function OptanonWrapper() { window.dataLayer.push( { event: 'OneTrustGroupsUpdated'} )}Central Coast Wine Tour
more
Central Coast Wine Tour

Central Coast Wine Tour

Head north from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles and you’ll encounter rolling hills, amazing food, and some of the best wine in the world.

Start:Santa Barbara
End:Paso Robles
2 - 3Days,12Stops,Miles
Santa Barbara
Blake Bronstad
Buellton
Daniel Hennessey
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyard
Chuck Place/Alamy
Solvang
Frankix/Getty Images
Santa Ynez
Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images
S.Y. Kitchen
Piet De Kersgieter/Getty Images
Los Olivos
Nik Wheeler/Getty Images
Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop
Images-USA/Alamy
Los Alamos
EyeEm/Getty Images
Presqu'ile Winery
E+/Getty Images
Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley
Chris Leschinsky/Getty Images
Paso Robles
Mdsansone/Getty Images
Stop 1

Santa Barbara

735 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara

Perfect architecture, and perfect setting. Santa Barbara, aka “The American Riviera” enjoys a dreamy Mediterranean climate, with plenty of sunny days and mild winters. Add wine country producing, award-winning vintages, outdoor adventures on land and sea, big-city arts and entertainment, and you have a city that’s a poster child for the California good life.

Stroll State Street for excellent shops and dining, launch a kayak from East Beach to paddle under Stearns Wharf, visit the classic Old Mission Santa Barbara, and tour the 1782 Presidio for a look at original adobes like El Cuartel, the second-oldest surviving building in the state. Then explore the city’s forward-looking neighborhood—the rehabbed warehouses of The Funk Zone, now home to urban wine-tasting rooms, artists' studios, and cool boutiques.

Stop 2

Buellton

107 W Hwy 246, Buellton

Best known as the gateway to the Santa Ynez Valley, Buellton has come into its own as a culinary destination. In what was formerly an anonymous industrial area, you can now hang with area winemakers and dig into such favorites as the beef meatballs and ricotta sandwich in the cavernous confines of the restaurant and butcher shop Industrial Eats. A couple doors down, sample the celebrated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays of pioneering winemaker Richard Sanford in the rustic, modern Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards tasting room. And along Highway 246, catch a bit movie history and bite into succulent steaks grilled over oak at the landmark Hitching Post II, the steakhouse that played a starring role in the film Sideways.

Plan your visit

SPOTLIGHT

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyard

181 Industrial Way C, Buellton

In what was once an industrial area, you can now dig into wood-fired fare in the cavernous confines of Industrial Eats and sample celebrated wines at the modern Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards tasting room.

Stop 4

Solvang

1683 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang

When it comes to food, most people associate Solvang with such traditional Danish fare as the aebleskivers at longtime favorites like the Solvang Restaurant. But this village of authentic Danish-style architecture is also very much a California wine country town, with numerous tasting rooms. You’ll also find a big assortment of California craft beers on tap at The Good Life Cellar, and for farm-to-table dining try First & Oak, which creatively incorporates the seasonal bounty available from local growers.

Stop 5

Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez

Horses and wine share the spotlight in the western-style town of Santa Ynez, where horseshoes honoring local steeds are embedded in a crosswalk and you’ll find businesses serving the equestrian community. Central California Wine Tasting on Sagunto Street carries a big selection of boutique wines from the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley, Paso Robles, and as far south as Malibu, while Carr Vineyards & Winery pours varietals produced from grapes grown in the valley and nearby Santa Rita Hills.

SPOTLIGHT

S.Y. Kitchen

1110 Faraday St, Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez has a Mediterranean side too, especially at S.Y. Kitchen, where chef Luca Crestanelli brings a creative touch to such delectable Italian dishes as spinach ricotta gnocchi in a duck ragu.

Stop 7

Los Olivos

Los Olivos

The once sleepy ranching town of Los Olivos, where a flagpole stands in the middle of its main street, now has perhaps the Central Coast’s highest concentration of tasting rooms. In addition to the must-visit Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop, you’ll also find tasting rooms for such leading Santa Barbara wine producers as Stolpman Vineyards and Epiphany, where you can sample its Rhone-based varietals in a colorful, contemporary setting or in a shaded garden.

Plan your visit

Stop 9

Los Alamos

Los Alamos

Not that long ago, Los Alamos was a slumbering agricultural community easily overlooked by travelers racing up and down Highway 101. But food and wine have transformed Los Alamos and now it’s a must-stop for tasting rooms and such dining destinations as Bob’s Well Bread Bakery. Helmed by a former entertainment executive, the bakery is the place to go for flakey chocolate almond croissants; get there early to score the popular pork-and-beef meatloaf sandwich that frequently sells out. Full of Life Foods helped pioneer the Los Alamos food scene all the way back in 2003, thanks to such inventive wood-fired creations as a flatbread made with dates, bacon, walnuts, and a smoked leek sauce.

SPOTLIGHT

Presqu'ile Winery

5391 Presquile Dr, Santa Maria

The contemporary Presqu’ile Winery features a dramatic roofline and hand-laid sandstone walls. Ocean breezes flow in through floor-to-ceiling retractable windows, a sublime pairing with Presqu’ile’s wines.

Stop 11

Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley

800 A West Branch, Arroyo Grande

With a central village of stalwart stone and brick buildings, as well as its famous swinging bridge, Arroyo Grande is one of the Central Coast’s most appealing small towns. It has also emerged as a wine destination, thanks to a growing collection of tasting rooms, including leading Central Coast winemaker Bob Lindquist’s Qupe. The town is the gateway to the SLO Coast AVA, the state’s newest viticulture area, which contains within it two mostly cool-weather San Luis Obispo County wine regions hidden from U.S. 101: the Arroyo Grande Valley and the Edna Valley. Stop into the low-key, farm-style Kynsi Winery for its acclaimed Pinot Noirs and Grenaches before taking in the sweeping panorama of vineyards and volcanic peaks from the impressive tasting room at Edna Valley Vineyard.

Stop 12

Paso Robles

1000 Spring St 2nd Floor, Paso Robles

With 40,000 acres of vineyards growing more than 40 grape varietals in 11 distinct regions, the sprawling Paso Robles wine country is the giant of Central Coast wine regions. From the quaint town square of the city of Paso Robles to Epoch Wine Estate in the remote York Mountain AVA, the area is filled with discoveries for wine lovers. For a great one-stop destination just off U.S. 101, Tin City, an industrial-style complex with a collection of boutique wineries, proves that there’s more than wine in these parts, thanks to the craft beers at BarrelHouse Brewing Co. and ciders made from California apples at Tin City Cider Co.

Plan your visit

Road Trip Snapshot

Learn more about the amazing locations featured in this road trip. Ready to plan your trip? Print the itinerary or map your adventure to get started.

Stop 1Santa Barbara
735 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara
Stop 2Buellton
107 W Hwy 246, Buellton
Stop 4Solvang
1683 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang
Stop 5Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez
Stop 7Los Olivos
Los Olivos
SPOTLIGHTLos Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop
2905 Grand Ave, Los Olivos
    Stop 9Los Alamos
    Los Alamos
    Stop 11Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley
    800 A West Branch, Arroyo Grande

    Car & RV Rentals

    Trusted car & RV rental companies make your trip much easier

    Avis Rent a Car
    Enterprise Rent a Car
    Hertz Rent a Car
    Budget Rent a Car
    Payless Car Rental
    Zip Car
    Alamo
    National
    Thrifty
    Dollar
    Fox Rent a Car
    Sixt Rent a Car
    Advantage OPCP
    Silver Car
    E-Z Rent a car
    Midway Car Rental
    Mex Rent a Car
    United Auto Rental
    Auto Distributors
    Cruise America
    El Monte RV

    More to Explore