We already have appointments at Margerum, Pali and Jonata. Any other suggestions for good wineries to visit?
If you will be at Pali, you should stop next door to see Brian Loring! It’s the same building…
Visit Joe Davis at Arcadian as well, and I recommend Palmina for a unique tasting of Italian varieties/varietals grown in SB
+1 on Joe Davis. Off the top of my head i also recommend Larry Schaeffer at Tercero, Dave Corey at Core, Kris Curran and Bruno D’Alfonso, Mikael Sigouin At Kaena/Beckmen, and make the road trip to eat at Full of Life Flat bread.
David, there are many posts on this and you may want to do a search for them. Todd has some really good suggestions. I`m pasting in one of my responses to a similar thread for your peruse:
"As stated above, theres a lot of recent and past threads; nonetheless, heres a few thoughts. Many wineries do not have their tastings rooms on premises, especially the small artisanal ones. Even then, there are numerous tasting shops that represent many wineries which makes it easier to taste through different producers in the same place. I suggest you first decide upon the types of varietals you prefer and then go to those who specialize in those varietals.
Understand, there are a few wineries in Santa Barbara, but the majority of wineries are out in the county. Here`s a short list of those I know and would recommend in SB:
Jaffurs- winery and tasting room; Rhones
Whitcraft- " " " " ; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah
In the county:
Foxen- winery/ tasting room; numerous varietals, all good
Palmina- winery/ tasting room in the wine ghetto in Lompoc with many other good wineries; Italian
Arcadian- tasting room; Burgundian style
In the do not miss category:
Au Bon Climat- numerous wines, all stellar; tasting room in SB as well as Los Olivos
Qupe- Rhones- tastings in Los Olivos
Costa d`Oro- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir especially
There are so many good wineries and many I`m not that familiar with. Some are on this board and may chime in with invites. Go for it.
As to tours, you can probably set that up with any you contact in advance.
Final rec: visit Santa Barbara County Vintners Association website for detailed information, maps, etc. http://www.sbcountywines.com/".
Hope your trip goes well if it has not already happened.