Appellation
The wine industry of Santa Barbara county dates back to the late eighteenth century and was brought to prominence by the 2004 Alexander Payne movie, Sideways. At the southern end of California’s Central Coast region, Santa Barbara has six officially recognised AVAs and more than eight-thousand hectares under vine; it is renowned principally for its premium wines from traditional Burgundian varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
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Prohibition wiped out virtually all of the small family owned vineyards planted in Santa Barbara County. What little that survived had pretty much disappeared by the 1940s. The first commercial vineyard was planted in 1964 by Bill DeMattei and Uriel Nielson, on part of the old Rancho Tepusquet property on Santa Maria Mesa, just north of the Sisquoc River. The original plantings included Riesling, Sylvaner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. That vineyard is still in production today and is located within the Santa Maria Valley AVA.
Santa Barbara has its own large AVA and is primarily used for wines blended from fruit sources across large areas. Otherwise, there are two key AVAs - Santa Maria Valley AVA, which can be found to the east of Santa Maria, and the Santa Ynez Valley. Over time, the Santa Ynez Valley has established four nested AVAs, which speaks for the varied topography and microclimates of the area. Additionally, a third territory, north of the Santa Ynez Valley has been established. The Alisos Canyon AVA runs from the 101 east to Foxen Canyon Road.
There are now thousands of wines coming out of Santa Barbara County. The macro recommendation is based on styles. The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is a great source of fresh Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In Ballard Canyon you'll find high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, while in Happy Canyon one Santa Barbara AVA there is a growing list of outstanding Syrahs being made.
