What Makes Santa Maria Valley Wineries Different From Sta. Rita Hills?
Short answer: Santa Maria Valley wineries tend to produce fruit-forward, rounder wines shaped by sandy loam soils and a wide-open valley, while Sta. Rita Hills delivers leaner, more mineral-driven bottles thanks to tighter wind tunnels, calcareous rock, and colder overall temperatures. Both sit in Santa Barbara County. Both grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But the…
What Should First-Time Visitors Know Before Booking a Santa Barbara Chardonnay Tasting Tour?
Quick answer: Santa Barbara County produces some of the most Burgundy-style Chardonnay in California thanks to its unusual east-to-west mountain valleys that funnel cool Pacific air over the vineyards. First-time visitors should know that the best Chardonnay comes from the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVAs, that guided tour costs typically range from…
What Makes Sta Rita Hills Wine So Distinct from the Rest of Santa Barbara Wine Country?
Santa Barbara wine country covers a lot of ground. You’ve got Happy Canyon making Bordeaux-style reds in the east. Ballard Canyon is doing bold Syrahs. Los Olivos is turning out textured Rhônes. They’re all part of the same county and yet taste completely different from one another. But no sub-region within Santa Barbara pulls quite…