Alisos Canyon: a visitor's guide to the county's newest AVA

Alisos Canyon is the newest of the seven American Viticultural Areas on our map. Here is what the federal record says about it, and where you can taste its wine.

Where it is

The federal government established Alisos Canyon as an AVA effective September 24, 2020. Its legal boundary is at 27 CFR 9.270, drawn on two USGS maps, Foxen Canyon and Zaca Creek. It covers about 5,774 acres in Santa Barbara County, north of U.S. Highway 101, and Alisos Canyon Road runs through it.

The neighbors help place it. The Santa Maria Valley AVA lies to the north and the Santa Ynez Valley AVA to the south. Foxen Canyon is to the east, which our Foxen Canyon Road drive covers, and Cat Canyon is to the west.

One detail surprises people: Alisos Canyon is not inside the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Its only parent is the large, multi-county Central Coast AVA. For the boundary on a map and every listing tied to it, see the Alisos Canyon page.

Where the name comes from

Federal maps label the feature Cañada de los Alisos, which the proposed rule translates as the canyon of the white alder trees. Per the petition, locals simply say Alisos Canyon, and the name is on the road and a local cycling loop.

What the petition said

The petition was filed on behalf of local vineyard owners and winemakers. When it was filed, the area held 9 commercial vineyards covering about 238 acres, and one winery. The government received 18 comments on the proposal, and all of them supported it.

The federal government accepted two features that set the area apart, climate and soil:

• Climate. Cool ocean air reaches the canyon along the San Antonio Creek drainage. The area is about 25 miles from the Pacific, between the cooler coast and the warmer interior. In the petition's heat data, it builds up more warmth over a season than the Sta. Rita Hills and the Highway 135 corridor, and less than Ballard Canyon, Sisquoc, Zaca Creek and Happy Canyon.
• Soil. Most of the soil comes from sandstone and shale. Two types dominate: the Paso Robles Formation, about 63 percent, and Careaga Sandstone, about 13 percent. The first is a gravel of shale pebbles; the second is a soft, sandy stone that drains well.

The petition called the area a "Goldilocks Rhone Zone," meaning a place neither too warm nor too cool for Rhône grapes. It named Syrah as the grape most widely grown there at the time. That was the canyon at filing; we hold no newer planting count.

Inside the canyon

We list two wineries inside the boundary, both on Alisos Canyon Road, Los Alamos:

• Dovecote Estate Winery, 9229 Alisos Canyon Road: a reservation is required, and we do not hold regular hours. Its site lists tasting flights at $45 and $75 per adult. Book before you drive out.
• So Far Out Winery, 9110 Alisos Canyon Road: Thursday to Sunday 11am–5pm, closed Monday to Wednesday. It does not say whether you need to book, so check the listing first.

Pouring Alisos Canyon wine, nearby

Seven more places we list pour wine from Alisos Canyon. Hours are as each place posts them:

Los Olivos

• Tensley Wines, Grand Avenue: daily 11am–5pm.
• Future Perfect Wine: daily 11am–5pm, last walk-in tasting at 4pm. A reservation is recommended.

Buellton

• Tomi Cellars, Industrial Way: Thursday to Monday 11:30am–5:30pm. A reservation is recommended.
• MarBeso, Los Padres Way: reservation required. We do not hold its hours yet.

Solvang

• Cordon of Santa Barbara, Mission Drive: 12pm–6pm, closed Tuesday.

Lompoc

• Montemar Winery: Friday to Sunday.
• Transcendence Wines: Wednesday to Saturday afternoons, and by appointment. Walk-ins welcome.

See also our Lompoc Wine Ghetto guide and Los Olivos on foot.

"Pours Alisos Canyon wine" means the place's own sources show wine from the AVA. Not every bottle is, so ask in the room.

The grapes on their lists

Of the nine places in Alisos Canyon or pouring its wine, seven name Syrah among their wines and six name Grenache. Two do not list their grapes with us yet. Most of these places pour from more than one AVA, so a grape on the list is not always grown in the canyon. Syrah in Alisos Canyon puts the Syrah pourers on one page.

Plan it

Only one of the nine is marked walk-ins welcome in our listings, and two require a reservation, so a canyon day rewards a little planning. Add your stops to My day and the planner checks each one against its posted hours for your date. If Alisos Canyon interests you, our Ballard Canyon piece covers the warmer AVA to its south.

A note on these numbers

Counts come from the approved listings we hold today, October 13, 2026, each checked against the winery's own website: 2 with an address inside the AVA and 8 whose sources show they pour its wine, 9 places in all because one is both. Places without posted hours are listed but not given hours we cannot source. The AVA facts come from the federal rulemaking listed below.