If You Like Good Wine, Taste at the Ballard Inn

Unlike some tasting rooms, the Ballard Inn doesn't feel like you're at a party. The party is in your mouth.

Friends often ask me for recommendations of where to go wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley. If they're looking for spots with wine that's just plain good, I always point them to the Ballard Inn.

It's NOT a winery. It's a hotel and restaurant, but on weekends, just around the corner to the left of the reception desk, is a small bar with wine tasting.

There are typically 10 different wines to taste, grouped into two separate flights. Pick either. You won't go wrong. The Ballard Inn pours local wines that are available in its restaurant. The varietals and labels change, but they're always from tasty boutique producers.

On my last visit, some of the names were: Kenneth-Crawford, Calzada Ridge, Ken Brown, and Au Bon Climat.  

The pourer will know about the wines and the winemakers, so you can ask. You'll probably get some good stories.

It's usually a good place to escape the crowds, too. Three out of four times that I go to the Ballard Inn, my guests and I are the only ones tasting.

Do NOT go to the Ballard Inn if:
-- You have a party of more than 6 people -- unless you call in advance
-- You think any bottle of wine priced at more than $30 is outrageous
-- You prefer your wine pourers scantily clad and uninformed
-- You're trying to collect logo wine glasses