Organic & Biodynamic Wine Tasting Trails of Santa Barbara
If you're like us, you've stopped buying wine that isn't organically or biodynamically grown. If we had made that decision 15 years ago, we wouldn't have been able to go wine tasting in Santa Barbara at more than one or two wineries. Now, fortunately, there are multiple separate wine trails featuring only organically or biodynamically grown wine that you can explore in Santa Barbara County.
This is good news for the world, and good news for those of us in Los Angeles who want to get away on a wine tasting adventure for the weekend but don't want to support the chem-ag industry. We have personally tasted at (almost) every winery in Santa Barbara that features organically or biodynamically grown wine, multiple times, and have given some insider insights to help you plan and navigate your wine tasting trip, as well as to know what to expect.
Santa Ynez & Los Olivos
Organic & Biodynamic Wine Tasting Rooms in Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara County
Beckman Vineyards features biodynamically grown wine from one of their estate vineyards (Purisima Mountain vineyard). Beckman's tasting room is just a short drive south outside the town of Los Olivos. It is popular, and can be busy, so don't be in a rush. But Beckman's tasting room is also a beautiful spot with a pond and outdoor areas for lounging and picnicking.
Special Note: as of this writing, not all of Beckman's wines are biodynamically grown. Only the wines made from their Purisima Mountain vineyard are biodynamic. So if, like us, you're being picky about what you support with your dollars, just let the tasting room attendant know you only want the biodynamic wine. If enough of us do this, maybe they'll see the value in converting all their wine growing to biodynamic.
Coquelicot makes wine from 100% certified organic grapes. Their entire 58 acre vineyard is farmed organically. They have a quaint tasting room in the center of Los Olivos, just a few steps away from the Larner tasting room (also 100% organic).
Larner Vineyard & Winery features delicious organically grown wine from their famed vineyard in Ballard Canyon. The owner was a geologist and was instrumental in getting Ballard Canyon designated as its own AVA. The Larner Vineyard has been called one of America's "grand cru" vineyards by Robert Parker, and when you taste their 100% organically grown wine you'll see why. Larner has a tiny corner tasting room right on the square in Los Olivos.
Solminer is a rare Austrian wine focused winery. Solminer makes a wine from a grape that almost no one in the U.S. has ever heard of or tasted: St. Laurent. If you haven't heard of it, think of it as the Austrian version of Pinot Noir, with a little more weight and earth, usually, like it was spiked with Graciano. If that doesn't make sense to you, good. Just try it.
They make most of their wines from their doubly certified biodynamic & organic Delanda Estate Vineyard, from which they make another Austrian rarity (for California): Blaufrankish, as well as Gruner Veltliner and Syrah. That's what makes it worth checking out Solminer's tasting room in Los Olivos. They do some sparkling, pet nats, cidery-co-ferments, and generally make wine naturally, even some zero-zero wines.
Another Los Olivos tasting room where you can find certified organically grown wine is Holus Bolus. Two of the "Holus Bolus" wines that they are known for are sourced from the John Sebastiano Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, which is organically farmed though not certified. Their estate vineyard, "The Joy Fantastic," has been certified organic since its planting in 2014.
To do Los Olivos right, find a parking spot and walk around. Los Olivos is basically a cross-roads town lined with tasting rooms. Something like 30 wineries have tasting rooms within a block of the square. Unfortunately there are only a handful of wineries that feature organically grown wine: Coquelicot, Holus Bolus, Larner, Grimm’s Bluff, and Solminer. Check them out, grab some lunch, and enjoy the people watching.
This Biodynamic Cabernet Sauvignon & Sauvignon Blanc vineyard recently (2021) opened a tasting room in Los Olivos. We stopped by their tasting room in October of 2022 and can attest that they make some beautiful wines. They offered several bottlings of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with one carbonic Cab Franc. These are classy, stylish, polished, and (in the case of the Cab) ageable. And these Bordeaux varieties are a nice change of pace in Sideways country.
Sunstone Vineyards & Winery's estate vineyard are entirely organic. With a line up of Bordeaux varieties, they offer a great alternative to the majority of wine in Santa Barbara that features Rhone and Burgundian grape varieties. They are very popular, so the tasting room can get crowded on weekends and holidays. The organic wines are good, but don't be in a rush.
Special note: Unfortunately, only Sunstone's estate grown wines are organic. The non-estate wines are NOT organically grown. We always recommend making a point to only drink and buy their organically grown estate wines in hopes that they'll get the message and switch to using only organically grown grapes for all their wine.
The heirs of Budweiser also happen to make some really tasty organically farmed wine, just off the 101 freeway as you wind your way up from the Santa Barbara coast to Buellton. Their farming makes them worth supporting, and their location makes them a perfect first stop if you’re driving up from Los Angeles or from hotels in the city of Santa Barbara. Oh, and their wine is pretty dang tasty, focusing on small quantities of Rhone varieties grown on their 15 acre estate vineyard that they farm organically on their homestead with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, sheep, pigs, miniature horses, and of course Clydesdales.
Foxen & Los Alamos
Martian Ranch & Vineyard
Martian Ranch & Vineyard has closed its tasting room. The former Martian Ranch tasting room is now rented and used by Tensley.
Before they closed, we made a really outstanding wine from their Mourvedre.
Demetria Estate Winery - NOT CERTIFIED
You must make an appointment to visit Demetria Estate Winery. When you arrive at the gate for your appointment, keep in mind that you still have about a 10 minute drive to get to the tasting room.
The "driveway" to Demetria winds for over 2 miles through vineyards and some of the most beautiful Santa Barbara countryside you will find. You may see quail, deer, bobcats, and other wildlife. Also keep an eye out for the flock of sheep Demetria keeps to do the job of weed control and fertilization in the vineyards.
Demetria's tasting area overlooks steep vineyards that fall away into a canyon far below you and then rise again steeply in the distance. A winery cat may climb the large spreading oak tree and nap on one of the branches that provide shade for the tasting area.
If Demetria sounds beautiful, that's because it is. And the wines are great as well. We highly recommend allowing a couple hours to enjoy it. Take a picnic and take your time.
Special Note: Unfortunately, again, only Demetria's estate wines are biodynamically grown. Also, Demetria is not Demeter certified biodynamic (though you'd think they would be with a name like Demetria). However, we have toured their vineyards with their vineyard manager, seen their flock of sheep, and can confirm that they are indeed following biodynamic practices. Please ask them why they don't get Demeter certified, and why they don't buy organic or biodynamic grapes to fill out their non-estate selections, and maybe soon they will.
Shokrian Vineyard - NOT CERTIFIED
Shokrian is one of the new producers bringing organically and biodynamically grown wine to the newest and hippest town in Santa Barbara County: Los Alamos. Shokrian makes an assortment of wines from both Rhone and Burgundian grape varieties, and some even skew “natural,” like the Black Coq Sans Soufre, Syrah.
Appointments are required to visit Shokrian Vineyard. If you plan your day right, you could three biodynamic-oriented wineries of Beckmen, Demetria, and Shokrian, and wind up at one of the amazing restaurants in Los Alamos for dinner. Not a bad day at all.
Santa Rita Hills & Lompoc
Camins 2 Dreams’ tasting room is right in the Lompoc wine ghetto, and worth the trip to Lompoc even if you go nowhere else. Behind every wine there are 2 experienced and brilliant winemakers, who also happen to be great people. They’ve decided to showcase the less popular grapes of Santa Rita Hills with their wines, and thereby show that both they and Santa Rita Hills can make something fantastic from any grape. If you’re looking for anything but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Camins 2 Dreams is the spot. From Gruner Veltliner to Graciano to Gamay, Albarino or Carignan, and an incredible selection of Syrahs, they are all natural and all elegance and finesse. Can you tell I like these organically grown, beautiful wines?
Alma Rosa's tasting room is in central Buellton right next to Industrial Eats, the best place for lunch in Santa Barbara County. So if you time it right, you can taste Alma Rosa's organically grown wines right when the tasting room opens at 11am, and be done in time to go next door for lunch before Industrial Eats gets insanely busy.
Alma Rosa makes yummy organically grown wine, but keep in mind that you've entered the realm of the Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara's most celebrated AVA - so the prices will reflect the real estate.
Special Note: Only Alma Rosa's estate wines are organically grown... again, unfortunately. Talk to them about it. Hopefully one day all of their wines will be organically grown.
You'll need an appointment to taste organically grown wine in Spear's beautifully restored dairy barn tasting room. Spear makes delicious wine from their 100% organic estate vineyard, and those vineyards have a special place in our heart here at Centralas. They are the source of the very first wine we made - our single clone organic Pinot Noir. We also make several beautiful wines from Spear’s organic fruit.
Special Note: Spear's "Gnesa Vineyard" wines are still under the same ownership, and therefore technically "estate." However, Spear does not organically certify the Gnesa Vineyard. They do use the same vineyard company and follow the same (organic) viticultural practices at Gnesa that they do at Spear Vineyards, though.
You must make an appointment to taste organically grown wine at Pence Vineyards & Winery, and you can select between various levels of tastings & tours of the property. For not too much more than a standard tasting you can be driven around to see the vineyards and taste Pence wine outdoors.
Special Note: Only Pence's estate wines are organically grown... again, unfortunately. You actually have to do some searching on their website to find any mention of their organic viticulture. Talk to them about it. Hopefully one day all of their wines will be organically grown.
To taste the organically and biodynamically grown wine of Ampelos Cellars you must take the 246 all the way out to Lompoc and the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. It's not exactly the end of the road, but it's a short seagull's flight from it.
The Ampelos estate vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills is a rare triple threat: it is certified organic, biodynamic, and sustainable. In 2011 it became the first vineyard in the United States to achieve this triple certification.
The fact that this was less than a decade ago shows how far we have to go with environmentally respectful viticulture in the U.S., but Ampelos certainly deserves our admiration for caring enough to be the first to become certified in all three categories.
But don't just go for the vineyard. Ampelos makes delicious wines in a natural, low-intervention style that are worth the trip.
You must make an appointment to visit J. Dirt Wines for a tasting or vineyard tour. Brook Williams - Mr. J. Dirt himself - gives a great intro to biodynamic farming from a practical approach without worrying too much about the “metaphysical” aspects. The wines are delicious, and you’ll drink them surrounded by the vines they came from, with the chilly ocean breeze making each sip taste like it’s truly in alignment with the cosmos.
We also make a very popular and affordable wine from Duvarita, J. Dirt’s biodynamic vineyard adjacent to SRH.
If you plan your day well, you can taste some truly excellent organically grown wine at all of these wineries, and be on the beach for sunset over the Pacific Ocean. If you're lucky, that is. The Santa Rita Hills are such a great wine growing region because of the cool fog that blows in most days. So the beach can often be a cold, damp, and windy experience.
Even if it happens to be a beautiful evening, resist the urge to go for a swim, though. This section of the California coast is a Great White shark breeding area. Many people have been attacked, some fatally. So take a walk on the beach, and enjoy one of the epic evenings that makes this area not only one of the best regions in the world for wine, but also one of the most beautiful places on earth.