10 Dog Friendly tasting rooms in Santa Barbara
My friends know me as the go to person for recommendation in Santa Barbara when it comes to wine and I have a friend who asked about dog friendly tasting rooms as they were heading out to Santa Barbara with their dog. So, I did a little investigating, checking in with some wineries to see what their policy was. This list is in no way all-inclusive, I am sure there are many more dog friendly tasting rooms in Santa Barbara, and if you know of them, please leave the info in the comments! But here is a list of some of my favorite places, that happen to also be dog friendly.
Municipal Winemakers
Municipal Winemakers is in an old Surf Shop near the beach in Santa Barbara
I instinctively knew that Municipal Winemakers was a dog friendly kind of place. They are close to the beach in Santa Barbara and have outside picnic tables and are very laid back. But to be sure I emailed Dave Potter (the winemaker) to check. His response “Absolutely! have a look at #dogsofmuni on instagram.” So I did and you should too (it’s pretty adorable).
Municipal is in the words of Antonio Galloni “Joyous” (click the about button). He’s so right. The location near the beach is in an old Surf shop and has a wall of filing cabinets where they store the glasses. You can bring lunch and sit at a picnic table outside or watch for great events like the pom pom & tassel workshop or plant-based cheese making workshop! The wines are approachable, affordable and they go fast, so stock up while you are there. You will find they have extremely unpretentious names like Bright Red, Pale Pink, Bright White, Fizz (which is a sparkling Syrah), and Heavy Pets, (keep your mind out of the gutter and think big dogs) which is billed as a weekday sipper.
2 locations!
The tasting room in Santa Barbara is located at 22 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 931-6864
They are open every day here Sunday through Wednesday from 11 am to 8 pm and Thursday through Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm.
They also have a tasting room in Los Alamos
423 Bell St. Los Alamos, CA 93440 (805) 245-5524
It’s open Thursdays from 2 to 7 pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 8 pm and Sundays from 12 to 7 pm.
For some more info on Municipal check out our post Municipal Winemakers and the Funk Zone Wineries.
Deep Sea Tasting Room
If you need to get a little closer to the water, the Conway Family has their Deep Sea Tasting room on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. Upstairs with a patio and views of Santa Barbara, the Coast and the Ocean, they are definitely dog friendly.
Deep Sea Tasting Room on Sterns Wharf in Santa Barbara
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- Sauvignon Blanc at the Conway Family Vineyards Deep Sea Tasting Room on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara
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- Evening view from the Conway Family Vineyards Deep Sea Tasting Room on the pier in Santa Barbara
Gillian Conway, the Owner, responded to my inquiry with “Dogs are very welcome! We have two Winery Dogs who are usually hanging with us, their names are Ringo and Rolo. Both of our dogs have their own wine- Ringo’s Rescue Red supports our local Dog Shelter, the Dog Adoption Welfare Group (DAWG) and Rolo’s Red is in honor of our Rolo, the chocolate lab.”
Rolo at the Deep Sea Tasting room on Stearns Wharf (Photo courtesy of Conway Family Wines)
Ringo, looking very handsome in the vineyard. (Photo courtesy of Conway Family Wines)
The tasting room is located at 217 G Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. (805)709-0151.
During the winter their hours at Sunday through Thursday 12-7 and Friday’s and Saturday’s 12-8.
Alma Rosa
Outside seating at Alma Rosa in Buellton
The beautiful Alma Rosa Tasting Room
You’ll find Alma Rosa in Buellton in an Industry Park, next to the deliciousness that is Industrial Eats. They are dog friendly “Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards is proud to state that we are dog friendly both within and outside our Tasting Room, as long as the dogs are on a leash.”
The wines here are by Richard Sanford, who is legendary in this area. He was the first to plant grapes in the Sta. Rita Hills. The wines are spectacular. Inside the tasting room the centerpiece is Olivia, their stunning Olive tree planted in the center, so even inside, you feel the great outdoors. The experience is at table, so you take a seat and they bring the wines to you. They have tables out front, so you can pick up a bite from Industrial Eats and enjoy a bottle outside.
181-C Industrial Way, Buellton CA, 93427 (805)691-9395
Their Spring and Summer Hours are Monday through Thursday 12:00 to 6:30 and Friday through Sunday 11:00 to 6:30.
You can find more on Richard Sanford as well as some of the other incredible winemakers in Santa Barbara in A Sampling of the Incredible Winemakers of Santa Barbara
Kaena
Los Olivos is a great place to taste and walk your dog. Many of the tasting rooms here are dog friendly and lots have patios so you can sit outside with your pooch. Kaena is one of these great places. Mikael Sigouin the winemaker is known as the “Grenache King” and makes a great rose! You’ll find lots of Aloha here, Mikael is from Hawaii and Kaena is his Hawaiian name given to him by his Tutu (that’s Grandmother in Hawaiian).
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- Beautiful Tree outside the Kaena Tasting room in Los Olivos
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- The beautiful Kaena tasting room
The beautiful tasting room is located at 2890 Grand Ave. Los Olivos, CA 93441 (805) 688-4069.
They are open Daily 11-5 (Island time)
For a little background on the Grenache King check out our post How the Grenache King got his block.
Buttonwood Farm
To get to Buttonwood Farm you will have to head into the Santa Ynez Valley. This winery is also an organic farm. During the season, you can find their farm stand open with fresh fruits and vegetables. And you can wander the gardens, where they also raise goats. Dogs are welcome on leash in the tasting room and the gardens, but not at events (due to health department regulations).
Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard
Buttonwood Farm inthe Santa Ynez Valley
They are located at 1500 Alamo Pintado Road in Solvang, CA 93463.
Their tasting room is open Daily from 11-5.
For more on Buttonwood Farm read our post Buttonwood Farm, a Hidden Gem in Santa Barbara County
Or check out the video Buttonwood Farm, a video Tour
Zaca Mesa
Zaca Mesa loves their dogs. You can see great photos of winery dog Ichi on their Instagram feed.
When you get on Zaca Mesa Station Road you head through the woods in the Valley and then you come around a bend and Foxen Canyon opens up ahead of you. If it’s in the morning, you will be watching the Fog and mist swirl around the windmill as you turn into Zaca Mesa. I always love walking up to the winery beneath the huge tree that shades the courtyard and winery.
6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos CA 93441 (805)688-9339 ext 308
They are Open Daily from 10-4 but if you are headed there on a holiday, double check the site.
For more information on the amazing winemakers who have come through Zaca Mesa Checkout the video of the Santa Barbara Spring 2015 Wine Seminar “Zaca Mesa University”
Foxen
If you continue past Zaca Mesa on Foxen Canyon Road, you will find Foxen just when you think you have gone too far. The “Shack” is my favorite spot with all their non-Burgundian varieties. But the beautiful Pinot House on the hill is really stunning. Both locations are Dog Friendly.
Elizabeth sent me a wonderful response “Yes, we are dog friendly are both of our tasting rooms. We just request that the dogs be on a leash and have decent social skills. We’ve got dog biscuits behind our counters and water bowls outside for our furry friends. Sometimes we’ll even have cats visit us! FOXEN collectively has 5 dogs and 2 cats, so we definitely love animals here. Just for fun, I’ve attached a picture of Rosie, Zeke and Tucker’s birthday party last month. They celebrated with pup cakes. The cats were not invited. “
Rosie, Zeke and Tucker’s birthday party at Foxen. (Photo courtesy Foxen Winery)
Foxen (The Pinot House) is the first tasting room you come upon at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria CA, 93454. (805) 937-4251.
Continue just a little further to The Shack (or 7200 Foxen) at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria CA, 93454. (805) 937-4251 ext 201.
They are open Daily from 11-4, but check their site for their holiday hours.
Riverbench
If you get back on Foxen Canyon and keep driving you will come into the area of the Santa Maria Bench on your right and soon the Riverbench vineyards will be in view. Riverbench is primarily Chardonnay and Pinot and they do have a wonderful Sparkling wine program. The tasting room is a restored 1920’s craftsman style house and the grounds around the tasting room are perfect for a picnic. You will find a Bocce ball court and a horseshoe pit, so it’s a great place to spend an afternoon.
Sadie and a friend in the vineyard at Riverbench. (Photo courtesy of Riverbench Vineyard & Winery)
We did a vineyard tour with Rawley and were joined by his black Labrador Sadie. This is a great location to bring the dog along.
Riverbench Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley shares a little of their history as you enter their tasting room
They are located at 6020 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454 (805) 937-8340
They are open Daily from 10 to 4.
Downtown Santa Barbara location
The Riverbench Santa Barbara Tasting Room on Anacapa St.
They also have a new Downtown location, (also Dog Friendly) at 137 Anacapa St. Suite C, Santa Barbara CA 93101 (805) 324-4100
Which is open daily from 11-6.
For more on Riverbench check out the post Riverbench Vineyards and Winery, a Vineyard tour
and you can see a video here. Riverbench Winery, a Video Tour
Presqu’ile
Presqu’ile Winery is located up in the Santa Maria Valley. The winery sits up on a hill (it’s a gravity flow winery) and has amazing views on clear days of the ocean. Dogs here are allowed both indoors and outdoors as long as they are friendly and on-leash. The only area they don’t allow them in is on their tours.
This winery is stunning and has amazing hospitality as well as brilliant wines by winemaker Dieter Cronje. If you happen to be driving an electric vehicle, they do have charging stations and they offer really beautiful, Cheese Plates, Charcuterie, and a Parisian sandwich 7 days a week from 11am-4pm.
The beautiful property is at 5391 Presqu’ile Drive Santa Maria, CA 93455 (805) 937-8110
Their tasting room is open 7 days a week year round. On Friday’s from 11am to 6pm and Saturday through Thursday from 11am to 5pm
We have visited Presqu’ile multiple times, so there is plenty of information on the site about them. Start with the Big Bottle Bash at Presqu’ile and then check out the series from The Taste through the Vineyard Event
Longoria
Another legendary Winemaker in this region is Richard Longoria. He and his wife Diana have been making wine in Santa Barbara since 1982. For many years they had a tasting room in Los Olivos. Two years ago they built a winery and tasting room in Lompoc and closed the Los Olivos tasting room to focus their energies there. Lompoc is the perfect place for them. Richard was the first winery in what is now affectionately known at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. The new winery is just outside the “Ghetto” in the historic Lompoc JM Club building.
Rick Longoria, Longoria Winery
In response to my question of if they were dog friendly, Diana Longoria replied “Our tasting room is Dog Friendly! We only ask that owners keep their dogs on their leash and next to them during their visit.
When I’m working in the tasting room, my Beagle, Buddy is usually with me. He’ll be 12 years old next month and has been “helping” in the tasting room since he was a puppy.” And she kindly included a photo of Buddy.
Buddy, the tasting room assistant at Longoria in Lompoc (photo courtesy of Longoria Winery)
You will find the tasting room at 415 W. Chestnut Ave. Lompoc, CA 93436 (866) 759-4637.
They are open daily 11 to 4:30, but do check for holiday closings and special hours.
As I said, this list in by no mean all of the Dog Friendly wineries or tasting rooms in Santa Barbara County, it’s just a few that I know of. If you know of other dog friendly tasting rooms in the area, please leave us a note in the comments!
You can find more information on Santa Barbara County and on wine country and wines on Crushed Grape Chronicles . You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
The evening began at 6 pm with Michael Larner pouring his Rose as well as the Malvasia Bianca and guests relaxed in the parlor or on the porch, watching the sun start to dip and the trees start to glow. Passed hors d’oeuvres kept our stomachs at bay as we waited for the main event. The pairings were beautiful and the intimate dining room made for a singular experience. Watch for the full blog post on this incredible evening as well as our series of conversations with 
This was really a wonderful experience and Kara was there every step of the way encouraging you to make more discoveries and talk about other fragrances that you found in your scent memory. This event, broke down those barriers of intimidation from tasting notes. You may think that you can’t smell the habanero on that wine, but once you dip your nose in that jar, your memory is sparked and you can find it! Those tasting notes aren’t really as crazy and out there as people sometimes think. It’s just a matter of creating those scent memories and keeping them active!
