Exploring the Allure of Santa Ynez Valley with iBestTravel

The town of Buellton does not initially seem like an ideal place to grasp the allure of the Santa Ynez Valley, a rugged swathe of Santa Barbara County that’s home to one of California’s most intriguing wine regions. There are no rolling hills of grapevines, no lavish vineyards, and no fancy hotels. Buellton’s most noteworthy attractions are a restaurant that has proudly served split pea soup since 1924 and a roadside curiosity just outside the city limits called OstrichLand USA, where flocks of the springy-necked birds strut in an open field for tourists. The rest, to the untrained eye, is a strip of motels and gas stations.

“Yet this is where a lot of the actual magic happens,” remarked Scott Sampler one sun-speckled afternoon. The video director turned winemaker was leading me through Industrial Way, a cluster of warehouses off the main street that has been a hub of local wine production for decades. Emblematic of the Santa Ynez Valley’s back-road charm, the district has in recent years evolved into an unexpectedly prime spot to spend a languid afternoon. There is a rollicking brewery, two small-batch liquor distilleries, a smattering of ad hoc tasting rooms, and one of the Valley’s most essential restaurants, Industrial Eats, where eclectic small plates are served with casual nonchalance at communal tables.

Sampler ushered me into his winery, Central Coast Group Project, a spartan space where he works alone, crafting Italian- and Rhône-inspired natural wine and blends that are featured at restaurants such as Horses, the celebrity magnet in Los Angeles. His tastings are informal affairs, with appointments made over Instagram and bottles of astonishing complexity served in a nook cluttered with esoteric art books and vintage vinyl. “It’s far from the bougie, super-curated wine country thing, but that’s kind of the point,” he said with a wry laugh, music blaring, while pouring me the results of a recent harvest fermented in vats a few feet away. “What we’ve got going on here is a real vibe.”

It is this vibe that has made the Santa Ynez Valley a weekend retreat favoUrite by those seeking the thrill of discovery as much as a scintillating Pinot Noir. Though not exactly a secret – the region was the backdrop for the 2004 oenophile film Sideways – it has remained overshadowed by its counterparts like Napa Valley and Sonoma, quietly maturing into a destination where old-school kitsch and new-school sophistication braid into something singular. Once hardscrabble cowboy country and still an epicentre of horse ranching, the area is composed of a number of small towns, each with a unique flair. Up the road from Buellton is Solvang, settled by the Danish in 1911, which looks like a scene from a Hans Christian Andersen story, with its main street of windmills, gabled roofs, spires and clock towers. Los Alamos occupies a charming Old West strip so lovingly preserved that it wouldn’t be surprising if a midday duel broke out. Los Olivos, once best known as the site of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, features a walkable downtown of pastel Victorian buildings. Over the course of a few days spent driving the winding roads among these enclaves, popping into stately vineyards and slipping into restaurants for excellent meals, I felt connected to something genuinely and distinctly Californian.

“You come here, and you just get instantly addicted – to the raw open nature, that relaxing wine-country feeling without the corporate veil now associated with Napa,” said Kimberly Walker, whose adoration for the area led her and two partners to purchase a ramshackle motel on a hill at the edge of Los Alamos nearly five years ago and transform it into Skyview, a sleek hotel with 360-degree views of the Valley’s oak-studded vistas. Her properties have brought new panache to the region while paying tribute to its rugged frontier heritage. “The towns here are still places where every business is owner-operated in the truest sense,” she told me. “The owner is preparing your food, the winemaker is pouring your wine, and everyone you meet has a fascinating story of how they ended up here.”

Indeed, to spend time in the Valley is to understand it as a place shaped by people chasing something personal and ephemeral – an ethos that goes back to the earliest days of winemaking in the area. “No one here cared what anyone else was doing, and it’s still kind of the Wild West in terms of a frontier wine region,” said Pete Stolpman, when I visited him one morning at Stolpman Vineyards, the winery he runs in Ballard Canyon. It’s a sprawling 220-acre property where visitors can engage in guided hikes, followed by tastings at his outpost in Los Olivos. His father, Tom, a lawyer, bought the land in 1990; Pete, disillusioned with his career in business, started running it in 2009, specializing in Syrah and Roussanne grapes and creating some of the area’s most delicious wines.

Driving me through the vineyard’s dirt roads, Stolpman waxed poetic about the unique topography that led pioneers to first plant grapes here in the early 1970s. “We’re in what’s called a transverse valley,” he explained, noting that while most California wine regions run north to south, the Santa Ynez mountains are oriented west to east, allowing for the chill of the Pacific to enter the valley unencumbered. This results in a tapestry of microclimates that makes for a longer growing season and allows a dizzying number of grape varietals to thrive. “The reason it feels like such a young, pioneering place is because, well, it really is,” said Stolpman. “When it comes to wine, we’re still figuring out everything that can be grown on and made from this land.”

Stolpman has seen the area change over the years, especially lately, with pandemic-rattled transplants moving in from LA. Businesses have been springing up at a faster clip, most notably The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, a brand-new outpost from Auberge Resorts in Los Olivos. Built around Mattei’s Tavern, a historic inn dating back to 1886, the property introduces a previously unimaginable level of luxury and global recognition to the Santa Ynez Valley.

Where to Stay in the Ynez Valley

The Ballard Inn

An updated take on classic Victorian sophistication, surrounded by the Valley’s most striking hills. Doubles from £338.

Flying Flags RV Park and Campground

Once a traditional RV park, the property now includes tiki tents, surf cabins, and Airstreams. Camping spots from £69; accommodation from £101.

Hotel Ynez

The grounds of this coolly reimagined motel are now home to fire pits, hammocks, and a heated pool. Doubles from £144.

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection

Near downtown Los Olivos, this exquisite compound of white clapboard rooms is built around a historic stagecoach stop. Doubles from £804.

Skyview

When it was revamped nearly five years ago, this beloved hotel introduced a new elegance to the Valley, even with its iconic motel sign intact. Doubles from £144.

Where to Eat in the Ynez Valley

Bell’s

Recently awarded its first Michelin star, this French-inspired spot in a former Old West bank draws pilgrims from LA.

Address: 406 Bell Street, Los Alamos, CA 93440

Bar Le Côte

From the couple behind Bell’s, this restaurant, arguably the hottest in the Valley these days, gives local seafood the European treatment.

Address: 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441

Bob’s Well Bread

A coffee-and-pastries spot that helped put Los Alamos on the map for discerning gastronomes.

Address: 2449 Baseline Ave, Ballard, CA 93463

Coast Range

Opened by an all-star team of former LA chefs, this steakhouse transformed Solvang, previously a destination known mostly for Danish pancakes and souvenirs.

Address: 1635 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463

Industrial Eats

The best way to savour the ever-changing lunch-and-dinner menu is to order the “Trust Me” and let the experts serve three eclectic small plates.

Address: 181 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

Nella Kitchen & Bar

The carciofi pinsa pizza is the must-order at the Los Olivos outpost from the team behind the pioneering Santa Ynez spot SY Kitchen.

Address: 2860 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, CA, 93441

The Victor

Here, the oysters come with a Champagne-cilantro mignonette, tuna crudo is served with pickled peppers, and the Kobe filet mignon is as decadent as it gets.

The Hitching Post 2

A local staple for steaks and Martinis, and a taste of what the Valley was like a few decades ago.

Address: 406 E Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427

Where to Drink in the Ynez Valley

Alma Rosa

The winery offers guided hikes and tastings in a rustic ranch house on its epic estate.

Address: 1623 Mission Dr Suite M, Solvang, CA 93463

Brave & Maiden Estate

Tastings at this sustainably minded vineyard in the heart of the Valley are by appointment only.

Address: 649 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Bodega

The open yard of this wine and beer garden in Los Alamos, complete with a bocce court, offers a perfect midday or early evening respite.

Address: 273 Bell Street, Los Alamos, CA 93440

Central Coast Group Project

A tasting with Scott Sampler, maker of some of the most unique and sophisticated wines in the Valley, is a must.

Address: 53 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

Grassini Family Vineyards

At this bucolic estate tucked away in Happy Canyon, appointment-only visits offer a transporting tour of the property, which features a pond framed by live oaks.

Address: 5775 Genuine Risk Road, Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Melville Winery

This winery, with its recognizably yellow villa, is known for Pinots and Chardonnays.

Address: Estate Winery, 5185 East Hwy 246, Lompoc, CA

Presqu’île

A family-owned winery atop a hill with views of the Pacific, Presqu’île recently introduced meze-style food pairings with its tastings, making it a must for languorous lunches. Reservations required.

Address: 5391 Presquile Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93455

Stolpman Vineyards

In addition to lively tastings in Los Olivos, visitors can engage in guided hikes at this extraordinary property in Ballard Canyon.

Address: 2434 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441

The Hilt Estate

Featuring varietals from head winemaker Matt Dees, the sleek, two-year-old tasting room offers one of the Valley’s most dramatic, design-forward experiences.

Address: 2240 Santa Rosa Road, Lompoc, CA 93436

Shopping in the Ynez Valley

Global Eye

This homeware shop and pottery studio has been a fixture of the Los Olivos creative scene since 2016.

Address: 2935 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441

Elder Flat Farm

Local farmer Clara Malloy and her husband Chris, a surfer and filmmaker, run this farm store, which is the place to go for organic produce and flowers.

Address: Los Alamos, California

KJ Murphy’s

At his shop in Santa Ynez, animated owner Kevin Murphy makes exquisite custom cowboy hats.

Address: 3569 Sagunto St, Santa Ynez, CA 93460