Taking my fiancee for a weekend get away in Solvang..

anyone know of good vineyards to visit while i'm up there?

thanks much!

 

Napa FTW! but it's kinda far up north

 

temecula! place is beautiful...

 

hey cheston, I recommend Rideau. The regular tasting was $10 per person and the reserve was $15. A little more expensive than the other places around there. But the owner is very friendly and the reserve tasting was really good. Also Buttonwood, which was only $7 for 4 whites AND 4 or 5 reds.

 

Rusack, is good stuff. Lions Peak is also good. Bridlewood and Zacha Mesa are good also....thats all I can remember off the top of my head.

 

Wines are not as good as Santa Barbara or Solvang.

 

santa ynez area has a lot of great wine. My girlfriend and I just spent a few days in that area doing wine tastings and such. We enjoyed Brander, Zaca Mesa, Carina Cellars (tasting room in los olivos), and Buttonwood the most of the ones we visited. Firestone is one of the bigger ones and if you go there and pay the 10 bucks for the tasting you can take your glass to curtis and taste for free (or vice versa and goto curtis first).

 

Zaca Mesa, Fess Parker, Rancho Sisquoc, Sanford are a few that are always worthwhile.

Great little 2-lane country roads back there. A VERY fun drive! If you can, plan to spend a whole day going from winery to winery. Spectacular scenery.

Reminds me I've got to get back up there... it's been awhile.

 

If you go to the Santa Barbara City Website.
They have links to wine tours. Either bus or limo. They hit 4-5 wineries and sometimes includes a lunch.
I used to do them a lot when I lived in Santa Barbara. Don't have to worry about getting too drunk to drive back.
Most drops you off right back in Santa Barbara.

 

thanks for the tips

unfortunately, im not taking the Z (for the sake of my fiancee, she said its too noisy.. ruh-oh!!!)

 

good call, some of the wineries you have to enter through dirt roads (muddy if it recently rained), and some places you have to park in the grass/mud. I took my Z and found this out for myself.

 

Not to mention that you dont have a place to put all that wine you're going to buy...