The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is the largest sub-region in Santa Barbara County. Santa Ynez Valley’s wine history began in 1804, when the first vineyards were planted by the Spanish. In that year, Mission Santa Ines was founded in what was then an isolated, peripheral part of Alta California. Despite these early origins, the majority of Santa Ynez Wineries did not emerge until the 1960s. Until then, the conventional wisdom was that the climate was too cold to grow grapes for the jug wines that the market demanded at the time.

The valley has a relatively narrow opening to the Pacific Ocean at the western end which shelters more inland locations. Additionally, the elevation rises significantly as one moves east, with important implications for the climate and local vineyards. A number of different grapes thrive in the vineyards of the region. Santa Ynez produces everything from graceful Riesling to robust Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon with the general rule that cool climate varietals thrive in the cooler western end of the valley and move to more heat-loving red varietals as temperatures rise the further east one moves from the Pacific. (Wine/Appellations)