The Valley Project ★ 4.3
Funk Zone tasting room with a chalk mural mapping Santa Barbara County's six AVAs. One of the few rooms where viticultural geography is central to every pour.
Santa Barbara County's Sta. Rita Hills AVA produces some of California's most distinctive Pinot Noir: cool-climate, high-acid, with red fruit, earth, and a savouriness shaped by marine fog channelled through the transverse mountain range. The Funk Zone's 20-plus tasting rooms bring the county's six AVAs into the city, making Pinot Noir by the glass the default drink of the Funk Zone evening.
The Santa Maria Valley became Santa Barbara County's first American Viticultural Area in 1981, the second designated in all of California. The Sta. Rita Hills AVA followed in 2001, bringing the most critically acclaimed sub-region into focus. Commercial wine production in Santa Barbara County grew through the 1970s and 1980s led by Sanford and Benedict Vineyard and later Brewer-Clifton, establishing the county's reputation for cool-climate varietals. The 2004 film Sideways brought widespread attention to the Pinot Noir here, and tourism to the wine trail has not receded.
2 editor picks for Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara, ranked by editorial score. All Santa Barbara signature dishes · Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir across every city.
Bouchon Santa Barbara ★ 4.2
Wine Country cuisine and Channel seafood downtown since 1998. Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2002. Garden patio year-round, deep County wine list.
OrderCentral Coast seasonal menu, Santa Barbara Channel seafood, Wine Country cheese course
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir makes more sense with someone from Santa Barbara explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Book food experiences in Santa Barbara
Guided tour · 3 hours
Santa Barbara: Funk Zone Food & Photo Tour
Feast your way through Santa Barbara's award-winning Funk Zone neighborhood while you learn about local history, discover local street art, and pick up a few easy food...
from$160 Check dates
Day trip · 6 hours
Santa Barbara: Wine Country Tour with Lunch
Join the group as we explore wines from boutique, family-owned wineries. We give you the full wine tasting experience by visiting a mixture of vineyards and small prod...
from$225 Check dates
Day trip · 7 hours
Santa Barbara: E-bike wine tour w/ transport, tasting, lunch
Experience the Santa Barbara Wine Country in the most immersive way possible, via e-bike. Enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch at a winery, and savor a flight of five wines at...
from$225 Check dates