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Santa Barbara Wine Country

Santa Barbara Wine Country’s most popular region for wine tours is Santa Ynez Valley. Cooled by wind and fog from the Pacific Ocean, the western part of the AVA is widely planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Moving east, the elevation and day time temperature both increase, making it more suitable for Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. This contributes to the diversity of Santa Barbara Wineries.

The Santa Rita Hills is a sub-AVA in Santa Barbara Wine Country. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive in the cool, windy climate. Babcock Vineyards and Sanford Winery are two of the more established Santa Barbara Wineries.

The most prized vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley AVA are grown east of Highway 101 on elevated benchlands. These benchlands are perfectly suited for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which enjoy the cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean. During the 1970s and 1980s, Kendall-Jackson, Beringer Vineyards and Robert Mondavi Winery planted vines throughout the region. These Santa Barbara Wineries are now staples of any wine tour through the region.

> A Few Popular Santa Barbara Wineries

Comments & Reviews

March 2, 2012 | JTulane

I am literally obsessed with the Santa Barbara wine country. They have so much to offer and if you don't want to be out of the city there are a ton of great wineries in downtown Santa Barbara that are excellent and well worth looking into. Santa Barbara Winery is great and so is Cottonwood. Pierre LaFond has an excellent selection of wines as well. I try and hit all my favorite spots whenever I am in Santa Barbara, but sometimes it is so hard to do! I just love that my go to hotel is right around the corner from a ton of places to go-the Sandman Inn (www.thesandmaninn.com). Cheap as can be, leaving me so much money for wine!

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