlooking the property; there’s also a picnic area.

FOXEN VINEYARD

Once a working cattle ranch, Foxen ( 805-937-4251; www.foxenvineyard.com; 7200 Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa Maria; tastings per 5-6 wines $5-7; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri) is known for its diverse varietals – warm-climate cabernets, cool-climate pinot noirs and great Rhône-style wines – that it sources from the area’s best vineyards. Its tiny, dressed-down tasting room, with concrete floor, corrugated-metal roof and funky-cool decor, sits in one of the prettiest stretches of the Santa Maria Valley at mileage marker 16. Only those in the know make the journey to this special place.

RANCHO SISQUOC

For a malbec and surprisingly good cabernet, head northeast to Rancho Sisquoc ( 805-934-4332; www.ranchosisquoc.com; 6600 Foxen Canyon Rd; 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, to 5pm Fri-Sun). This tranquil gem is worth the extra mileage. The charmingly rustic tasting room is surrounded by shade-covered decks, sun-dappled lawns and gorgeous pastoral views, making this the perfect spot for a picnic. In fact, sisquoc is the Chumash term for ‘gathering place’, befitting considering your typical Sunday afternoon crowd – picnicking quartets, mom-and-son duos and friendly, leather-clad Harley riders. Turn off Foxen Canyon Rd when you spot the San Ramon Chapel, a drafty little church built in 1875, where you can attend Mass at 10:30am on Sunday; it’s on the east side of the road and worth a visit for those curious about local history and architecture.

Santa Rita Hills Wine Trail

Santa Rita Hills may be the new kid on the block, but when it comes to country-road scenery, ecoconscious farming practices and top-notch pinots, Santa Rita holds its own. A half-dozen tasting rooms line this scenic loop. Be prepared to share the road with cyclists and the occasional John Deere tractor.

One of the most-talked-about new ventures is Alma Rosa Winery ( 805-688-9090; www.almarosawinery.com; 7250 Santa Rosa Rd; tastings $5; 11am-5pm), opened by Richard Sanford, founder of nearby Sanford Wineries. He left the powerhouse bearing his name in 2005 to start this new winery with his wife, Thekla, using sustainable, California-certified organic farming techniques. Cacti and cobblestones welcome visitors to the stick-built shack where tasting-room manager Chris Burroughs (opposite) will happily explain what you’re tasting. The reserve pinot is a favorite of Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, a friend of Sanford’s.

Danish grower Peter Work, a former LA businessman, and wife Rebecca display their passion for the vine at Ampelos Cellars & Vineyard ( 805-736-9957; www.ampeloscellars.com; tastings 10am-3pm Tue-Sat by appointment), through rigorous adherence to biodynamic farming techniques, encyclopedic knowledge of their lots and a willingness to try innovative, ecofriendly approaches to wine-growing. This passion shines through in their pinot and grenache. Tastings are by appointment, although Ampelos – Greek