In Santa Barbara County, we have over 75 producers of sparkling wine! That’s right—our own local champagne. Much of this is made in the traditional, method champenoise, and some are Pét-Nats, while still others are made in a more tank (or bulk) style. They are all bubbly and delicious, available by the bottle (and in some cases, by the glass).
But, where to get a flight of sparkling wines, to try them all?? Or other Sparkling Wine Experiences (like paired with caviar or fried chicken) in Santa Barbara County? Read on to find out, listed from North to South!
n
Note: Not listed here, Future Perfect in Los Olivos has a Bubble Club you can join!
1. Riverbench on Foxen Canyon
In Santa Barbara County, the only place to taste a flight of sparkling wine every day is Riverbench Winery‘s tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, or at the winery in Santa Maria Valley on Foxen Canyon Road. They make 8 different sparklers in the traditional Champagne method, aged on the lees, and made 100% in-house by hand! They offer a Sparkling Club and a flight, available all the time.
Read more about Riverbench Sparkling Wine.
2. Fess Parker on Foxen Canyon
The Fess Parker Winery is a 30-year-old family owned and operated winery specializing in Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as estate-grown Rhône varietals.
Fess Parker also features 5 Sparkling wines that are a must-try – Sibling Bubblery Sparkling Grenache, Fesstivity Brut Cuvée, Fesstivity Blanc de Blancs, Fesstivity Brut Rosé, Fesstivity Anniversary Cuvee (made with Méthode Champenoise). Taste the Bubbles on Foxen Canyon, or at the Bubble Shack in Los Olivos, or their latest tasting room in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. Flights are available at the Bubble Shack on weekends, and single tastes are also available anytime at all three locations.
3. Margerum/Barden in Los Olivos
Not a tasting flight, but a special tasting room experience!
Get a special Oysters & Sparkling Wine pairing in the Margerum Los Olivos tasting room. You’ll get a dozen fresh Kumamoto Oysters from the Pacific Northwest with two glasses of the 2019 Barden Blanc de Blancs. Taste this perfect match, and you’ll see the reason Sta. Rita Hills is the place to grow some of the best sparkling wines in California.
This Blanc de Blanc is made with 100% Chardonnay in the traditional method used in Champagne, France. It’s aged on the lees for 3 years, and has zero dosage, making it light and crisp with delicious notes of brioche and lemon curd. For a full lunch and wine pairing, Margerum also offers a five-course Bento Box of steamed local crab (which also pairs with the Sparkling Wine), sushi rolls, eel, sashimi and Korean Pork. All pairings must be ordered at least 1 day in advance. (See all wineries on the Los Olivos Trail.)
Margerum/Barden also has a tasting room in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
4. Strange Family Wines in Los Olivos
Featuring everything from sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot to sparkling bubbly and refreshing nonalcoholic elixirs, the new Los Olivos tasting room offers something for every palate. Ready to elevate your sipping experience? They are open daily on Grand Avenue.
A unique bubbles tasting experience for two is now available, paired with a tin of Regiis Ova caviar and all the accompaniments. Offered exclusively in the tasting room from Friday to Sunday beginning November 1, this indulgent pairing is the ideal way to add a dash of elegance and excitement to the season.
5. Roblar Thursdays in Santa Ynez
Not a tasting flight, but a special tasting room experience!
The Roblar Winery and Vin5yards estate includes a beautiful 5,000 sqare-foot tasting room, rolling vineyards, and state-of-the-art winery facility. They produce a wide variety of wines right here on the estate property, including 3 Sparkling Wines: Sparkling Brut, Blanc de Blanc, and Rosé Sparkling, all made in the méthode champenoise.
Chef Peter Cham’s dinner menu at Roblar Winery changes with the seasons, and is offered Tuesdays through Thursdays (when many other restaurants are closed—perfect for locals). But the best dish to pair with Roblar’s Sparkling Brut or Blanc de Blanc is the buttermilk-fried half chicken on Thursday evenings. This dish takes Cham 3 days to make, and is served with cheddar cornbread, whipped butter, spicy honey, and lemon. It really is the perfect fried chicken: perfectly crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside. The winery has several signature sparkling wines, made in the traditional method and aged on the lees, one of which is always on the dinner menu by the glass or bottle. (See all wineries on the Santa Ynez Valley Trail.)
6. Flying Goat
One of the original Sparkling Wine makers in Santa Barbara County using the traditional method — méthode champenoise — to make bubbles in-house was Flying Goat Cellars. Flying Goat offers bubbly lovers 6 stellar Sparkling Wines, a Bubbles Club and a bubbly flight Thursday through Monday. Just ask if you want to try something! (See all wineries on the Lompoc & Sta. Rita Hills Trail.)
Read more about Flying Goat Sparkling Wine.
7. Cali Love Wine
Cali Love Wine creates wines through the use of old world techniques including native yeast fermentations, multi-varietal co-fermentations, and extended macerations. While visiting Cali Love Wine’s tasting room in downtown Solvang, taste their Sparkling wines: Stardust Brut Rosé, Gold Label Grand Cuvée, and and 2 fun, flavored sparklers: Wild Thing Peach Mango Sparkling Wine and Pineapple Coconut Sparkling Wine.
Flights are available on Sundays, but you can also just ask for a taste of each for a bubbly flight, available all the time! Mimosas are also on the daily menu. They also have a location in Pismo Beach with a Mimosa flight! (See all wineries on the Santa Ynez Valley Trail.)
8. SB Wine Collective
This little wine shop and collective tasting room features wines from their favorite, family owned wineries that produce wine within the 7 official Santa Barbara County AVAs. And they always has a few Sparklers on offer, including this flight for 2024:
- 2018 Cebada Blanc de Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley
- 2019 Cebada Brut Rosé, Sta. Rita Hills
- 2022 Final Girl Pet Nat of Chenin Blanc, Happy Canyon
9. Foley Food & Wine
Not a tasting flight, but a special tasting room experience!
At Foley Food & Wine’s State & Mason at the Hotel Californian, get Caviar & Bubbles ($95 Serves up to 2), a classic luxury pairing. Savor their private label caviar with grate egg whites, grated egg yolks, crème fraiche, and house-made onion potato chips. Enjoy the new and FFW bubbles, the perfect addition to your wine trail wanderings, made in the traditional methd as in Champagne France, in a classic Brut style. (See all wineries on the Santa Barbara Area Trail.)
Santa Barbara Area
In Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, you can visit Riverbench, Fess Parker, as well as Corks n’ Crowns for various sparkling wine flights, all year round! (See all wineries on the Santa Barbara Area Trail.)
See more! There are over 75 sparkling wine producers in Santa Barbara County.
Visit Los Olivos, California: #1 Wine Town
You must be logged in to post a comment.