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MEET THE WINERIES AND WHY WE CHOSE THEM
 OVER 120 WINERIES, VINEYARDS AND TASTING ROOMS fill the landscape across Santa Barbara Wine Country. Literally, there are thousands of great wines to taste and savor. Our unique tours are specifically designed to give our guests the best sampling of our region’s experience. Even if you’ve visited one of our tour stops in the past, you will see it through new eyes from the guided, professional viewpoint of our highly-experienced staff. Tasting wine while eating great food is what makes these tours so special, and so enlightening. These fun and highly-educational tours will awaken your senses and understanding of what makes a wine great. And when it’s over, you will be more ready than ever to head back into the field and sample the best of the rest that Santa Barbara Wine Country offers.
If you have suggestions or questions about our choice of tour stops, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always striving to accommodate our guest’s requests and desires. Please call us at 805.688.5984 or 805.722.7940 to make your reservation or for answers to any questions. Our singular purpose is to provide our guests with the finest wine tasting experience possible.
Our all-inclusive tours are available for Lunch (10 am) or Dinner (3 pm) every day of the week (except major Holidays). Reservations are necessary.
Both tours include pick up and return to your Santa Ynez Valley location. Guests departing from Santa Barbara city hotels and locations are welcome for an additional $15 per person transportation fee. Prices include tax and gratuity, though Tips to deserving Tour Guides are always appreciated. Additionally, guests can reserve additional hours to continue their tasting adventure. Price starts at $65 per hour and depends on the vehicle selected for the tour (Sedan, Executive Van, SUV, Limousine or Executive Bus).
We hope you enjoy our very special Wine & Food Pairing Tours! Here is a brief overview of the Wineries and Restaurants that comprise both our exceptional tours:
 The Foley Winery
It’s no accident that we selected the Foley and Firestone Wineries as perferred tour stops for our Wine and Food Pairing Tours. Both are acclaimed for their quality and the aesthetic beauty of their facilities. Further, both played dynamic roles in pioneering the Santa Barbara County wine industry. The Foley Winery has honed its talent for creating exceptional, limited and estate production of Chardonney and Pinot Noir varietals. Additionally, they often pour Savignon Blanc and Syrah, woith all four varietals being staples of our region.
Under the vision of Kris Curran, Director of Winemaking at Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery in the Sta. Rita Hills, the winery has taken a leadership role in crafting the best, limited production wines in the region. As the first location we visit on our Wine & Food Pairing Tour, it is the ideal location to tantalize your palette and invigorate your senses for the many taste-treats you will sample throughout the day.
You can learn more about the Foley Wine Group at www.foleywines.com or visit them in person on our Wine And Food Pairing Tour.
The Firestone Vineyard & Winery
The Firestone Family has been, perhaps, the most influential and progressive in spurring the growth of the Santa Barbara County Wine industry. Founded in 1972, it possesses some of the oldest vines in the valley, and produces a wide range of varietals. Its delightful range of mid-range reds highlighted by its constantly evolving Lineage and Ambassador Estate Wines are always good reasons to visit the tasting room on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. But, it’s the vast selection of quality wines that suit our tour so especially well.
Our Wine & Food Pairing at Firestone encompasses Cabernet Franc Rose, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet-Syrah blends, Cabernet Savignon and its estate Bordeaux blends. Plus, there are the occasional surprises like a delightful Gwertztraminer, Malbec or Riesling. Guests are treated to the members-only VIP Lounge, and provided a glimpse inside the barrel room and production facility. The Firestone experience is an absolute delight – specifically when guided by our knowledgeable staff.
You can learn more about the Firestone Winery at www.firestonewine.com or visit them in person on our Wine And Food Pairing Tour.
 Sogno Del Fiore
Here’s a thought: What if you invested years in learning the wine making and tasting trade, met most of the state’s great winemakers, and had a personal library of hundreds of varietals for all across the region? And then you built a small-production vineyard around your own, private tasting facility?. That dream has come to life for Jerry and Liz Fiore, two dedicated wine industry professionals who live for introducing others to their knowledge and passion for wine. Though they make their own, very special varietals, they don’t serve or sell them to the public. Rather, they use their knowledge and location to introduce others to the world of California wines.
By comparing and contrasting wines from great local winemakers (Doug Margerum, Ken Brown, Kris Curran, Bruno DiAlfonse, John Falcone, Ryan Carr, among many others) to those from Napa, Paso Robles, Russian River and Temecula, guests gain invaluable insight into what makes California wines great. And where to find them. As the final destination of our day-long tour, Sogno Del Fiore provides the perfect environment: Quiet solitude within a vineyard, ourdoor tasting room beside a pool/fountain and fireplace. The custom Bocci Ball court awaits our guest’s use, and lunch is served Tuscan-Style on a long, wooden table covered in linen. It’s the perfect way to learn and indulge yourself in the wine country lifestyle.
You can learn more about Sogno Del Fiore at www.sognodelfiore.com or visit them in person on our Wine And Food Pairing Tour.
 Harrison Clarke Vineyard and Winery
Staying small yet aspiring to greatness is the hope of most every private winery. Winemaker Hillary Clarke Harrison and husband Roger Harrison are well on their way to achieving that dream at their highly specialized and quaint winery in Ballard Canyon.
This unique, specialized facility is not open to the public, yet is quickly gaining acclaim for their small batch of hand-crafted wines. Their old-world methods of handcrafting the highest quality Syrah and Grenache wines set them apart from most every other winery in the region, and provide a learning and tasting experience rarely experienced except by the true industry insiders.
Visit them at www.harrisoinclarkewine.com or visit them in person exclusively through our Private WineMaker’s Tour.
 Margerum Wine Company
Private and proactive best describes the viticultural gems produced by the Margerum Wine Company. Its small and efficient production facility tucked away off Foxen Canyon Road currently produces three primary wines: a Sauvignon Blanc called Sybarite, a Syrah called ÜBER, and a Rhone blend called M5. Companion single vineyard wines include a Pinot Gris from Alisos Vineyard, a Sauvignon Blanc from Vogelzang Vineyard, a variety of single vineyard Syrah’s and a distinctive Pinot Gris from its own vineyard in Washington State.
The facility is not open to the public, and can only be visited on rare private occasions (like it’s quarterly open house), or through our Private WineMaker’s Tours. Master winemaker Doug Margerum is perhaps best known for his regal restaurant creation The Wine Cask in Santa Barbara. His passion for wine equals his love for great food, and it shows in every one of his company’s creations.
Visit them at www.margerumwinecompany.com or treat yourself to a private excursion exclusively through our Private WineMaker’s Tour.
 Demetria Estate Vineyard and Winery
There are many beautiful winery estates in the rolling hills of Santa Ynez Wine Country, and perhaps the most alluring of them all is Demetria Estate Vineyard and Winery, an evolution of the former Andrew Murray Winery it now inhabits. Established in 2005 Demetria Estate is a family owned winery. Its goal is to produce wines of distinction and character rivaling those of the world’s greatest estates.
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Demetria Estate includes two separate portfolios of wines, both capturing the singularity of the vineyards and the region from which they originated. The offerings comprise of varietally honest manifestations of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc farmed sustainably in the Santa Rita Hills appellation of Santa Barbara County. Demetria also farms biodynamically at its estate vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley producing Rhone-based wines including Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. Demetria Estate is open by appointment only.
You can visit them at www.demetriaestate.com or treat yourself to our exclusive lunch or dinner tour through our Private WineMaker’s Tour.
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Trattoria Grappola
 The perfect accompaniment to great wines is fantastic food, or course. Santa Barbara Wine Country is fortunate to host many top restaurants and chefs, and among its elite is the Tuscan-inspired Trattoria Grappola. Master Chef and Founder Leonardo Curti came to California from Siena, Tuscany in 1992 and subsequently opened Grappola’s as an authentic ‘wine country’ eatery offering a menu boasting classic northern Italian delights such as Fettucine Bolognese, Scaloppine, Ciopino, Gnocchi and assorted hand-made raviolis.
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As the author of two popular cook books and host of innumerable cooking classes, Leonardo’s reputation in the region is synonymous with perfect Italian cuisine that pairs specifically with the region’s Rhone-style wines and Bordeaux Blends. As the exclusive caterer of all ‘Wine and Food Pairing Tours’, we are pleased to acquaint our guests with Grappola and thus afford them the very best eating experience to accompany their day in the vineyards.
Learn more about this amazing family-owned restaurant nestled in the heart of wine country at www.trattoriagrappola.com
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