Best things to do in Santa Barbara: Itinerary for wine lovers

Santa Barbara is such a charming town with a blend of Spanish colonial influence and coastal California vibe. It’s also a great destination for wine lovers with several wine regions near by and multiple tasting rooms in downtown. I recently spent two days in Santa Barbara to explore the wine and food scene and here are some of things I recommend adding to your itinerary if you are planning a trip there!

Sterns Wharf Pier

Walk the historical pier and enjoy the view. Perfect to grab a snack or drinks.

  • Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

  • The Oyster Bar

  • Moby Dick Restaurant

Visit wineries in Lompoc or Santa Ynez

Lompoc and Santa Ynez are two main towns with wineries and only 40-50minutes drive away.

  • Santa Ynez: Sunstone, Liquid Farm, Lincourt

  • Lompoc: Tyler, Sandhi/Domaine de la Cote, Hilt, Ampelos, Sanford, Chanin

Read more about some of the wineries here.

Wine tasting in downtown

If you can’t drive out to Lompoc or Santa Ynez, there are still tons of wine tasting options in downtown.

  • Santa Barbara Wine Collective

  • Whitcraft Winery

  • Melville Winery

  • Potek Winery

Eat all the food

Santa Barbara is home of sweet Santa Barbara Uni and also has tons of great food options from tacos, seafood, and wine friendly cuisines like Spanish tapas, French, and Italian. Check out these top restaurants for great food and wine.

  • The Lark

  • Lilly's Taqueria

  • Tondi Gelato (this is a Gelato place but one of the bests I’ve had outside of Italy)

  • Bouchon

  • Loquita

Best Wineries to visit near Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara’s wine country might not as big as Napa or Sonoma but offers a unique coastal terroir that produces cool-climate wines. Especially fun for Pinot and Chardonnay lovers! I enjoyed my visit at these two wineries:

Tyler Winery's Mae Estate

Winery started with a passion for Burgundian varietals, they focus on Pinots and Chardonnays from their mae estate vineyards and single vineyard wines from other popular vineyards in the area like Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada,

Tasting fee: $50

Variety: Pinot, Chardonnay, Rosé, Sparkling wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

Sandhi & Domaine de la cote

Founded by Sommelier Rajat Parr, they focus on low-intervention winemaking with most of their Pinots made with whole cluster fermentation (fermenting the grapes with stems). Tasting room is located in downtown Lompoc but their vineyard is located nearby.

Tasting fee: $50

Variety: Pinot, Chardonnay, Syrah, Sparkling wine (traditional method)

Other wineries

I wasn’t able to visit these wineries due to limited time but have heard good things about their wines if you are looking for cool climate Pinots and Chardonnays.



Wines to try and wineries to visit in Korcula, Croatia

Croatia is a hidden gem of a wine country as most of the wines are consumed domestically and not a lot of people know about their wines. I got to try a few different Croatian wines during my recent trip and loved trying unique grape varieties! One of their island, Korcula, is known as the wine island and is a must visit for wine lovers. Here’s a quick summary of wineries and wines you can find in Korcula. 

Most wineries in Korcula have similar offerings and have below wine varieties for a tasting flight or by the glass 

  • GRK - White wine, only available in Korcula. Unique grape that does not self pollinate and needs Plavac Mali planted next to them to fruit. Dry, subtle minerality, citrus, refreshing with a slight bitterness 

  • Posip - White wine, more widely available around Croatia. Balanced acidity with a full-bodied texture

  • Rosé - Mostly made using Plavac Mali. Light and refreshing with crisp acidity and a touch of salinity from the island's coastal terroir.

  • Plavac Mali - Most common red, rich flavors of dark berries, spices, and earthy undertones.

Wineries to visit

All of these wineries offer a fun view of the town and a bit of the ocean. Tasting flights are usually €12, €20 with snacks, €3-4 by the glass.  

Wineries in Korcula are all very small family owned and operated, and production is limited (especially GRK). Which means they sell out of their bottles by the end of the tourist season in the beginning of October. Highly recommend visiting an adorable wine island and trying their wines! 

Best wine restaurants in Piedmont Italy

Piedmont region in Italy is food and wine lovers’ paradise, known for traditional Italian dishes like Tajarin and Vitello tonnato, top wines from Barolo and Barbaresco, and truffles! I recently spent a few days in the region and had the best time drinking lots of delicious wines and ordering Vitella Tonnato for every meal. I always look for the combination of good food AND a good wine list.

Here are all the places you need to go if you love wine and food. A lot of these places also get bonus points for an amazing view of the vineyards!

La Morra

  • Osteria Veglio: Located on the hill on the way to La Morra, beautiful view. They do amazing pastas, shrimp bisque pasta I had was filled with flavors! We went with the 2019 Conterno Cerretta

  • Osteria More e Macine: Unassuming causal place in the middle of the town with amazing food and wine list. Their tiramisu was one of the bests too! .

Castiglione Falletto (small town next to La Morra)

  • Le torri: Probably one of my favorite meals during the trip. It helped that we were staying at the same hotel, but everything was perfect from the view, food, wine list, hospitality, and dessert. Got to see their huge wine cellar and it was filled with Champagnes and all the best regional Barolos and Barbarescos. Loved the rare grower Champagne we got Jules Brochet, and 2014 Roagna Albesani Barbaresco.

  • Bar la Terrazza da Renza: Technically more of a snack bar but their wine list is too good to pass. Great Barolos, Burgundy, and Champagne. Tried 2018 Burlotto Monvigliero (this was my favorite wine from the trip!!) and 2019 Rivella Serafino Barbaresco.

Alba and near by cities

  • La Ciau del Tornavento: Another one of my favorite meals! They have the second largest wine cellar in Italy and it’s simply amazing. Have a few different tasting menu options and they are flexible with substitution so it was easy to enjoy everything from the meal! We had a bottle of Ulysse Collins Les Maillon and 2012 Pavlo Scavino Bric del Fiasc

  • Hostaria dai Musi, Ventuno.1, Osteria Lalibera are all located in the town center and have great food and wine selection

Turin

  • Ristorante Consorzio: Known for their natural wine selection, overall had great list of French and Italian wines. Had one of the best sweetbread dishes here!

  • Condividere: If you get tired of all the traditional dishes, perfect spot with a lot creative fusion dishes! Had a delicious 2008 Champagne and Jura wine and loved both.




Where to stay in Lake Como: Bellagio or Varenna?

Picking a hotel and town to stay can be critical to your trip as it determines accessibility to major attractions you are interested in and influence how you want to schedule your days. This is especially true in Lake Como where lots of small towns are accessible only via ferries.

We did a 2 day trip and if you are planning a short trip as well, you are most likely looking at either Bellagio or Varenna as they are the two most popular cities in Lake Como. Here are a few things to consider when deciding where to stay.

Which is better? Bellagio vs. Varenna

  • Accessibility from the central train station/Miilan: Varenna. Direct train to and from Milan is located in Varenna. This is helpful when you arrive in the morning and want to store your luggage and makes your trip back a lot shorter because you don’t have to consider both ferry AND the train schedule

  • Accessibility to other Lake Como towns : Bellagio. Most ferries to other Lake Como towns leave from Bellagio. If you stay in Verenna, ferry will most likely stop by Bellagio and there are more ferry options from Bellagio

  • Hotel and restaurant options: Bellagio. Verenna is just a smaller town compared to Bellagio. if you have a specific criteria for hotels (walkability, view, price range etc etc), it’s much easier to find options in Bellagio. Most options that I liked were already sold out for Varenna when I tried to book a few months in advance.

  • Prettier town: More of a personal preference, really can’t go wrong. Varenna is a bit smaller and has an adorable vibe while Bellagio is a bit larger. Personally liked the lake view from Varenna and thought Bellagio had adorable small streets everywhere!

Hotels and Airbnbs to stay in

I chose where to stay based on

  • being close to the ferry or train station and restaurants

  • view of the lake

  • good quality to price ration. I didn’t want to to pay a ton of premium for a luxury accommodation at an expensive town!

I debated between Varenna and Bellagio up until the very last minute and ended up going with the Hotel Bellagio. Other options I looked were

Varenna

Bellagio


You can find the full 2 day Lake Como itinerary in this post.

If you end up booking one of the hotels recommended in this post, I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you. It helps support posts like this to bring more travel tips to you!

Luxury wine experiences in Napa and Sonoma

Napa and Sonoma wine experiences can vary anywhere from casual bar tastings to upscale sit-down tasting with food pairing. While I love looking for high quality experiences at a good price, luxury Napa experiences are one of the best ways to celebrate special occasions or treat yourself to a nice trip! Here are list of wineries that offer more private and luxury tasting experiences for $100-200.

Theorem

Started by a couple from Texas, the property is a combination of modern architecture and historical structures. So many unique design elements throughout and the wines are amazing, with Thomas Rivers Brown as their consulting wine maker. Great Sauvignon Blanc and various reds like Cab, Syrah, and Bordeaux style blends

Lokoya

Tasting experience here is luxurious, fun, educational and delicious! They produce Cabernet from 4 distinct mountain appellations in Napa and you get to do a side by side tasting. Property and the view is amazing, not to mention the house made snack pairing!

Promontory

Driving and walking in to the property feels like a museum! From the gate to the welcome area with the view of Harlan vineyards where they serve Dom Perignon as a welcome Champagne. You get to do barrel tasting then sit down for a tasting flight of their Cabernet Sauvignons.

Repris

This one might be a bit hidden on the mountain of Sonoma but it’s well worth the drive! The view from the Sonoma side is amazing and they take you on a ATV ride to taste wines looking at the vineyards. After the ride, you sit down with an amazing Charcuterie board to taste through their Bordeaux style red wines.


I personally have not been but have heard great things about

Best rooftop bars in Milan with a Duomo view

Rooftop bars are always one of my favorite activities when I’m traveling. You always get a nice view of the city and what’s better than a glass of your favorite drink?! Especially if you are traveling in a city like Milan with an iconic Duomo. I visited as many rooftop bars in Milan with a Duomo view and here’s my honest opinion of all of them!


𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 (IMHO) – Terrazza Aperol: Lots of creative spritz options, can’t go wrong! We got lucky with the table but note that there was a line to get in by the time we left so expect the place to get busy

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Signorvino: This is actually a wine shop chain, where you can purchase any bottle and open it there. Fair prices on Italian wines and Champagnes. They also have a variety wines available by the glass. Rear view of the Duomo, could be a bit covered depending on your table.

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗮 – Pino in Duomo: Located right on the plaza. Primarily a restaurant and requires food purchase. Enjoyed the spicy seafood pasta!

𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 – La Rinascente Rooftop is a good option if you want a close up view from the rooftop. Top of the Duomo is right next to you. Located on top of the shopping mall, a bit hectic but there are a few different restaurant/bar sections to choose from.

𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: View of the central station with AMAZING creative cocktails @excelsiorhotelgallia rooftop bar



Best places to eat and drink in Florence

Florence is a super fun city, I feel like it’s just the right size that’s small enough to walk everywhere but also big enough to have lots of things to see, eat, and drink. Here are some places I’ve enjoyed during my last trip.


Where to drink

  • Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina - Located right in front of Palazzo Pitti with a nice view outside. Great wine selection and fun wine flights with various older vintages. Food was great too!

  • Signorvino Firenze - Wine shop/bar with a great view of the Ponte Vecchio. Make sure to reserve in advance for the patio table. Long lists of wines by the glass.

  • Rasputin - Fun speakeasy with creative and delicious cocktails

  • View on Art Rooftop Cocktail Bar - Rooftop bar with the view of duomo

Best restaurants

  • Osteria dell'Enoteca - Affiliated with Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina so great wine selection. No official wine menu but you work with the Somm to pick a bottle from their selection! Known for steak.

  • Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino - Fun tripe dishes if you are up for it! Tripe ragu pasta and tripe in tomato sauce were both delicious.

  • La Buchetta Food & Wine Restaurant - We skipped the more famous Osteria Dall'Oste and went here instead for steak. Felt cozier and the steak did not disappoint especially with a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino.

  • ANTICA FRIGGITORIA DELL'ALBERO - Napoli style pizza to-go spot for under 10 euro! Recommend if you are in the area

Others

Todo Modo - had this book store/wine shop bookmarked but never made it

Wine windows

See the full detailed post about best wine windows in Florence here.


See more wine travel on Instagram

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