Historic Santa Barbara Wine Country’s Modern Appeal

Santa Barbara County is one of the finest destinations for wine lovers in North America. But beyond its luxury hotels, superb restaurants, and welcoming tasting rooms lies a rich viticultural history that dates back more than 200 years—even before California entered the Union.

The wine industry as we know it today evolved gradually over time, drawing on California’s distinctive Spanish influence during the Mission and Ranchero eras. While prohibition disrupted progress, Santa Barbara wine country saw a mid-century revival that made it one of the most exciting and recognized pillars of California winemaking and tourism.

Explore these storied parts of Santa Barbara where history marries modern amenities, winemaking innovation, and a continuing renaissance in a SoCal setting that gets hipper by the day—or join DuVine on a bike tour for all the insider access along the way.

With less than 2,000 residents and nearly all the attractions lining a single road, this Santa Ynez Valley town was originally a 19th-century stagecoach junction. Los Alamos is a cowboy country holdover that has evolved to host farm-to-table dining, beloved bakeries, natural wine bodegas, and antique abundance.

Take a step back in time at the saloon if you wish, but if you’ve come in search of funky wine or eclectic French-inspired fare, you’ll be surprised at how much punch Los Alamos can pack in just a few blocks.

Settlers were drawn to Santa Ynez in the late 1880s by the promise of land, and a township sprang up around the newly arriving families. Soon the village had a post office and school, plus hopes that the railroad would bring a boom of saloons, mercantile stores, and barbershops. Though the train line never came, the enclave stayed close-knit and casual, becoming a popular Santa Ynez Valley hitching post.

A sophisticated cowboy town, Santa Ynez attracts visitors with clapboard facades, wild sunflower fields, and the wide-open pastures that brought ranchers here in the first place. In-the-know cyclists pedal through for coffee or come back after sundown to shop the luxury general store and savor central coast artichokes on the outdoor patio of the buzzy Italian restaurant.

There’s no place like Solvang—except maybe in Scandinavia! Founded in the early 1900s by Danish-American settlers, stepping foot in this town is like leaving the states for just an afternoon.

Hop off the saddle for bear claws and butter cookies at one of the town’s half-timbered bakeries or refuel at a restaurant beneath a working windmill. Some 20 tasting rooms also offer sips of SoCal wine country with old world European flair. But a one-trick pony it is not—Solvang has more than a few boutique hotels, choice golf courses, and one of California’s 21 historic missions founded by Father Junipero Serra.

Located along a historic stage coach route and railroad connecting major California cities, Los Olivos proprietors have long understood the value of entertaining travelers. Today the town is jam-packed with tasting rooms—including outposts for hot winemakers like Stolpman Vineyards—and you can hardly scratch the surface in a full day of tasting.

At the heart of Los Olivos is the iconic Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, featured on DuVine’s bike tours of Santa Barbara. The property’s (relatively) youthful 30-year tenure has been filled with its own uniquely Californian histories: for instance, Fess Parker wines were poured at Elizabeth Taylor’s eighth wedding and the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Santa Barbara is the anchor of Santa Barbara County, beginning on a gorgeous stretch of Pacific coastline and reaching into the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Known as the American Riviera, it’s also where Mediterranean architecture meets Old West style. Check out the Old Mission Santa Barbara, regarded as the “Queen of the Missions,” or get grounded firmly in the now at a cool wine bar or tap room in Santa Barbara’s so-called Funk Zone.

For one of the finest examples of Spanish-style craftsmanship, settle in at the Belmond El Encanto hotel, rendered in white stucco and red-tiled roofs. This home away from home for DuVine guests was an artists’ favorite in the 1920s, and has been restored to celebrate the original Spanish-colonial and Californian craftsman styles.

Chumash Indians gave this town the name Ojai, derived from their word for moon. Set in a valley of the Topatopa Mountains with uncanny pink sunsets, it’s easy to understand how its mystical origins have informed this bohemian, back-to-nature enclave.

Though technically outside Santa Barbara County, nearby Ojai eschews overdevelopment, forbidding chain stores in lieu of boutiques brimming with local olive oil, vegan cafes slinging date shakes, and mid century-inspired hotels giving old motor lodges a second lease on life. Hiking will lead you to meditation sanctuaries or hidden waterfalls, or pedal into downtown Ojai to browse art galleries, farmers markets, wine shops, and pop-up kitchens from emerging young chefs.