When planning a day of wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley, keep Buttonwood Farm in mind. 

The vibe: During the busy summer months, the winery often had multiple tasting bars pouring -- whites outside on a shaded patio and reds inside (conveniently near the cash registers).

When it's not crowded, Buttonwood is a great place to enjoy a little serenity among the orchards in the back. It's not a big, formal tasting room. It's more casual and quaint. 

Wines: The wines are good, but they don't make my top-10 list in the Santa Ynez Valley. During the summer, I recommend its refreshing sauvignon blanc. 

I'd love for you to try the red blend Trevin and let me know what you think. I liked it in the tasting room and bought a bottle. When I drank the bottle less than a month later, I was underwhlemed.

I tasted with a friend and we appreciated the exact opposite wines. What I savored, she frowned at. What I poured into the dump bucket, she raved about. So this must truly be a place where you have to judge for yourself. Unless, of course, my friend just has terrible taste in wine. 

Price: Most of the bottles sell in the mid-$20 range, but there are a couple you can take home for less than $20 and a few that cost more than $30.