Unlike many of the other reviewers, my wife and I are not wine experts. In fact, we decided to take this tour to learn more about wine and winemaking. Our time was limited as we were on a cruise ship that was docked in Santa Barbara only from 7 am until 3 pm.
Scott accomodated us by picking us up at 8:30 am (quite early for a wine tasting) and arranging stops at three wineries as well as a picnic lunch. As we wanted a more leisurely experience, we asked Scott to reduce this to just two wineries and lunch, and he was able to accomodate the change.
Scott is incredibly knowledgable and responsive, even to our basic wine questions. He is a great driver in additiion to being a terrific guide. At our first stop, a small family winery, we were offered the opportunity not only to get to know the wines produced by this vineyard, but to also get to know the passionate individual who had started the business, developed a strong following, and learned to make outstanding wine. I normally do not like rose wine much, but the rose produced from pinot vines at this winery was one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. Still, you can taste wines in many locations. This tour offered the experience of being out in the fields, learning about wine growing, and sharing the experience of the owner in growing his business and his vineyard. We tasted quite a few wines and enjoyed some common experiences. This stop was more like a social function than a tour, and we really enjoyed it. We will savor the wines we bought (they shipped the wine right away) for some time to come.
Our second stop was a larger (but still small by commercial standards) vineyard and winery closer to the eastern (hotter) edge of the the Santa Ynez valley, specializing in cabernet sauvignon grown using only bio-organic methods. The owners were away, so we met with a charming young lady who gave us a great tour of the vineyards on a farm vehicle. The tour was also a learning experience, as the vineyard employed two different types of vine growing. We tasted many of the fine wines developed by the vineyard, heard the story of the family behind the business and then enjoyed a picnic lunch on a beautiful vista overlooking the valley and the vineyard.
Although we are relative novices when it comes to wine, we did not even realize how much we had learned until later that week two things happened. First, we attended a talk on our ship by a master somelier, and we had seen much of what he dicussed, and had already learned 90 percent of his discussion. Second, we were viewing the movie Sideways, which had a wine theme and was filmed near the Santa Ynez valley, and we already knew much of what Paul Giamatti, who was cast as a bit of a wine snob, discussed. We had also seen and experienced much of what the film offered.
Although we are still not experts, Scott ignited a spark, and we plan to learn much more about wine, and to experience a wide variety of wines and wine experiences. Scott has built his business by creating strong relationships with the owners and managers of small local vineyards, and their friendhip shows through all day long. This translates into an indepth private tasting experience for Scott's guests; one that is well worth taking for anyone.
My wife and I cruise frequently and have taken all types of private tours and excursions, all over the world. This was clearly one of the best ever!