No one, including me, pays enough attention to Santa Barbara Wine Country. It’s frankly one of the greatest sources of California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but somehow seems to take a back seat compared to the glitz and glamour of Northern California wine country.
Want to see what you’re missing? Then you might want to check out the Wine and Fire Festival put on by the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance. In this time of climate disasters and crazy fires, I’m not so sure about the name they chose for the event (let’s hope there are NO fires), but I am sure that it will be a fantastic opportunity to taste some incredible Pinot and Chardonnay, eat some fantastic food, and spend time learning, drinking, and celebrating with wine lovers and winemakers alike.
The weekend begins on Thursday, August 13th, with several seminars and tastings. That evening there’s a Barn Party at Sanford and Benedict Winery. Friday sports more seminars and tastings, culminating in the Grand Tasting on Saturday, August 15th from 4:00 to 7:00. The Grand Tasting, which takes place at the historic La Purisima Mission, will feature live music and lots of food offerings from local purveyors “showcasing grilled, roasted, and smoked specialties alongside curated seasonal bites,” according to the event website. Sounds pretty tasty to me!
The wineries participating and pouring at the main event include: 10 Ninths, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, Ampelos Cellars, Babcock Winery, Brewer-Clifton, Caella Wines, Camins 2 Dreams, Clementine Carter, Colluvial, Cotiere Winery, Dierberg Vineyard, Donnachadh Family Wines, Dragonette, Evan’s Ranch Estate Vineyard, Fiddlehead Cellars, Flying Goat Cellars, Gainey Estate Vineyard, Hitching Post Wines, Holus Bolus, Ken Brown Wines, Kessler-Haak Wines, Liquid Farm, Longoria Wines, Loubud Wines, MarBeso, Melville Winery, Montemar Wines, Pali Wine Co., Piazza Family Wines, SAMsARA Wine Co., Sanford Winery & Vineyards, Sea Smoke, Seagrape Wine Co., Spear Vineyards & Winery, Story of Soil, Sweetzer Cellars, Tercero Wines, The Joy Fantastic, The Ojai Vineyard, The Set, Tomi Cellars, Tyler Winery, and William Hines Wines.
Tickets are going fast for the event, so make your plans!
2026 Sta. Rita Hills Wine & Fire Festival
Grand Tasting Saturday, August 15th 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park
2295 Purisima Rd
Lompoc, CA 93436 (map)
Tickets for the seminars and tastings, including the Grand Tasting, are $156 and change. The Barn Party will run you around $125. Shuttle service is also available for a fee from local hotels (highly recommended both to avoid parking hassles and keep everyone safe). All tickets should be purchased online in advance as they will likely sell out. Some of the individual seminars and vertical tastings are already sold out. Dress carefully and bring layers, as it could be warm to start and then quite chilly as the breeze moves in.
