If you are interested in exploring the wine culture in Solvang and the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley, both of which are renowned for their wineries and vineyards, you have to check out one of the wine tasting rooms and wine tours in Solvang.
Wine tasting in Solvang is almost a sport as there are more than 25 tasting rooms within walking distance of most hotels, which is handy so you don’t have to worry about driving after you pop in to chat with a few winemakers and sample their goods.
But what are you really looking for as you sip your way through this Santa Ynez Valley American Viticultural Area, one of seven wine regions in heart of Santa Barbara County?
- Wineries: A list of wineries in Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley where you can enjoy wine tasting experiences. Here’s our full guide to Solvang wineries.
- Tasting Rooms: Information on wine tasting rooms in Solvang, including their locations, hours of operation, and what types of wines they offer.
- Wine Tours: Guided wine tours to explore multiple wineries in the area.
- Reviews and Recommendations: Recommendations for the best wine tasting experiences and popular wineries in Solvang.
- Events and Specials: Where to find out about special events, promotions, or wine-related activities happening in the area.
- Wine Varieties: Information about the types of wines produced in the region, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Syrah.
Why Should You Go Wine Tasting in Solvang, CA?
Nestled in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley along California’s Central Coast, the charming village of Solvang exudes traditional Danish charm. Solvang is known for its quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah wines and boasts some of the best-produced wines and top-notch wineries in Santa Barbara County.
With more than 120 to choose from, whether it be a boutique winery or large vineyard, this unassuming village in Santa Barbara Wine Country is a true wine-lover’s paradise. Are you up for some top Solvang wine tastings? Read on to discover your new favorite bottles as you taste your way around Solvang!
Best Solvang Wine Tasting and Wine Tours
Approximately 9.5 million gallons of wine are produced in Santa Barbara County each year. From crisp Chardonnays to complex Cabernet Francs, you’ll find a great wine (or several!) to satisfy any vino enthusiast in this celebrated wine region.
If you’re craving the distinguished flavors of a California wine, you aren’t limited to the Sonoma or Napa Valley.
Get a taste of some of California’s best wines right in the Danish Capital of America! Check out these Solvang wine tasting rooms and tours that you won’t want to skip during a getaway with your friends or a romantic escape with someone special. Cheers!
Before you visit, be sure to research each spot for specific information on availability, operating hours, tasting fee and more. Now go and taste some amazing wines!
Unbelievable Solvang Wine Tasting Rooms
Countless boutique and family-owned wineries dot the valleys surrounding the Scandinavian village, each providing irresistible selections crafted just minutes from where they’re served.
Stop by these popular tasting rooms to relish some of the best wine tasting in Solvang and find your new favorite vino.
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards
- Address: 1623 Mission Dr., Solvang, CA
Set off off Highway 101 in the heart of Solvang, Alma Rosa wines offer a wide variety of wines grown in the unique soil of the north-facing slopes of the Santa Rita Hills.
Featuring the vineyard’s small-production wines (fewer than 400 cases), this is a great place to sample Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. Or try Alma Rosa’s Rhone styles like Syrah and Grenache.
Enjoy the stunning indoor/outdoor tasting room and a choice of five wines (the above four options plus sparkling).
Head right to the downtown of this small city to enjoy creations from Alma’s Rosa. Or book a private tasting on the their nearby ranch, just a short drive (9 miles west) in Buellton.
Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard
- Address: 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, CA
This 42-acre vineyard set on a working farm is one of the area’s best wineries. Open since 1983, the tasting room is the perfect place to enjoy delicious wine in a scenic setting surrounded by live oaks, peach orchards, almond and olive trees, and native gardens.
Known for their fabulous red blends including Bordeaux and Rhone varietals, Buttonwood Farm also makes great Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Rosé styles. The farm is also abundant with olives, pomegranates, vegetables and peaches.
Open daily, you can enjoy a flight of five seasonal wines. Even better? Make a reservation and purchase wines by the bottle or glass. Bring a picnic lunch!
Carivintas Winery
- Address: 476 1st St., Solvang, CA
If you love animals as much as a great glass of wine, Carivintas Winery is worth a visit.
The winery is affiliated with non-profit groups such as Best Friends Animal Society, Return to Freedom, and many more animal shelters and groups. So just know that each time you indulge in one of their delicious wines, you’ll be lending a helping hand to animals in need.
Naturally, Carivintas Winery is also one of the best pet-friendly tasting rooms in Solvang. So don’t forget to bring your furry friend along for the experience.
Casa Cassara Winery & Vineyard
- Address: 1607 Mission Dr. #112, Solvang, CA
Awarded the 2020 Solvang Winery of the Year, this local favorited invites guests with a welcoming atmosphere and beautiful grounds. One of the most frequented wine-tasting rooms in Solvang, their downtown location feels like you’re sipping wine in your friend’s comfortable living room.
Growing award-winning grapes in the Santa Rita Hills for more than 30 years, Casa Cassara Winery is the go-to spot for true wine lovers, especially Italian styles. Enjoy some of their best offerings, including Pinot Noirs, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Located downtown on the northeast side of Mission Drive, the tasting room is open Tuesdays from after Memorial Day through Labor Day. No reservations required.
Dana V. Wines
- Address: 1588 Mission Dr. Suite B, Solvang, CA
Part of the wine industry since 1996, Winemaker Dana Volk began making her own small-production brand in 2014. She purchased her first ton of Pinot Noir grapes from Duvarita Vineyard, and she hasn’t stopped since.
Offering single-vineyard expressions, including pinot noir from Duvarita (west of the Santa Rita Hills) and Bordeaux blends from Happy Canyon, her Dana V. Wines signature brand is “Happy Mommy Wines.” A mom of two herself, this collection of affordable wines honors “hardworking, discerning moms who enjoy well-balanced wines of character.”
The downtown Solvang tasting room is open six days a week, featuring a lovely outdoor patio that’s perfect for sipping her “Take Me Away Rosé.” Sample a red blend like “Kids in Bed Red” or her white wine, a Chardonnay she calls “Date Night White.”
Sip some phenomenal small lot wines hand-crafted by a seasoned winemaker in a chill atmosphere. Kid and pet friendly.
Dascomb Cellars
- Address: 1623 Mission Dr., Suite E, Solvang, CA
As the home to one of the oldest vineyards in the region, Dascomb Cellars for 40 years has spoiled visitors with classic wine that’s blended with art and passion.
Enjoy from Dascomb Cellars’ most-popular wines, including a 100-percent Cabernet Franc and a 90-percent Cabernet Sauvignon (includes 5 percent each Merlot and Petit Verdot).
Head to the downtown Solvang tasting room, where wine experts will help you find the selection best suited to your tastes at their. Between sips, sample tasty easts like charcuterie boards, or the port wine and chocolate truffle combo.
Lincourt Vineyards
- Address: 1711 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, CA
Named for Bill and Carol Foley’s daughters, Lindsay and Courtney, specializes in small bottlings of acclaimed handmade wines. Produces a variety of small-lot red wines and whites, some of their best-produced wines include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties.
This family-owned winery is located just north outside Solvang (a few miles from Los Olivos), enjoy the rural beauty and simple charm from their tasting room set in an original 1926 Sear’s Craftman Kit Home.
Among lush California pepper trees and a laid-back atmosphere, select from their lengthy menu of Bordeaux and Burgundian varieties.
Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards
- Address: 1645 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang, CA
Experience the vineyards of Italy in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley at Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards. Open since 1999, this partnership between friends Royce Lewellen and Viticulturist Louis Lucas, the pair own three vineyards and create wine under three labels, which guests can sample from two tasting rooms in Solvang.
Bring the kids (and pets!) to the two spots in downtown Solvang, located one block from each other. The Lucas & Lewellen tasting room (1645 Copenhagen Dr.) is open seven days a week. Sample estate wines like full-bodied reds, refreshing whites, and their popular port and sparkling wine. You may even get a pour on any given day by one of the owners!
Across the street, the Toccata Tasting Room (1650 Copenhagen Dr.) features Mediterranean ambiance and estate-grown classics like Piedmontese varietals. Typically listed on the “Best Tasting Room” among Solvang wineries, enjoy food-friendly wines in a relaxed setting. Also open seven days a week.
McClain Cellars
- Address: 1623 Mission Dr., Suite B, Solvang, CA
Experience a luxury wine tasting amid this tasting room’s relaxing couches, beautiful bar a 36-foot-long fire pit, right in downtown Solvang.
Offering front and back patios, enjoy the fruit-forward aroma of their creations, including the “Poetic Vine” white blend. Or sample their “Soulmate,” a red blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Barbara and Petite Sirah. You can also opt for the popular Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon styles.
Guest can enjoy light snacks, charcuterie boards and even a private wine tasting. Be sure to catch their artisan popcorn, olive oil vinegar tastings if you get the chance!
Rideau Vineyard
- Address: 1562 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, CA
Initially established in 1997 by Iris Rideau, the first Black female winery owner in the U.S. Carrying on her tradition of inclusivity and hospitality, owners Martin and Isabelle Gauthier have continued her legacy for more than 20 years.
Specializing in small-production Rhone wines produced on beautiful grounds in the Santa Ynez Valley, you’ll feel like you’ve entered an enchanting fairytale land at Rideau, one of the best Solvang wineries.
Enjoy their El Alamo Pintado Adobe tasting room, enjoying live music performances and elegant wines hand-harvested from the estate’s vineyard. After grabbing a glass of Grenache, Viognier or Syrah, find a sunny spot on the tasting room’s peaceful lawn surrounded by blooming flowers and singing birds.
Rusack Vineyards
- Address: 1819 Ballard Canyon Rd., Solvang, CA
A boutique winery surrounded by the rolling hills of Ballard Canyon, Rusack Vineyards was established in 1995 by husband-and-wife team Geoff Rusack and Alison Wrigley Rusack.
The 48-acre estate primarily cultivates Syrah varieties (more than half), as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Wine lovers will especially love their Bordeaux-style red blend, Rusack Vineyards’ renowned “Anacapa.”
Relax on the Canyon Terrace or Oak Deck for picture-perfect views while sipping award-winning handcrafted wines. Rusack Vineyards offers 90-minute tasting by appointment only.
In addition to crisp white wines and chilled red varieties, you can also purchase cheese and crackers. Or buy a charcuterie plate for your tasting adventure (48-hour notice required.) On-leash dogs welcome!
Sunstone Winery
- Address: 125 N. Refugio Rd., Santa Ynez, CA
Founded in 1990 as one of the first organic vineyard estates in Santa Barbara County, Sunstone Winery is set about a seven-minutes drive southeast of Solvang in the town of Santa Ynez.
Considered a “destination winery” for its stunning setting, modeled after a French villa with a lavender-filled courtyard and wine caves, Sunstone Winery is is often named “Best Santa Ynez Valley Tasting Room.”
Sunstone wines include Bordeaux and Rhone varietals and is open seven days a week. Named for the vineyard’s exposed sun-bleached shale and stones, enjoy some of the area’s best organic wines in the property’s Provençal French courtyards. You can also relax at picnic tables, enjoying tastings or sipping wines by the glass/bottle. Bring your own picnic meal!
Sanger Wines Tasting Room
- Address: 1584 Mission Dr., Solvang, CA 93463
The Sanger Family of Wines opened in 2013 to honor Bill Sanger’s roots as a first generation Italian-American. Growing up with the flavors and traditions of his Italian ancestry, he and his wife Jill are committed to sharing the Mediterranean wine experience right on California’s Central Coast.
The Sangers feature three highly reputed brands, Consilience, Marianello and Tre Anelli, boasting the unique flavors of Italy, France, Spain and Coastal California. Although they grow nine different grapes varieties, the Sanger Family are especially recognized for their high-quality Petite Sirah.
Set down the road from Old Mission Santa Ynés (just outside of Solvang), enjoy a tasting flight of six succulent wines in a relaxing atmosphere. Then excite your taste buds further with a complimentary olive oil and vinegar tasting!
Royal Oaks Winery
- Address: 1687 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
Fruit and dessert wine lovers need to look no farther than Royal Oaks Winery. For 20 years this family owned and operated winery has been making small batch Rhone wines, from the more sweet all the way down to the dry. Their tasting room is the perfect spot to gather with friends for a wine and chocolate pairing, or a painting class, which is held in their private events room.
The outdoor patio is the perfect spot to relax as you sip a beautiful glass of wine and bite into locally-made truffles, or you can pop into the tasting room on the odd cloudy day in California to chat more with the wine makers.
Cali Love Wine
- Address:1651 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
Cali Love Wine’s Solvang wine tasting room is all about the bubbles, glitter, and splashes of pink; basically it’s an Instagram lover’s dream. Paid wine tastings give you a nice sampling of their approachable whites and reds, plus four sparkling varieties of wine. The tasting room is just one of the reasons to visit (and be photographed), but the live music and karaoke will keep you coming back for more.
Solvang Wine Tasting Tours
There are many ways to discover Santa Barbara’s wine country, but a guided tour is the best choice for a more personalized and immersive tasting experience.
If you like to get up close and personal with your wine, these tried-and-true tours will introduce you to the most incredible Solvang vineyards. This way, you can spend less time planning (and worrying about who needs to drive) and more on savoring your favorite wines and making lifelong memories.
Solvang Wine Tours
Not sure which wineries you want to visit? The passionate and knowledgeable drivers of Solvang Wine Tours will plan your day for you!
This locally-owned tour is guided by experts who’ve grown up in the Santa Ynez Valley. Above all, they are happy to share unsurpassed knowledge about their home region with you. They also know the area’s best-hidden gems and limited-edition wines. As a result, you’ll be sure to see and taste something unique each time, plus be able to brag to your friends about wines they might not have ever heard of before.
Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours Inc.
Two friends started Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours. Their dream was to bring fun, safe, and educational wine tours to beautiful Solvang, CA. Their itineraries represent the current pulse of Santa Barbara’s wine industry. Likewise, they are happy to customize their tours to fit your tastes and interests.
Group tours, private experiences, or large group excursions are offered daily with an included picnic lunch.
SB Limo Wine Tours
SB Limo Wine Tours has cultivated an excursion that allows you to see and learn about the valley’s wineries from the comfort of a luxury vehicle fit for royalty.
Make your Solvang wine tour one to remember with one of their weekly all-inclusive experiences to the area’s most popular wineries. Your journey will include transportation, a behind-the-scenes tour, a souvenir wine glass, and more.
START PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SOLVANG CALIFORNIA
FLYING INTO SOLVANG?
The closest spot to fly into is the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), a short drive from Solvang (roughly a 45-minute trip). You could also fly into Los Angles International Airport (LAX) and drive a rental car just under three hours north along the coast to Solvang.
We love to track flights via Expedia.com. Not only do we find great rates, but we earn points to use on future travel too.
You can also keep an eye on GOING deals, which is how we got to Ireland roundtrip from LAX for under $500 each. The free version is good, but the paid subscription will save you way more than the cost of the actual subscription.
HOTELS IN SOLVANG
- Hotel Ynez: Free breakfast, a pool and parking incuded
- King Frederik Inn: Breakfast included and a pool
- The Landsby: Pet-friendly and within walking distance of town
- Royal Copenhagen Inn: Free Wifi, breakfast included and a pool
- The Winston Solvang: Pet friendly with free parking
Find more Solvang Hotels HERE.
NEED A RENTAL CAR?
We use DiscoverCars.com to get the best rates and availability on rental cars. Find your car HERE, along with all of the extras you may need (insurance, car seats, ski racks, etc.)
DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR VACATION PHOTOS!
Don’t forget to book your Flytographer session to capture awesome memories from your trip. We do it as often as we can. Sometimes, this mom just wants to be in a few photos with her kiddos, or gorgeous shots at sunset.
Additional reporting by Lauren Hatcher
