SAN
FRANCISCO, Sept. 26,
2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- California's beautiful wine regions offer a
wide variety of wines and experiences to enjoy and are a key reason
that many travelers choose the Golden State as a vacation
destination. To help visitors learn more, Wine Institute's
California Wines Road Trip series highlights different regions.
This month, take a trip to Santa
Barbara County, a region with a 200-plus year history that
was put in the spotlight by the indie hit film, Sideways,
and travel magazines worldwide. Santa Barbara's "mountains
meet the sea" picture-postcard geography produces diverse
microclimates, making it possible for winegrowers to grow dozens of
winegrape varieties – especially Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay.
Santa Barbara County
contains six American Viticultural Areas
(AVA) and is part of the larger Central Coast
AVA. Located about 90 miles north of
Los Angeles, this wine region hugs
the Pacific coastline and visitors can enjoy sun, scenery,
excellent restaurants, boutique shops, art galleries and outdoor
activities as they explore the region's wineries.
SIP: Nearly 200 wineries call
Santa Barbara County home.
Browse this list of Santa Barbara County
wineries or use the
discovercaliforniawines.com interactive map to
search wineries by amenities such as tours, gardens, picnic areas,
food for purchase, concerts, art and more. The
Santa Barbara County Vintners Association also
features an in-depth wine country touring guide
and two-for-one tasting passes for
purchase online, as well as free tasting route
maps to nine wine trails. These include downtown
Santa Barbara's Funk Zone
urban wine trail, a dining, nightlife and arts
scene where entertainment in the waterfront district is within
walking distance of more than two dozen tasting rooms. Movie
buffs can follow in Miles' and Jack's footsteps
along the Sideways Wine Trail.
Other wonderful wine routes include the Santa
Ynez Wine Trail and Foxen Canyon Wine
Trail—with beautiful estate wineries—and the town
of Los Olivos, boasting 20-plus tasting
rooms as well as charming shops and artisanal eats.
STAY: Those looking to
stay in the Santa Barbara County wine region can
choose from charming inns in the historic Danish town of
Solvang or upscale boutique hotels
in downtown Santa Barbara to
luxurious beach resorts. Notable wine-centric hotels include
Bacara Resort and Spa, The Landsby and Santa Ynez Valley Marriott.
PLAY: One "must see" is
Old Mission Santa Barbara, a picturesque mission
where wine was originally made by Franciscan monks two centuries
ago. The site, considered one of California's grandest missions, is the 10th of
21 built along the state's "mission trail" and features a museum,
docent-led tours and 12 acres of gardens.
Stearns Wharf offers seaside
restaurants, a fishing shop, old-fashioned candy store, wine
tasting and shops, close to the beach where visitors can surf, play
volleyball, rent bicycles, paddleboard and more. Or visit the
historic Danish village of Solvang, known for its authentic architecture
and bakeries, the latter of which you can explore on the
Sweet Treats Trail. Sip and stroll along
the Solvang Wine Walk to get a full taste
of the town.
MAKE: A fun experience is Santa Barbara's Market
Forays, where every Saturday attendees shop for
seasonal local ingredients with a chef and learn how to use them to
easily create delicious meals paired with local wines.
Creative wine consumers can sip and paint at The
Painted Cabernet, an urban studio on State Street
where an artist gives one-on-one instruction while guests enjoy
local wines. Learn to make great food and wine photos while
consuming the subject matter with the Eat This, Shoot
That! Tour.
GROW: Santa Barbara
County's geography and climate is unique
because of its transverse mountain range that runs east to west
rather than north to south. Many of the vineyards sit
open-mouthed to the Pacific Ocean. This maritime climate sweeps
into the western part of the county with a daily influx of fog and
cold ocean wind, while inland brings more sun and warmer
temperatures. These diverse microclimates produce more than 50
winegrape varieties, from Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in
the west to Bordeaux and Rhone
grapes in the warmer east.
EAT: Santa Barbara serves up a
good portion of farmer's markets, celebrity chef restaurants, and
wine and food events. In October, visitors can partake in
the Celebration of Harvest, where nearly
150 wineries pour at the Santa Inés Mission and food purveyors and
winemaker dinners abound. See the best
throughout October in local cuisine, libations and
culture. Other standouts include the Santa
Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend in April and
the California Lemon Festival in
September
Visit discovercaliforniawines.com
for information on wine regions, wines and wineries
throughout the Golden State and for planning a trip to California wine country. California is
the number one U.S. state for wine and food tourism with dozens of
distinct wine regions, 138 American Viticultural Areas and 4,600
wineries that produce 85 percent of U.S. wine. Established in 1934,
Wine Institute is the public policy association of nearly 1,000
California wineries.
See: wineinstitute.org.
Photo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160926/411816-INFO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/explore-santa-barbara-county-on-a-california-wines-road-trip-300334051.html
SOURCE Wine Institute