Santa Barbara Specialty

Founded in Santa Barbara by a husband and wife team more than 70 years ago, McConnell's still uses many of the same farms and purveyors they did when they first began. You’ll find flavors ranging from sea salt cookies and cream to lemon and marionberry, as well as top-notch traditional flavors like mint chip and vanilla bean. If you can’t make it to this shop, you can find pints in many upscale grocery stores, and also at LA outposts in Studio City and Downtown LA.

Some of the best wine in the area comes from this winery in the Santa Rita Hills. Produced by a small team of six, the winery does not offer tastings, however they do recommend visiting Taste of Santa Rita Hills in nearby Lompoc to try Sea Smoke’s Pinot Noir and other hard-to-get wines of the area.

This famous (and Robert Parker approved) winery has a busy tasting room that’s open daily. Beyond their own wines, the owners have collected some of the best wines from California and all over the world for guests to try.

It may not seem like much from the outside, but there's a dizzying array of foreign and local wines and liquors inside. Don’t know your Malbec from your Merlot? The super helpful staff are all well-versed wine pros and will even restock your home cellar or bar if needed. On Tuesdays, they put a bunch of great wines on sale for under $20.

Co-founded by Eric Railsback and Master Sommelier Brian McClintic (if the name sounds familiar it’s because his journey to masterdom was documented in the film, SOMM), this Funk Zone wine bar/shop is a must. The cool, wood-trimmed space is split into two: Hardcore oenophiles will go nuts for the hand-picked selection of European and domestic wines on the retail side, while those looking to expand their knowledge will benefit from a wine flight at the tasting bar. A tight offering of small plates is available throughout the week; Fridays and Saturdays, weirdly enough, are reserved for ramen.

The name is actually kind of misleading, because The Funk Zone isn't all that funky—it's an area of Santa Barbara that plays host to tasting rooms for some of the the valley's best vineyards, galleries, plus a handful of the city's greatest restaurants.

Tucked away on an outcropping of limestone, this family-owned vineyard focuses on Syrah and Roussanne grapes, which they tend through sustainable and natural dry farming techniques. They take just as much care post harvest, using native fermentation techniques whenever possible. While they only offer private tours of the vineyard, they have tasting rooms in both Los Olivos and Lompoc.

Tucked away on an outcropping of limestone, this family-owned vineyard focuses on Syrah and Roussanne grapes, which they tend through sustainable and natural dry farming techniques. They take just as much care post harvest, using native fermentation techniques whenever possible. While they only offer private tours of the vineyard, they have tasting rooms in both Los Olivos and Lompoc.

No trip to the Santa Ynez/Santa Maria wine region is complete without a pit stop at Bell Street Farm, particularly if you have little ones in tow. Part market, part restaurant, they offer everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to rotisserie chicken. There's also a deli counter for to-go orders, plus plenty of sweets, including pretty epic mini-cobblers.

This popular wine and beer tasting room makes short work of tasting way too many varietals from the Santa Ynez valley—and the best part, is they only source from award-wining wineries, meaning there are no doozies in the flights. Located in The Funk Zone, it's a fun place to go before a dinner reservation—or for a longer, lazier Saturday (they open at 11). They offer beer flights, too.