Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — Two wineries are part of the inaugural Santa Barbara County Farm Day coming up Saturday, September 28. On Farm Day, Hermanas Vineyard & Winery and Riverbench Vineyard will join 10 Santa Maria Valley ranches, nurseries and agricultural organizations in celebrating the bounty of food produced by local growers by offering free tours and other activities.
Riverbench Vineyard
6020 Foxen Canyon Road,
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Vineyard Manager Jim Stollberg will take guests through the vineyard, describe the viticultural process and answer questions. Guests have the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine. A picnic area is available at the tasting room.
Tour times: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Tours will last 20 to 30 minutes.
Tres Hermanas Vineyard & Winery
9660 Foxen Canyon Road,
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Tour Times: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tours begin on the half hour.
Stop by to learn about the history of the winery as well as its family-owned Back Angus cattle operation. Tours begin on the half hour at the cattle ranch followed by tours of vineyards and processing and storage facilities. Wine tasting is available.
Tres Hermansas is also the site of Santa Barbara County Farm Day’s Farm-To-Table Dinner, Friday, September 27. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the public can enjoy live music, a Santa Maria-style barbeque dinner and a Tres Hermanas wine flight. Local produce will be used from some of the participating Farm Day locations.
Other Farm Day participants include Allan Hancock College’s Agriculture Program, Babé Farms, Bonipak Produce Company, Innovative Produce, Engel & Gray, Inc., Innovative Produce, Main Street Produce, Plantel Nurseries, Primus Labs, Rancho Laguna Farms and Reiter Affiliated Companies at Union Valley Ranch.
“Wineries are such an important part of the ag industry in Santa Barbara County,” says Mary Maranville, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), which is organizing Santa Barbara County Farm Day. “We’re happy that Riverbench Vineyard and Tres Hermanas Vineyard & Winery are giving us this unique opportunity to get an inside look of their operations.”
Farm Day hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors drive themselves to the farms they select (plan on two or three stops). Each location features a number of activities such as educational tours and free produce sampling. A barbecue lunch is available for purchase at Engel & Gray, Inc.
SEEAG’s mission is to help children understand the farm origins of their food through classroom agricultural and nutrition education and free farm field trips. Although this is the first year of Santa Barbara County Farm Day, SEEAG has been hosting Ventura County Farm Day for six years (the seventh takes place November 9). The Ventura County version attracts over 5,000 visitors annually.
For information about participating farms and Farm-To-Table Dinner, visit www.SantaBarbaraCountyFarmDay.com or call 805-901-0213.