My husband and I (late 50s from New York State; we don't own bikes) enjoyed a beautiful February 14 bike ride with William of I Bike Santa Barbara Wine Tours. First, the drive fr. Santa Barbara through a mountain pass and national forest is dramatic and beautiful. Then once in wine country, the points of interest in the area may be familiar to any fans of Alexander Payne’s great film “Sideways.”
William provides everything you need: bikes, water bottles, power bars, helmets, encouragement. We signed up for the mid-level “Wine Lovers’ Ride” but then extended it a bit to the full 15-mile “Classic” because it was so enjoyable gliding by the vineyards and ranches with bison, alpacas, and horses (not to mention the cute Danish wine town of Solvang, where we nabbed free tastes of European cheeses and fudge). Waiting at the end of our ride was a delicious olive oil tasting at the farm stand for an olive farm, and then the vaunted iBike Italian-inspired al fresco luncheon at the spacious Brander winery (following a tasting of their wines, of course!). We also had a fun wine tasting in Los Olivos, where Mikael, the owner of the delicious Kaena wines, impressed us with his passion for wine-growing and his home state of Hawaii.
Will was an excellent low-key tour guide and Santa Barbara fan who shared lots of area lore and tips for even after the ride. We highly recommend this wonderful ride/tasting through gorgeous countryside.