Looking to explore California Wine Country in a fun, unique way? Try this bike tour loop from Solvang to Los Olivos! Follow along my route in my recent trip to Los Olivos in Santa Barbara Wine Country. It was the most perfect way to spend a beautiful Sunday!
1st Stop: Rent bikes at Wheel Fun Rentals in Solvang. I would rent for the full day ($40 for a hybrid bike) so that you aren't in a rush! They also charge high fees for returning the bikes after your scheduled time so it's better to just plan to keep the bikes for the day. Plan to start earlier in the day around 10:30am or so, as wineries start to close around 4pm.
2nd Stop: We got a map from the bike rental shop and did the Los Olivos/Santa Ynez Bike Trail which is about 13.5 miles total. We started down Alamo Pintado Road for about 15 minutes before we found our first stop, Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard on our right.
Here we stopped for a tasting on their adorable outside patio, we shared the classic tasting for $25, our favorite tasting was the 2018 Merlot!
3rd Stop: We hopped back on our bikes and continued down the road, happening across this adorable Ballard Walnut Grove! We couldn't help but buy some walnuts, it's all sold by the honor system, they accept cash and Venmo!
4th Stop: Lincourt Vineyards on your left!
Here we shared the Lincourt tasting flight for $35. I was very impressed by all the wines here, they focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with most of their vineyards in Santa Rita Hills, a premier site for these varietals!
5th Stop: We continued on our way, and next happened upon an adorable
Olive Oil & Lavender Farm!
It was perfect timing as we were ready for a little snack, they had an incredible array of complimentary olive oil & vinegar tastings that we enjoyed on their beautiful patio. We bought a bottle of the Koroneiki Olive Oil that was so delicious!
6th Stop: We made it to Los Olivos! We were starting to run out of daylight (we started a bit late) so we didn't have as much time to explore as we would've liked, but we had time to stop at one of our favorite tasting rooms, Brewer Clifton!
Greg Brewer won Winemaker of the Year from Wine Enthusiast in 2020, he's an incredible winemaker and pioneer of the Santa Barbara Wine Region, with highly rated Pinot Noir's and Chardonnay's, as well as a fun Syrah, "Ex Post Facto" . They let us bring in a baguette from next door so that we could enjoy some more of our new olive oil and bread with this tasting!
With the sun starting to go down, it was time for us to make our way back to Solvang! We were on a bit of a time crunch, so we just took the Alamo Pintado Road back the way we came, but if you allowed more time, you could continue the loop to Roblar Ave then Refugio Road on the way back, with more wineries along the way!
We ate a big breakfast, so we weren't hungry for lunch, but if you do want to schedule in lunch, Buttonwood offered food and there's a couple restaurants in Los Olivos. I often enjoy the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe when in Los Olivos. Some other great stops on the route that we didn't have time for, but that I've been to before and loved are Rideau Vineyard, Roblar Winery, and Beckman Vineyards. I also recommend sharing your tastings if you are with someone to limit alcohol consumption and stay safe while biking! In terms of difficulty, I'd say the route is fairly flat and easy, there were a few small hills, but nothing that someone with a moderate athletic ability couldn't handle!
Hope next time you are in Santa Barbara Wine Country, you get a chance to try this fun bike trail! Let me know if there's any other good bike trails you've tried in the area!
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