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Here’s a primer for getting to know the richness of Santa Barbara’s wine country

March 24, 2023

Wine is as close as people can get to time travel. Opening a bottle is a glimpse into the past – a snapshot. The sun, the grapes, the air, the dedication and love of the winemaker all pour from the bottle. The entire experience is an emotional transportation to somewhere else – that moment in time, forever held within the walls of that bottle.

The winemakers in Santa Barbara wine country are renowned to be some of the very best at this – not just in California, but in the world. Wine Enthusiast named it Region of the Year in 2021.

To fully understand why the region is so special, you have to appreciate its unique geography. Santa Barbara Wine Country lies within a transverse valley – only one of two in the entirety of the Americas, the other being in Chile.

What this means is the valley runs east to west. Instead of the valley range working to isolate grapes from the elements and temperature changes, it instead acts as a funnel, pulling in the air off the ocean as well as everything it carries to coat the vines as it sees fit. The various micro-climates provided to the region by the transverse nature of the valleys give winemakers an immense amount of flavors within the grapes, and conditions to grow in.

Seven federally sanctioned American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) lie within greater Santa Barbara County. Santa Ynez Valley is an overlying AVA, which is then broken down into four sub-AVAs (west to east): Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara.

Sta. Maria Valley sits the farthest North. The newest AVA that was federally recognized in 2020 is Alisos Canyon AVA. More than 270 wineries work with more than 70 varietals of grapes to produce a staggering array of wines.

Facts are only the skeleton, however – it’s everything else around the bottle that truly makes the wines of Santa Barbara County special. The people who work the various AVAs are as warm and inviting as the sun that kisses the land. This isn’t to say there aren’t great experiences outside of Santa Barbara wine country, but there is a relaxed atmosphere here that’s rare. There is little pretense or expectations – gatekeeping to the world of wine is not something that exists in these lands.

Luna Hart Wines in the Santa Ynez Valley was founded by winemaker Gretchen Voelcker and is a boutique wine company specializing in small batches. (Photo by Crawford McCarthy)

Winemakers to know

Gretchen Voelcker, winemaker at Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart in the Santa Ynez Valley, welcomes guests with a bright smile and open arms. Her energy and passion for her craft are beautifully infectious, and her wines are stunning.

At Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart, she develops beautiful expressions of Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah and more. She doesn’t stop there – Voelcker utilizes all the colors of the rainbow. Her Graciano is vivacious and disarmingly delicious. Her Grüner Veltliner is simply divine. The entire experience of tasting wines here feels more like seeing an old friend than visiting a business.

Sunshine is one of the most important aspects of winemaking, and no one is a better embodiment of the very sun itself than Sunny Doench Stricker of Future Perfect Wine. When you think of going wine tasting, you want a welcoming environment to sit, sip and enjoy.

It’s best to learn about the process, the winemaker’s approach, and the wines themselves all while being able to feel comfortable and relaxed. Stricker’s wines are a direct reflection of that energy. Her wildly charming tasting room in Los Olivos is as if a glass of her Sparkling Blanc de Blanc became sentient and got a degree in hospitality and marketing. It’s no wonder Future Perfect is the place many choose to start their wine touring day – everyone loves a good sunrise.

Whimsy and welcoming excursions into the vineyard are fantastic, but who doesn’t love a luxurious afternoon of doing absolutely nothing (except tasting wine, of course)? The wines Steve Clifton produces at Vega Farm and Vineyard in Buellton are other-worldly. Save the airfare money to Italy and open some of these bottles instead. Nebbiolo, Teroldego, Sangiovese and many, many more varietals are all available to savor.

The massive property has been stunningly designed – farm animals for kids, amazing wines for adults, and a beautiful kitchen program for everyone to enjoy. The space is set up for event hosting as well.

The ability for the various AVAs to produce so many types of grapes makes this one of the most diverse growing regions on the planet. It’s also the variability of flavors within those very grapes that makes it truly exciting. Take Dragonette Cellars, for example – specifically their Sauvignon Blanc. Brothers John and Steve Dragonette and close friend Brandon Sparks-Gillis all run Dragonette Cellars. While they make a handful of other exceptionally good wines, tasting through their Sauvignon Blanc is like watching a magic trick.

Grapes are from three different farms – yet each within a stone’s throw of the other, give or take. One would expect the flavors to be similar given the proximity, but no. They’re distinctly different with every sip – minerality, salinity, citrus, floral notes and more. Wave after wave depicts the possibilities of what the region can produce.

Before you go

A trip to Santa Barbara wine country is more than just a weekend away, it’s a short drive to the flavors of the world.

Fire up the search engine – or, better yet, just download the app from the Santa Barbara Vintners Association – and get planning. Pack a bag, book a room. The Ballard Inn is a phenomenal choice (charming and chic, with an excellent in-house restaurant, impeccable wine list and management team. It’s a great location for trips to the AVAs and surrounding wineries).

This story is part of a collection of stories printed Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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Here’s a primer for getting to know the richness of Santa Barbara’s wine country

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