Downtown Santa Barbara wine tasting, beyond the Funk Zone

Most visitors find Santa Barbara's tasting rooms in the Funk Zone, down by the tracks and the beach. See Santa Barbara's guide puts the city's Urban Wine Trail at around 30 rooms spread across downtown and the Funk Zone, with the thickest cluster in the Funk Zone itself. This piece is about the rest of it: the quieter courtyards and side streets a few blocks inland.

We list 32 places in the city of Santa Barbara. Thirteen sit inside our Funk Zone area, and our Funk Zone walk covers those. Of the other 19, two have no tasting room open to the public. That leaves 17 rooms, and nine of them sit within about 320 metres of each other, measured in a straight line from the coordinates on each listing.

Hours and policies below come from each winery's own website. They change, so look again on the day.

El Paseo and the Presidio blocks

This is the heart of downtown tasting. El Paseo is a courtyard reached from State, De La Guerra and Anacapa streets, as Loubud describes the way in. A block up, El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park sits at 123 E. Cañon Perdido Street; California State Parks dates the presidio's founding to April 21, 1782.

• Longoria on State, 732 State St.: Monday to Wednesday 1pm–6pm, Thursday and Friday 1pm–8pm, Saturday 12pm–8pm, Sunday 12pm–6pm.
• Loubud Wines, 20 El Paseo: Thursday to Sunday 12pm–6pm. Booking is recommended but not required.
• Grassini Family Vineyards, 24 El Paseo: daily, with seatings from 12pm to 5pm. Reservations encouraged.
• Silver Wines, 813 Anacapa St., Suite 31, inside El Paseo: Monday to Thursday 3pm–6pm, Friday and Saturday 1pm–6pm, Sunday 1pm–5:30pm. Outside those hours, by appointment.
• Au Bon Climat, 813 Anacapa St.: Wednesday to Monday 12pm–6pm, last tasting 5:15pm, closed Tuesday. Walk-ins as space allows.
• Frequency Wine Company, 804 Anacapa St.: daily 12pm–6pm, last seating 5:30pm. Walk-ins welcome; booking encouraged.
• Jamie Slone Wines, 23 E. De La Guerra St. Check the listing for hours.
• Lieu Dit Winery, 23 E. Cañon Perdido St.: walk-ins welcome, closed Monday. Its website shows more than one schedule, so confirm the day you go.
• Kunin Wines, 831 Santa Barbara St.: Tuesday to Sunday 12pm–7pm.

Upper State Street

Two more rooms sit a few blocks north. Barbieri & Kempe Wines, 1114 State St., Unit 26, posts summer hours of Sunday to Thursday 2pm–7pm, Friday 2pm–8pm and Saturday 1pm–8pm, closed Monday. The Sanguis Collection pours by appointment only, booked through its website.

E. Haley Street

Toward the east, CrossHatch Winery, 111 E. Haley St., opens Thursday to Monday 12pm–6pm, and by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday. Further along, Municipal Winemakers, 406 E. Haley St., Suite 1, stays open latest of the downtown rooms: Sunday to Wednesday until 8pm, Thursday to Saturday until 9pm, opening at noon. You can book its lounge for a guided tasting or simply walk in for a glass on the patio.

The east side, near Milpas

Three more rooms pour on the east side, better reached by a short ride than on foot from El Paseo.

• Carr Winery, 414 N. Salsipuedes St.: open daily, walk-ins welcome, tasting inside a 1940s Quonset hut. From 5pm it is 21 and over only.
• Jaffurs Wine Cellars, 819 E. Montecito St., just off Milpas Street: Monday to Wednesday 11am–5pm, Thursday to Sunday 11am–6pm. Groups larger than six should book.
• Whitcraft Winery, 36A S. Calle César Chávez: walk-in tastings Friday to Sunday, 11am–4pm.

On the wharf, and in Goleta

Deep Sea Tasting Room sits at 217-G Stearns Wharf. It takes no reservations; tables go first come, first served. From April to December it opens at 11am and stays open to 8pm Sunday to Thursday and 9pm on Friday and Saturday.

West of the city, we list one Goleta tasting room open to drop-in visitors: SAMsARA Wine Co., 6485 Calle Real, Suite E. It opens Monday to Wednesday 2pm–7pm and Thursday to Sunday 12pm–7pm. Reservations are recommended; walk-ins are taken for some tastings when there is room. See all of Goleta.

Walk in, or book

The rooms that say on their own sites that you can simply arrive: Frequency, Lieu Dit, Carr, Whitcraft and Deep Sea, plus Au Bon Climat when space allows. Loubud, Grassini and Municipal's lounge suggest booking. Sanguis is appointment only. For the others we have no stated policy, and a quick call settles it.

A walkable afternoon

Start at Longoria on State, then step into El Paseo for Loubud, Grassini and Silver. Cross Anacapa to Au Bon Climat and Frequency, and turn onto De La Guerra for Jamie Slone. One block up on Cañon Perdido is Lieu Dit, with the Presidio a block further east and Kunin just around the corner on Santa Barbara Street.

Nine rooms is far more than one afternoon needs. Choose three or four, check them against the day (Loubud, Lieu Dit and Kunin close on Monday; Loubud and Au Bon Climat on Tuesday), and leave time to sit. Late in the day, Longoria, Kunin and Municipal give you room into the evening.

Leave the car parked, or plan a safe ride home before the first pour.

Before you go

• Add a few rooms to My day, set the date, and the planner checks each stop against its posted hours.
• Walk-ins welcome in Santa Barbara and open after 5pm keep both lists current.
• Coming by train? See wine tasting by train.

The Urban Wine Trail figure comes from See Santa Barbara, the presidio date from California State Parks, and every address, hour and policy from the winery's own website, linked on each listing.