Santa Ynez Valley Guest Tour of the Solvang Tasting Rooms

Santa Rita Hills is a relatively small appellation of approximately 100 square miles.Two east-west roads pass through the Santa Rita Hills AVA: Santa Rosa Road on the south and Hwy 246 on the north. Both lead to Lompoc, which has become the wine capitol of this AVA.

Lompoc hosts the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival at River Park in the spring, and its urban wineries produce at least 33 labels in 16 wineries across town.

  Wine tasting rooms are located in the “Wine Ghetto” and at numerous other wineries, located along Central Avenue at the north end of town, along Highway 246, between Lompoc and Buellton, and on Santa Rosa Road.

Huber Cellars
www.HuberCellars.com
  The Huber Estate was established in 1986, and the first vines were planted in 1987, making it one of the oldest vineyards in Santa Rita Hills. The premier grapes of the appellation, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are both grown on the estate, as is a German red grape varietal called Dornfelder.
  The first wines under the Huber label debuted with the 2000 vintage. Proprietors Norman and Traudl Huber are dedicated to growing grapes of flavor and quality and crafting wines of distinction. All Huber’s wines are handcrafted in small lots to ensure the highest quality expression of the estate vineyard and the Santa Rita Hills area.
  Even though the amount of wine they produce is limited, word is getting out about their award winning wines.

  The 2007 estate Pinot Noir was awarded a gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
Wine Spectator Magazine awarded 91 Points to Huber’s 2007 Estate Pinot Noir.
  Be sure to stop by their tasting room at Huber Cellars estate wines and their Santa Rita Hills vineyard. Enjoy a lovely view of the vineyard from their tasting room patio.
  Huber’s tasting room is open Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other days by appointment only, please.

Huber Cellars tasting room entrance.
Entrance to the Huber Cellars tasting room in the
Santa Rita Hills. Photo by Kim Reid

Flying Goat Cellars
www.flyinggoatcellars.com
With the mission of merriment in mind and the tongue firmly planted in cheek, Norm Yost decided to take the path of many vintners and name his winery after his “kids.” The kids, in this case, were two pygmy goats who had always inspired him with their unrestrained spiral loops, flipper turns and straight-legged leaps. Norm’s winery was launched with the same spirit of enthusiasm and Flying Goat Cellars was born.
Norm describes himself as Winemaker and Chief Goatherder. He’s been making wine for almost thirty years and has a particular passion for Pinot Noir. The grape is known to be temperamental, finicky and unpredictable, but when coaxed into a fine wine is alluring, delightful and thoroughly enjoyable.
In 2000, Norm launched his winery in a startup garagistes mode; a decade later, he is still producing artisanal Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and sparkling wine. The brand is relatively new, yet Yost has a quarter of a century of experience. His whimsical labels, with a caricature of a leaping goat, sum up his resistance to wine snobbishness.

Entrance to Flying Goat Cellars, located in the "Lompoc Wine Ghetto," an industrial park in Lompoc where modest tasing rooms pour outstanding wines that must be tasted to be believed.	Playful labels aside, his attitude towards wine making is not frivolous. On the contrary, Yost is very serious about winemaking, paying strict attention to detail and ensuring that the environment is right for producing a great wine. Flying Goat Cellars Tasting Room is located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto at 1520 East Chestnut Court, Unit A. Tasting Room hours are Thursday through Saturday 11a.m. to 4p.m. or by appointment. Contact 805-736-9032 for more information.
Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Festival www.sbcountywines.com The 2010 Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival is coming! It will be four days of fun and festivity. Take a break and make it a long weekend. For 28 years now, the growers, winemakers and vintners of Santa Barbara Wine Country have been heralding springtime and the first buds of the new vintage with a celebration. Come join them on Saturday, April 17th to ring in the 2010 growing season. Beginning on Friday, April 16th, the 100 or so members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association will be rolling out the red carpet, throwing open the cellar doors, polishing the stemware and welcoming you to Wine Country for a long weekend of celebration. Enjoy an escape to our wine world for a few days of food, wine, camaraderie and relaxation. Spring into springtime with the best locally produced wines. Festival tickets are still just $75 per person in advance and provide a springtime afternoon of wine, food, music and good cheer. The Festival will be held at River Park in Lompoc, where the members of the Vintners’ Association will each be pouring their current wines. Tasty, seasonal and regional appetizers prepared by some of the best restaurants, gourmet catering companies and food suppliers in the county, including Mirabelle restaurant, the Sideways famed Hitching Post, Muir Glen Organics, and many more. Two live and lively bands will fill the springtime air with music. The ever popular “Vintners’ Visa” will also mark its springtime return–your passport to dozens of some of your favorite wineries. So stay tuned, request your touring map to plot your weekend and order your tickets early. The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 to support and promote Santa Barbara County as a premium wine producing
Gourmet appetizers and fine wines bring hundreds of wine lovers to the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Festival, at River Park for a celebration of Spring. Photo Courtesy S.B. Vintner's Association	and wine grape growing region. The Vintners’ Association produces festivals, seminars and tastings and provides information to consumers and the wine and travel media. Through the Santa Barbara County Vintners Foundation, the Association contributes to the community with proceeds from various events, including the annual Santa Barbara Wine Auction, benefiting local charitable, community, and educational organizations.