Weekend plan: the new Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail
Santa Barbara doesn’t want to lose out on all the Central Coast wine action. To that end, a group of local wineries has come up with the new Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail, SBUWT for short, with a string of 17 tasting rooms, all in downtown Santa Barbara.
Traipsing from winery to winery not your thing? Or you just don’t have the time? Stay close to city amenities and clock in at Santa Barbara’s “Funk Zone” neighborhood where you can go from tasting room to tasting room by foot or bike. Or if you prefer, you can make the designated driver some poor pedicab driver. To reduce your carbon footprint even further, consider arriving by train from Union Station downtown.
Coming up: Passport Weekend on July 27 to 29 when SBUWT revs up the offerings with winemakers in attendance, reserve vintages, light bites and live music. [UPDATED: The story originally reported the tickets were $75] For a $50 ticket, taste all weekend and enjoy a 10% discount on any wine purchases made then and there. Could be fun.
To get started, check in at Carr Winery, Santa Barbara Winery or Margerum Wine Company. You can also buy tickets online.
Wineries that are part of the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail include Au Bon Climat, Cottonwood Canyon, Summerland Winery, Grassini Family Vineyards and Pali Wine, and more.
Outside of the Passport Weekend, each winery sets their own tasting fees which can vary from $5 to $15 dollars and typically include tastes of between five and eight wines.
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-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila
Photos: Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail map. Credit: SBUWT
