Santa Barbara
Wine Country

Santa Barbara Wine Country is one of the hot wine travel destinations says the Wine Enthusiast magazine and website. Santa Barbara’s wineries and vineyards rate alongside those of Napa Valley as an exciting wine destination to visit. 

Santa Barbara Wine Country VineyardsSanta Barbara Wine Country Vineyards

Three USA wine destinations made Wine Enthusiast's Top Ten list, the other one alongside Santa Barbara and Napa Valley being Virginia, on the east coast. The other top seven destinations around the world are:

  • The Champagne Region in France (of course!)
  • The Veneto Region in Italy, taking in Venice
  • The Central Otago Wine Region in New Zealand
  • The Colchagua Valley in Chile
  • Priorat-Cambrils in Spain
  • Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary
  • The Mosel Valley in Germany

Well, as a list we’d say that is far from being the Usual Suspects. In the United States you might expect to find places like Sonoma, Paso Robles and Oregon ahead of wines from Santa Barbara and Virginia. You might also expect to find more than one wine travel region from France, in addition to Champagne - and why is there nowhere from Australia?

Well, lists like this are meant to stir up publicity for whoever produces the list, but they do also make you think - and its certainly good news for the vineyards and wineries of Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Wine Country 

So why is Santa Barbara such a great place to visit for the wine traveler? “That’s thanks in equal parts to its Hollywood-style glamour, palm tree-fringed sandy beaches, fashionable resorts, great cuisine, endless shopping and one of the most beautiful wine regions in California,” says Wine Enthusiast magazine.

Tour of Santa Barbara Wine Country

Right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara you can tour this Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail.

Santa Barbara Wine Country Wine Varieties

Wine Enthusiast says that these are the prominent wine varieties that are the best wines to look for in Santa Barbara: “Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah feature in the cool parts of the valley, while Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhône varieties dominate the warm areas.”

If you want to read what Wine Enthusiast has to say about Santa Barbara wine country, click here. 

Where to Stay in Santa Barbara

Other wine pages

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  • Where to Eat on the Pacific Coast Highway

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  • Where to Eat and Stay on the Pacific Coast Highway

    Expert advice and personal recommendations on where to eat and where to stay along the Pacific Coast Highway, including a guide to PCH Hotels that you can buy.

  • Washington Wine Country

    Washington Wine Country includes plenty of vineyards and wineries that can be visited while traveling the Pacific Coast Highway including the Olympic Peninsula.

  • Paso Robles Wine Tours

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  • Ventura Bars, Breweries, and Beer Festivals

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  • Sonoma County Distilleries

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  • Santa Cruz Downtown Wine Tastings

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  • Santa Barbara

    Standing on the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Santa Barbara is an attractive resort with a historic downtown, sandy beaches, a mission, and good museums.

  • Santa Barbara Whale Watching

    Santa Barbara whale watching cruises in southern California can be booked through Condor Express, with whale watching trips leaving from the harbor.

  • Santa Barbara Italian Restaurant

    The Santa Barbara Italian restaurant Olio e Limone serves some of the best Sicilian-Italian food in California, and is well-located downtown.

  • Santa Barbara Historical Museum

    The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is one of the best things to do in Santa Barbara, California, on the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • Santa Barbara Guidebook

    The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

  • Santa Barbara Beachfront Hotel

    The Oceana Santa Barbara beachfront hotel has a perfect seafront location, close to Stearns Wharf and State Street, and whale watching cruises.

  • San Francisco Best Chinatown Restaurants

    San Francisco has some of the best Chinatown restaurants in the USA, and its Chinese restaurants provide superb dining. Here are our top eating places.

  • Robert Mondavi

    Robert Mondavi was one of the leading wine-makers in Napa Valley, who helped turn California wines into some of the best wines in the world.

  • Road Food Guide

    West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

  • Ravens' Restaurant Mendocino

    Ravens' Restaurant in Mendocino at the Stanford Inn by the Sea is one of the top dining experiences in California with gourmet vegan and vegetarian cuisine.

  • Paso Robles Accommodation

    If looking for Paso Robles accommodation you could stay on a vineyard at the luxury JUST Inn Bed and Breakfast, in the grounds of the JUSTIN winery.

  • Pacific Coast Wine Trail

    The Pacific Coast Wine Trail includes wineries and vineyards along the Pacific Coast Highway in California's Central Coast including tasting rooms.

  • Olympic Peninsula Wineries

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