Weekend getaway: Santa Barbara wine country picnics

Autumn is harvest festival time in the wine country. It’s also an idyllic time for picnicking among the vineyards, now that the hottest days of summer are behind us. Get ready for a trip up north to the vineyards by reading the Los Angeles Times article from earlier this month, “A Santa Barbara wine country picnic”. It’s full of tips for finding precisely the right wine and feasting outdoors on a gourmet spread.

Deal: For more culinary travel ideas, the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau has inspirational month-by-month itineraries for food and wine lovers available for free online. The September itinerary highlights fruitful Apple Lane Farm, where the trees are now ripe for picking. The July itinerary, which I personally road-tested this summer, led me to top-shelf foodie finds, such as Clairmont Farms where the lavender fields were in full bloom and delectable C’est Cheese, the epicurean fromagerie in downtown Santa Barbara.

Any more tips for perfect wine country picnics? Clue us in by posting in the Comments section below.

When: PDFs of the Santa Barbara CVB’s “Fresh Itineraries” are available for download 24/7/365.

Caveat: Some of the “Fresh Itineraries” content is slightly outdated. Call ahead before visiting any of the places described on the itineraries, just to be sure they’re still open for business.

Why Go: Eating outdoors beside bountiful fields of ripe grapes is romantic.

Why Not: Picnics take work. Dining on a restaurant patio can be just as pleasant.

Contact: Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau, (805) 966-9222

Related Los Angeles Times links:
A Santa Barbara wine country picnic
The American Riviera’s eateries turn & face the change
Santa Barbara: Sustainable wine tours
Five great Santa Barbara vineyards to watch

– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective

[Photo credit: Stephen Osman / LAT]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 12:15 am by Sara Benson and is filed under California, Fall, Gourmet, Honeymoon, Spa & Romance, Napa Valley, Santa Barbara, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.