Why you should visit Solvang wineries
This blog post covers the best wineries in Solvang, California.
Solvang wineries make world-class wines in one of the most adorable towns in the United States.
The town of Solvang is known as the “Danish capital of America.” And it’s true — the heart of Solvang features traditional windmills and charming Danish-style buildings with thatched roofs. Solvang looks like a children’s fairytale book sprung to life.
Solvang is situated in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. The region is known for its incredible wines, cool climate, and charming wine country towns.
Solvang is a little taste of Europe meets California wine country. It’s cute and packed with wine tasting rooms? Sign me up!
In this blog post we’ll cover six Solvang wineries that make high-quality wines. The first two wineries on this list offer a downtown Solvang tasting room. The remaining four businesses have wine-tasting rooms just a few miles outside town.
Some of the best Santa Ynez wineries are located within easy driving distance of Solvang. So, once you’ve finished exploring the best Solvang wineries, head over to Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Buellton, and the town of Santa Ynez.
How to access the best Solvang wineries
Solvang is accessible from major California cities
Solvang wineries are within easy driving distance of several major cities and towns.
If you already live in Santa Barbara County, then great! You can simply drive to the wineries on this list. But if you live out of state you’ll need to plan ahead. Your best bet is to fly into one of the cities I mention below, rent a car at the airport, and drive from the airport to the wineries on this list.
Although Solvang does not have its own commercial airport, it is relatively easy to access nearby airports.
The closest commercial airport is Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) located in Santa Maria, CA. It’s about 33 miles from the airport to Solvang, which should take you about 38 minutes by car.
The next closest airport is located in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is 34 miles from Solvang, which should take about 42 minutes by car.
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) is also an option. It’s 62 miles from SBP, which should take just over one hour by car.
The closest major city is Los Angeles. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is 130 miles from Solvang. The drive should take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. But the drive could take longer depending on Los Angeles traffic.
Solvang is near other Santa Ynez Valley towns
Solvang is near several other small towns in Santa Barbara wine country.
- Los Olivos is 5.6 miles away, which is about 11 minutes by car.
- Buellton is 3.6 miles away, which is a roughly 10 minute drive.
- The town of Santa Ynez is 17 miles away, which is about a 21 minute drive.
- Los Alamos is 17 miles from Solvang, which should take you 23 minutes by car.
As you can see, a car is required to access this town. Only one of the Solvang wineries I list below has a downtown Solvang tasting room. The other winery tasting rooms on this list are located just outside of town (although they do still have Solvang addresses).
The best Solvang wineries for a wine tasting
Feliz Noche Cellars
Feliz Noche Cellars crafts wine “made for good friends and for Happy Nights.”
In 1972 Felipe Hernandez came to the Santa Ynez Valley from Jalisco, Mexico. Under the mentorship of local winemakers Hernandez transitioned from a vineyard manager to a winemaker.
Today Hernandez (known as Don Felipe in the community) makes delicious red wines in the Santa Ynez Valley. His well-regarded red blend Mi Pasión combines Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese.
If you plan to visit the Feliz Noche Cellars tasting room in Solvang, be careful about the business hours.
- According to the Feliz Noche website, the tasting room is open everyday from 11 AM to 6 PM.
- According to the Feliz Noche Facebook account, the Solvang tasting room is open from 12 PM to 5 PM everyday (except Saturday, when they’re open until 6 PM).
- According to the Feliz Noche Yelp page they’re open from 12 PM to 5 PM on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday they’re open from 11 AM to 10 PM. They ‘re closed Tuesdays.
As you can see, there’s some variation! Just be aware of this before you head over.
Luckily the Feliz Noche Cellars tasting room in downtown Solvang is located very close to the Alma Rosa Winery tasting room. It should take about 3 minutes to walk from one tasting room to the next. So if you happen to arrive at the Feliz Noche tasting room and it’s closed when they said it’d be open… just walk around the corner to Alma Rosa Winery tasting room.
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards
Alma Rosa Winery makes wonderful wines in the Santa Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. They favor sustainable farming in order to let the nuances of their cool climate terroir shine.
In 1971 founder Richard Sanford planted some of the area’s first Pinot Noir vines. Today Alma Rosa Winery specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as Rhône varieties Grenache and Syrah.
Alma Rosa Vineyards also makes Brut, Brut Rosé, and Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.
The Alma Rosa Winery tasting room in Solvang is open daily. Sunday through Wednesday they’re open from 11 AM to 6 PM. Thursday through Saturday they’re open 11 AM to 7:30 PM.
Piazza Family Wines
Piazza Family Wines is dedicated to organic farming and natural winemaking.
Vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano follows organic farming practices. Winemaker Gretchen Voelcker focuses on minimal intervention. The winery uses no commercial yeasts and very little sulfur. Together they ensure Piazza wines represent the local soil and climate.
Piazza Family Wines is situated on its own estate vineyard, Piazza Bella Vista Vineyard. This wine estate is located in the beautiful Ballard Canyon of Santa Barbara County. Although the estate feels rural, it’s only five miles from downtown Solvang.
Appointments are required. You can make a reservation via the Pizza Family Wines Tock profile. They’ll provide you with the address after you make a booking.
Guests can choose between three wine tasting experiences. The “Private Tasting at Piazza Family Wines” costs $50 per person. During this tasting Winemaker Gretchen Voelcker will guide you through Piazza wines beneath the pepper trees near the vineyard. The “Vineyard Tour and Tasting” costs $70 per person and includes a tour of the vineyard.
“Dominic’s VIP Experience” costs $100 per person. It begins with a vineyard tour and ends with a tasting at the owner’s home. All three experiences can be scheduled to begin at either 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM.
Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard
Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard has a gorgeous property.
They grow olives, pomegranates, peaches, and peonies in addition to wine grapes.
Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard grows Rhône varieties such as Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Grenache Blanc. They also work with Malbec, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc (the Musqué clone).
Buttonwood’s 107-acre property is located just three miles from downtown Solvang (a roughly 7 minute drive) but it feels like a bucolic escape. The estate has a beautiful outdoor garden, lovely tasting room patio, organic garden, and quaint market. And of course there’s lots of wine.
The typical wine tasting flight includes five wines and costs $25 per person. You can book a tasting via the Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard Tock profile. The winery is open daily from 11 AM to 5 PM. On Saturday and Sunday they serve food.
Rusack Vineyards
Rusack Vineyards is a boutique winery nestled in Ballard Canyon.
Their goal? To make world-class handcrafted wines that reflect the unique terroir of this region.
If you look closely you’ll see the wine bottle label features a Catalina tile. Owner Alison Rusack’s great-grandparents made tiles by hand in their ceramics factory on Santa Catalina Island. Rusack wines are also handcrafted. For Alison and her husband Geoff the tile motif represents “craft, earth, art and family.”
The Rusack estate vineyard is home to Syrah, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. In addition to their own grapes they also source from vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley appellations.
The Rusack Vineyards tasting room is just 3.8 miles from downtown Solvang, which is a roughly 10 minute drive. The tasting room (called Canyon Terrace) has a beautiful outdoor patio with vineyard views. However, as of November 2024, the owners reduced the number of tastings they offer. If you’d like to sample these award-winning wines you can contact the winery directly and ask about future openings.
Even if you can’t visit their Solvang wine tasting room you should seek out these phenomenal small lot wines hand-crafted in the Ballard Canyon AVA.
Crawford Family Wines (Solvang tasting room)
Crawford Family Wines adheres to a “garagiste” mindset.
They make small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from grapes grown in Santa Barbara County vineyards. They also work with Rhone varietals such as Mourvédre and Grenache.
Crawford’s second label Low Tide Wine Co. focuses on fresh crisp whites perfect for relaxed gatherings.
Crawford Family Wines has a Solvang tasting room and an industrial winemaking space in Buellton. You can walk into the Solvang tasting room without a reservation. But you must make a reservation in order to visit the Buellton space.
The Crawford Family Wines tasting room on Mission Drive in Solvang is open Thursday, Sunday, and Monday from 12-5 PM. On Friday and Saturday they’re open from 12-6 PM. On Tuesday and Wednesday the tasting room is closed.
Other California wine regions to visit
California wine country towns in the Santa Ynez Valley
Several small towns are sprinkled throughout the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. These towns are within easy driving distance of one another. And their wineries produce amazing Santa Ynez Valley wines.
Los Olivos is a small town in the Santa Ynez Valley. It has old-fashioned buildings and beautiful vineyards. These six amazing Los Olivos, California wineries make world-class organic wines. Plus it’s convenient; Los Olivos is a short 11 minute drive from Solvang.
Los Alamos is a small town located 17 miles from Solvang, which is a roughly 20 minute drive. Los Alamos is one of the smaller towns in the area. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in vibrancy! This list covers four amazing Los Alamos wineries that craft delicious organic wine.
The town of Santa Ynez is situated within… wait for it… the Santa Ynez Valley! We’ve created a list of five amazing Santa Ynez wineries that are as special as they are beautiful. This list includes big ranches, Tuscan-style estates, and small family run operations.
Buellton is about 3.5 miles from Solvang, which is a roughly 9 minute drive. Buellton isn’t as flashy as Los Olivos or as trendy as Los Alamos. But these four wineries in Buellton make incredible wines using sustainable methods.
Wine regions near California’s Central Coast
The Santa Ynez Valley borders the Santa Maria Valley. Santa Maria is known for its excellent cool-climate Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay. These six Santa Maria wineries showcase the region’s spectacular wines.
The Santa Ynez Valley is within easy driving distance of the Los Angeles area. Did you know that LA has wonderful wineries too? These six amazing Los Angeles wineries offer various styles of wine. Some of these wineries craft fresh natural wines. Others make the big bold reds California is known for.
If you’re going to visit Los Angeles then you should stop in Malibu. There are several Malibu wineries and wine bars that are near the Pacific Ocean and nestled high in the hills.
Southern California and Central California each has its own vibrant wine scene. But we all know Northern California offers the most famous California wine industry destinations (looking at you, Napa Valley).
The Russian River Valley is one destination worth a trip. The valley is famous for world-class Pinot Noir. We’ve narrowed the list down to four Russian River wineries that farm organically or biodynamically.
Auburn, California is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. The town’s about an hour-long drive from downtown Sacramento. These Auburn wineries offer delicious wine and great views in a relaxed Northern California setting.
