Some of the sparkling wine in Santa Barbara County is exclusively for winery members, or can be purchased only online at the winery’s website shop. Even though you can’t buy Bubbles at these wineries, you can contact them and ask for a tasting or appointment to pick up these bubbles. Sometimes, this is an even better treat! And some of these wines are the best in the area.
See more! There are over 75 sparkling wine producers in Santa Barbara County.
Online Only
1. Allan Hancock College Winery
Allan Hancock Community College in Santa Maria operates one of the few bonded wineries on a California college campus. The wines are made by students and can be purchased online or while visiting the tasting room that’s open on Fridays. Allan Hancock College Winery offers bubbly wine drinkers their Blanc de Noir, made in the traditional method like Champagne.
Méthode Champenoise is how sparkling wine is made in the Champagne region of France, also called méthode traditionnelle or classique. This is the highest-quality and most labor-intensive way to make sparkling wine. It involves bottling the still wine with additions of sugar and yeast after a first fermentation, ensuring a second fermentation happens in the bottle, trapping the bubbles inside. It then goes through aging (and periodic turning of the bottles to force the lees to the neck of the bottle), until it’s ready for dégorgement (to get these lees out) and dosage (to finish the wine).
2. Âmevive
Info coming soon…
3. Disko
Disko wines embraces the natural wine approach to winemaking. They focus on making clean, easy drinking, low alcohol wines to be enjoyed at any time of the day and in any situation. Their 2022 Albariño Pétillant Naturel is a skin-contact sparkling wine!
Pétillant Naturel, or Pét-Nat, is an even more ancient way to make sparkling wine than the widely-used méthode champenoise (also called méthode traditionelle) originated in Champagne, France. In the méthode ancestrale, the wine is bottled with a crown cap before it even finishes its first fermentation, so it develops carbon dioxide as it goes. It’s not disgorged, often unfiltered, and can be made from any grape variety.
4. Final Girl
Final Girl Wines is a boutique family-owned wine label located in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country inspired by the strong final girls in the horror film genre. You can find Final Girl’s Pét Nat Rose of Dolcetto and Sparkling Viognier online or at wine bars in the area.
5. Loubud
Loubud Wines is a female-owned winery in Santa Barbara County that produces high-quality limited-production sparkling and Rosé of Pinot noir wines. Their bubbly wines include a Brut Rosé Sparkling, Blanc de Noirs (made in traditional sparkling method), and Rosé of Pinot Noir. However at this time the Blanc de Noirs and Rosé of Pinot Noir are currently sold out.
6. Luna Hart
On Buellton’s Industrial Way, Owner and winemaker, Gretchen Voelcker has made her first sparkling wine, a 2021 Sparkling Grüner Veltliner. It’s unfined and unfiltered, made in the methode champenoise from grapes in Spear Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills.
7. Mail Road
Mt. Carmel Vineyard, The Sparkler 2015. From the single block of own-rooted, Mt. Carmel clone Chardonnay at the center of their estate vineyard.
8. Racines
Racines, all tasks in-house, SRH, create the blends, will also be making bentrock and sanford & Benedict. 4 grams dosage, extra brut. Wenzlau also Riconada. All Organic and ebd (biodynamic).
2017 Racines started, using Solara, Racines estate vineyard is at top of hill in front of house.
9. Riding Monkey
The initial sparkling wine from Dieter Cronje and Nick Petrone, winemaking team at Presqu’ile, was made in the traditional method, like in Champagne. But alas, the La Petite Aya Sparkling Chenin Blanc is already sold out. So keep you eye open for the next release!
10. Rockets Red
Rockets Red Wines are small batch, handmade wines that focus on Rosé and limited red, sparkling production. They created a Sparkling Pinot Noir that is a dry fruit bomb available on Rockets Red’s site.
Info coming soon…
11. Sandhi
This beautiful 2016 Blanc de Noirs from Rajat Parr, master sommelier and winemaker, is made in the traditional method from grapes in Rinconada Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. It is finished offsite in nothern Californa, then returned to Santa Barbara County to age on the lees.
12. Soûl
Soûl Wines embrace the natural history and climate of California’s vineyards. Sadly their beautiful Sparkling Counoise Rosé, Sparkling Grenache Rosé or Sparkling Cabernet France Rosé are all sold out online, but may be at one of their purveyors. Soûl Wines can be purchased online or at Ellie’s Tap and Vine, Revolver Pizza, Clean Slate Wine Bar or Calloux Cheese Shop.
13. Super Real
The 2021 Desert Pét Nat is natural sparkling rosé wine, with notes of sweet strawberries and clementines made from 100% Grenache Noir.
14. Wenzlau
Wenzlau Vineyard is a small family-owned vineyard producing organically farmed, hand-crafted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines in the Santa Rita Hills. Purchase their Cuvée L’Inconnu Blanc de Noirs (made in méthode champenoise) online and enjoy the unique influence from the nearby ocean. You can only buy 3 or 6 bottles at a time, as long as available. Cuvée L’Inconnu (meaning the unknown) is 100% Pinot Noir, made from a single vintage, single vineyard, single block in the traditional Méthode Champenoise. It offers a round, juicy flavor with textural elegance and balance.
Members Only
15. Saarloos & Sons
Once every decade, Saarloos & Sons releases a Sparkling Wine. The latest one is a Sparkling Rosé of 100% Estate Grenache Noir – 10 Years In The Making. SOLD OUT! We may not see it again for 10 years.
16. Sea Smoke
Sea Smoke Cellars in based in Lompoc, California and they specilize in Pinot Noir. In addition to their Pinot Noir, Sea Smoke produced a Blanc de Noirs (made in méthode champenoise) from Santa Rita Hills. Their wine can be purchased online only as a member.
17. Two Wolves
Two Wolves Wine is operated by Alecia Moore, otherwise known as Pink, and farms their vineyards 100% certified organic, putting sustainability at the forefront of everything they do. They release a very small production of Pet-Nat that is only available for a limited time each year. Two Wolves Wine can be found at a handful of locations throughout California or purchased online as a list allocation member.
18. Tyler
Tyler makes various Sparkling Wines in the méthode champenoise, all for members only. Previous releases were made from grapes at Dierberg vineyards, but upcoming ones are all Estate grapes from Tyler’s Mae vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hils. These Bubbles are all made in-house, hand-riddled, disgorged, etc. Recent releases are Blanc de Blanc of Chardonnay, Blanc de Noir of Pinot Noir, and a Brut Rosé this fall.
See more! There are over 75 sparkling wine producers in Santa Barbara County.
California Superbloom in San Luis Obispo County
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