Wine shops in Santa Barbara are the ultimate introduction to what the area has to offer. The focus is squarely on variety, so that visitors can find popular, large-production labels as well as boutique, off-the-radar bottles.

Want a brush with celebrity? In the heart of Santa Barbara wine country, the Los Olivos Café and Wine Merchant served as a setting for the Oscar®-winning film Sideways, and the memorable scene where Miles balks at the notion of drinking merlot. Inside, the wine shop carries one of the area’s biggest selections of local wines (including merlot).

In Santa Barbara, hunting for Renegade Wines is as rewarding as finding it. Located inside a nondescript warehouse, the variety here is impressive, and the bevy of temperature-controlled lockers keeps the locals coming. Within Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, Les Marchands Wine Bar and Merchant provides knowledge, assistance and stock, for those looking to manage their own world class-collection.

Think of Santa Barbara’s wine shops as an ever-evolving gallery, and as a front line for delicious discoveries.