Sitting in the perfect location of right between the Pacific and the soft hills of California’s Central Coast, Santa Barbara is one of the most picturesque destinations around. It’s a common day trip for many, whether it’s just strolling around to admire the missions or sitting down to savor delicious cuisine.

However, this region is also renowned for its diverse microclimates and rich terroir, making for some of the best wine country around! If you want to take full advantage of its rich wine culture and scenic beauty, look no further than these 7 top Santa Barbara wine tours! Let’s jump right in!

Best Wine Tours in Santa Barbara

	Small-Group Wine Tour to Private Locations in Santa Barbara	Private Group Wine Tour of Santa Barbara Wine Country	Santa Ynez Valley Biking and Wine Tasting Tour
Meeting Location:	Hotel pickup and drop-off included	Hotel pickup and drop-off included	Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Tour Length:	7 hours	7 hours	5.5 hours
Start Time(s):	10:00 AM	Between 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM	9:00 AM
What’s Included:	Transport in luxury Mercedes, Small Production, Premium Wine Tasting in all seating tastings, Customized organic lunch of your choice (choose from large selection from our organic menu), Bottled water	Pick up/Drop off anywhere in Santa Barbara - Santa Ynez - Solvang - Buellton - Los Alamos - Santa Maria - Montecito - Summerland, Private chauffeur for 7 hours	2 Wine Tastings, Use of Rad Power E-Bike or Poseidon gravel/road sport bike, Gourmet Picnic Lunch, Olive Oil Tasting, Souvenir Water Bottle, Professional Guide with Sommelier Experience
	Check Tour Availability	Check Tour Availability	Check Tour Availability

Our 7 Top Picks For The Best Santa Barbara Wine Tour:

1. Small-Group Wine Tour to Private Locations in Santa Barbara
2. Private Group Wine Tour of Santa Barbara Wine Country
3. Santa Ynez Valley Biking and Wine Tasting Tour
4. Santa Ynez Wine Tour (All-Inclusive)
5. Santa Barbara Wine Country Tour
6. Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour
7. Santa Barbara Wine Country Vineyard & Village Tour

Santa Barbara Wine Tour Reviews

1. Small-Group Wine Tour to Private Locations in Santa Barbara

What to Expect on the Tour

Expect a day full of discovering beautiful vistas and delicious wine, with convenient round-trip transportation from your hotel as well as between all other locations visited on your tour. At each stop, you’ll be guided through lush vineyards and barrel rooms, oftentimes led by the owners themselves!

These intimate settings allow for more genuine connections and in-depth looks into various sustainable farming and winemaking practices. The Small-Group Wine Tour to Private Locations in Santa Barbara includes 3 distinct wine estates, with each offering unique varietals, histories, and atmospheres.

Between tastings, enjoy a customized organic lunch, thoughtfully paired with the wines sampled earlier. The curated culinary experience only boosts flavors and deepens your appreciation for the region’s best.

Throughout the day, your expert local guide will share local history and wine legends, making each stop that much more entertaining! By the end, you’ll not only have tasted exceptional vino but also will have gained a better understanding of Santa Barbara.

What Makes This Tour Great

There are just so many average wine tours out there that sometimes it can feel discouraging browsing through all the different options, wondering if THIS time it’ll be something special.

This tour definitely checks that box – if you’re seeking a wine tour that goes above and beyond the ordinary, make sure to give it a go. Unlike all those commercial wineries, this tour grants exclusive access to more intimate, family-owned selections that aren’t typically open to the public.

With a max of just 7 guests allowed on this tour, you’ll benefit from personalized attention, curation of itineraries, and wholesome interactions with passionate winemakers and vineyard owners. You’ll not only go through some incredible tastings, but will also become fully immersed in the art of winemaking!

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2. Private Group Wine Tour of Santa Barbara Wine Country

What to Expect on the Tour

Setting off on this private wine tour guarantees a day out in the fresh air, discovering 3 carefully selected wineries – each of which offers a distinct tasting experience. The itinerary includes complimentary tastings at each location, providing a comprehensive overview of the wide range of wine offered in Santa Barbara.

A delicious picnic lunch is thoughtfully included, letting us enjoy a tasty meal amidst the breathtaking scenery. Comfort is at the forefront, which is why they offer a private chauffeur for up to 14 people and 7 hours, making pretty much anything possible in terms of local wineries!

Throughout the day, expect expert guidance with engaging commentary and personalized service. This luxurious, insightful exploration of Santa Barbara’s celebrated wine country is perfect for the serious connoisseur, just as well as the casual sipper looking for a fabulous time.

What Makes This Tour Great

The Private Group Wine Tour of Santa Barbara Wine Country is a unique, intimate experience for wine enthusiasts and newbies, alike. It’s a deep dive into the center of the region’s wine country, providing exclusive access to boutique wineries and personalized tastings.

With a focus on small groups, the vibe is relaxed and engaging, and we were all able to ask or knowledgeable guide any questions we had. They do have a list of wineries in the region that we could choose from, and while they’re not always available due to demand and seasonal differences, they try their best.

The picnic lunch was delicious and consisted of premium sandwiches, pasta, roast turkey, and much more. We even decided to add a stop to the Danish-style town of Solvang on our journey, stopping for some delicious pastries on the way.

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3. Santa Ynez Valley Biking and Wine Tasting Tour

What to Expect on the Tour

Expect to start your day early with a convenient pickup right from your hotel, where you’ll then head straight by comfy, air-conditioned coach to the gorgeous Brander Vineyard. This is not one of those tours where you’re packed into an old minivan with a ton of strangers to check off visits to different wineries.

Rather, you’ll be escorted with the rest of your small group to two different wineries for tours of the grounds, in-depth looks at their winemaking processes, and much more.

This is one of the best tours if you’re looking to balance wine-focused tourism with sightseeing outside of wineries – check out parks, villages, and the raw beauty of the surrounding natural landscapes.

If that weren’t fun enough, you even get to hop on an electric bike for up-close exploration, feeling the breeze in your hair, and really being able to connect with Mother Nature.

What Makes This Tour Great

This tour felt like a fairytale in more ways than one (and no, it’s NOT just because we went to the Hans Christian Andersen Park in ultra-charming Solvang!). Aside from the visit to Solvang, I absolutely loved the magnificent, serene bike ride through the wineries that almost felt like we were in Tuscany or something definitely far away from the US!

That, combined with the immense knowledge imparted on us about local wines and the history of the different vineyards, would’ve been enough. However, they then took things a step further by letting us go through an amazing olive oil tasting AND on a lavender farm, which was stunning, too!

Our sommelier guide was one of the coolest people I’ve ever had as a guide, and I’m confident in saying that even if you aren’t a full-blown wine aficionado, you’ll love hearing what he has to say. On top of all of that learning, good wine, and sheer beauty, we were then treated with a gourmet picnic lunch paired with amazing wine.

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4. Santa Ynez Wine Tour (All-Inclusive)

What to Expect on the Tour

By now, we know that not all wine tours are made the same – some feel like you’re being herded around like cattle, and others feel like you’re being escorted around in a private chariot.

The Santa Ynez Wine Tour (All-Inclusive) feels closer to the latter, with a private shuttle pick-up and drop-off right from your hotel and a nerdy wine connoisseur there to show you all the hidden gems in the region.

Starting off in the morning, you have all day to enjoy the charming Santa Ynez Valley and some of its most renowned vineyards, all while learning the ins and outs of a full spectrum of wine.

With a passionate guide knowledgeable about the history and origin of each location and its surrounding area, there’s never a dull moment to be had! Expect each winery to be different from the rest, but count on a great ambiance, no matter what.

With a gourmet lunch and snacks also included, it has all the makings of a memorable, curated day of tastings and education.

What Makes This Tour Great

If you’re on the hunt for a full-fledged, memorable day out tasting some of the best wine in the most picturesque landscapes, look no further than this tour. Oh, and did I mention it’s one of the most budget-friendly options out there?

It’s hard to believe it’s so affordable when you consider you’re not only visiting 3 renowned, full-production wineries, but you also get a delicious lunch to be enjoyed right in the middle of postcard-perfect vineyards with some great company.

If you and your group choose, you may also elect to visit some more boutique “local fav” wineries, which I highly recommend as the experience is just so surreal and feels more “authentic” in a way.

We got around an hour at each spot, allowing us plenty of time to get to “know” the wine, going through proper tastings with sommeliers or even winemakers, themselves! They even took us to a local olive oil producer after our lunch, which was just the cherry on top of an already-excellent day!

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5. Santa Barbara Wine Country Tour

What to Expect on the Tour

Have you ever wanted to go on a proper day of wine-tasting but didn’t know how you were going to pull it off without a driver? Look no further than the Santa Barbara Wine Country Tour, which sets itself apart from your average wine excursion, complete with a curated itinerary involving 3 handpicked boutique wineries.

Expect anything but “average”, in fact, with winemakers, winery owners, and sommeliers there to share rich history, fun facts, and world-class wine with you. If you want to make the most of your day but still need to be back in time for dinner, all transport is included to and from your Santa Barbara accommodation, for a truly stress-free experience that lets you focus on the wine.

If you’re someone who always wants to know more than the surface information, you’ll have a blast hearing all about the region, vineyards, geology, and why SB has some of the most special wine in the country.

What Makes This Tour Great

Easily one of the most affordable Santa Barbara wine tours currently out there today, this is surely one of the “best bang for your buck” offerings. I’d recommend this experience to anyone from a wine snob to the ultimate newbie, so long as you enjoy having fun and want to soak up as much knowledge as possible.

What I loved about this one was that each of the 3 wineries we visited was interesting and small – I’ve never been to any like them since then! The seamless organization made us feel we could just sit back and enjoy the ride, with in-depth explanations and proper wine tastings on-site, along with a gourmet picnic lunch, thoroughly prepared and served in a scenic vineyard setting.

Throughout the 6 hours, your guide will engage you with plenty of entertaining anecdotes and historical insights, as well as some cool wine facts you’ll love sharing with friends back home!

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6. Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour

What to Expect on the Tour

Do you hold off from booking tours because you don’t just want to be another head in a crowd full of people? Do you worry that your tour won’t be what you signed up for and you’ll be spending your time doing things you prefer not to?

Avoid all that worry and book the Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour, which lets you customize your itinerary exactly to your liking, with the help of an expert private guide.

With more than 120 family-owned wineries, there are a ton of options to choose from. However, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you don’t know where to start, your guide is there for consultation and to help plan the perfect half-day schedule for you.

With round-trip door-to-door transport in hotels from Lompoc, Buellton, Los Olivos, Solvang, Los Alama, and Santa Ynez, you have everything taken care of for you.

What Makes This Tour Great

Offering a unique blend of value, intimacy, and customization, the Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour is one of the best around. You really get to engage more deeply with each winery you visit, thanks to experienced guides who’ve formed valuable relationships with many of the owners and winemakers.

Your guide knows all about (and will impart their knowledge on you!) the best chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and other varietals Santa Barbara is known for.

Wine tastings typically include 6 samples (3 reds and 3 whites), so you get a full-fledged look into the region’s flavors and perhaps may even find a new favorite!

I loved how they focused on farm-to-table values, where you can really taste the difference in quality and care. The highlight for me was either the special barrel room tasting or chocolate pairing, but the entire day flew by!

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7. Santa Barbara Wine Country Vineyard & Village Tour

What to Expect on the Tour

If you don’t mind sharing your tour with a few other visitors, this tour is one of the most affordable out there. I should mention that it’s still a small-group experience, however, so don’t worry about feeling overwhelmed.

Expect all transport to be taken care of, with visits to 3 carefully-selected spots that highlight the region’s diverse offerings. Aside from versatile wine tastings with sommeliers and winemakers to lead the way, you’ll have time to sit down and have a filling lunch crafted from fresh local produce.

What’s great about this option is that you can book it again and again andhave a different experience every time.

What Makes This Tour Great

Did you ever read those “choose your own adventure” books? The Santa Barbara Wine Country Vineyard & Village Tour, that’s exactly what you get, but with less reading and more wine-sipping.

You get to choose your adventure spread out over 3 different stops – for example, you get to choose a village stop or a winery – whatever suits you! I personally recommend doing 2 winery tours with a village tour mixed in to switch things up and see more of the region.

Our first stop was at a fantastic boutique winery where we got to go into their cellar for a lovely wine tasting with the owner, sharing stories and laughs before going to Solvang (can you tell I’m a fan?).

I always went for the overall unique vibe and pastries, but they have over 10 premium wine tasting rooms, and I seriously recommend going to at least one. Our last stop was to Los Olivos, which is a quaint, picturesque village atmosphere with a ton of different tasting rooms. The choice is yours!

Reserve Tour Now and Pay Later / Free Cancellation Within 24 Hours of Tour Start Time

Shayanne DeCastro

Shayanne is a freelance writer, wine snob and marketer based in LA, California. Describing herself as a nomad, she has lived in many different cities including Boise, Idaho and Seattle, Washington as well as Guadalajara, Mexico. She is forever on the move.

Being an extremely active person, she loves to snowboard, skateboard, and ski. She enjoys sharing her love for active sports with others through her “how to” sports guides as well as food and wine reviews. Her love for wine and good food shines through every paragraph. While she travels, Shayanne loves to try new restaurants and wineries.  If there is a wineries or good restaurant in your town, you will probably meet her one day.