A Weekend in Wine Country...

A very opinionated guide to the Santa Ynez Valley.

I’m that person. That person who never leaves a vacation unscheduled, who feels guilty if I miss something-anything on a trip. This FOMO is exponential if I think I may not revisit that place again. In my itineraries, I leave nothing to chance, nothing to spontaneity - it drives Andy bonkers. He says I was either a concierge in another life or I am just bossy. Both/and.

Here is what I recommend to my friends and guests of Folded Hills. LMK if you want a Santa Barbara proper guide as well, and I will start working on that.

Sip:

Less is more. Every week I see couples or groups who have overcommitted their time and taste buds to visiting too many wineries in a day. If they have a driver (which helps!), they might find a winery where they want to linger - often it’s Folded Hills - and the driver keeps pushing them to make the next appointment on time. Three wine tastings without a driver is even more precarious. Confronted with these fabulous wines your DD needs a good dose of self-control. It is common to try to do too much. Sometimes guests don’t realize how far apart these wineries are or how long the drive is, and they rush through a tasting to make it to the next spot, missing out on what should be a leisurely wine country experience.

So, TWO wineries. No more. Unless you are a serious oenophile and won’t be back in our valley for some time. TWO. Maybe one on an estate vineyard, one in a town with many tasting rooms. One that serves lunch, one that has the varietals you want to try or the animals you want to see. Two different AVA’s. You decide your filters, map out the route leaving time for lunch at one of the spots below or simply pick up sams to go.

As a winery, you hope to be the first stop on a wine tour, not the last. This is one reason that I train our team to greet guests with, “Welcome to Folded Hills!” rather than the odious “Welcome in.” We might be their third or, heaven forbid, fourth winery. Remind them where they are and welcome them into our home.

I am going to leave the winery choices up to you. I would get in way too much trouble if I accidentally left out one of our many winery pals. If you are a Folded Hills wine club member, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kirsten, your concierge, and we will help you create a bespoke tour or itinerary and suggest some drivers or tour operators if you want to go that route.

Sleep:

Lots of wonderful options and price ranges in the Santa Ynez Valley. These are not the only places to rest a wine-weary head, but these are places I have either stayed in or recommended with good effect. I’m a bit of a hotel snob. You’re welcome.

These range in ascending order of price:

New Haven Inn, Solvang

Hampton Inn and Suites, Buellton

The Polo House, Santa Ynez

Hotel Ynez, Santa Ynez

The Ballard Inn, Ballard

The Genevieve Hotel, Santa Ynez

Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, Los Olivos

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, An Auberge Collection, Los Olivos

Alisal Ranch, Solvang

Eat:

We are so lucky in Northern Santa Barbara to have some of the very best restaurants in the County. Lots of price ranges here as well, but if you are staying in SYV, splurge a little on a great meal. Here are some don’t-miss favorite spots.

Dinner time at Bell's in Los Alamos

Bob’s Well Bread, Ballard or Los Alamos, casual, breakfast and lunch

Industrial Eats, Buellton, casual, lunch and dinner

Bar Le Côte, Los Olivos, French, fresh, lunch and dinner

The Tavern at Mattei’s Inn, Los Olivos, breakfast, lunch, dinner

Bell’s, Los Alamos, Michelin star, lunch and dinner, I prefer lunch because dinner is a fixed menu

SY Kitchen, Santa Ynez, the best Italian, owned by two northern Italian brothers

Nella Kitchen, Los Olivos, sister restaurant to SYK

Lucky Penny, Los Olivos, simple but delicious pizzas

Hitching Post, Buellton, iconic grill house

Brother’s Red Barn, consistently excellent food and the best martini in the Valley

Bob's Well Bread are the perfect sams to go for wine tasting

Play:

First stop is Folded Hills! Take a tour of the property, head to the Farmstead and petting zoo, join us on a monthly hike, and time your visit to one of our sure-to-sell-out events.