Winemaker For The Day
Buy one barrel of wine and become the Winemaker for the day. Join owner Doug Margerum in customizing your own 25 case lot after tasting through multiple varietals and selections of our top scoring wines to make the perfect wine!
Come witness for yourself and participate in this centuries long tradition of crafting your personal wine blend and see how nuanced and complex this process really is. Other subjects such as grape yields, farming, oak regimens and the entire winemaking process will be covered.
A special catered lunch follows the blending session along with the opening of special library wines from Dougs cellar.
For any questions, please email us at or call us at 805.686.8500.
Region: Sta Rita Hills
The Pacific Oceans marine layer and afternoon ocean breezes traverse the coastal valley corridors between the Purisima Hills and the Santa Rosa Hills, creating the perfect environment for growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other cool climate wine grape varieties.
Although the first vineyard in our region, Sanford and Benedict, was planted in 1971, it was not until 1997 that Wes Hagen and his group of merry marauders could be seen tromping through the hills of our valley taking soil samples, studying elevation levels and compiling data on degree days.
With a total area of 30,720 acres, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to over 59 vineyards, totaling 2,700 hundred acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and 18 other cool climate wine grape varieties.
Region: Los Olivos District
The Los Olivos District is entirely within the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, sharing a common boundary with Ballard Canyon AVA on the west side, and sharing a common boundary with the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara on the east side. The northern boundary incorporates for the most part a 1000-foot elevation line which separates the topographically rugged foothills of the San Rafael mountains to the north from the gentle rolling hills to the south. This 1000-foot line also marks the northern boundary limit of the Positas-Ballard-Santa Ynez soil series, the dominant soil type of the Los Olivos District. The southern boundary is defined by the Santa Ynez River, which marks a change in geology and principal soil type.
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Region: Los Alamos Valley
Los Alamos Valley lies between Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. With warm days and very cold nights, the fruit from this region achieves incredible concentration and balance. Its slight, well drained soils and a wide range of microclimates allows for a diversity of varietals. Because Los Alamos Valley is not an official appellation, you won’t see it on a wine label – “Santa Barbara County” is used instead. But you should not be surprised to see Los Alamos Valley vineyard names specified on the label.Los Alamos, which means “The Cottonwoods” in Spanish, is a town just off the 101 freeway between the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley appellations. The area around Los Alamos has a temperate climate all its own – ten degrees cooler than Santa Ynez Valley to the south and ten degrees warmer than Santa Maria Valley to the north-east. Los Alamos Valley is bounded to the north by Solomon Hills and to the south by La Purisima Hills.
A Harvest Day At Margerum
Its a busy time at our county wineries. Grapes will be harvested over the next two months and we are very busy. It is a terrific time to visit wineries as the smells of fermenting grape juice waft through the air.
4:40 AM Rise and no shine and dress in layers since the temperature outside is chilly and often foggy. By 11:00 am it could be well over ninety.
5:20 AM Meet the vineyard manager at the vineyard as the light begins to appear in the east. Get the crew started picking grapes making sure they are picking the right section, not picking any second crop, and leaving out of the bins all of the leaves, lizards, bugs, snakes, and other debris. Its important to get the grapes to the winery nice and cool. Weve already taken samples to get the numbers. The numbers needed are: pH the measure of acidity and alkalinity, Brix percentage of sugar in the grape juice, and TA the measure of the Total Acid of the principal acids found in grapes, mainly tartaric acid, and malic acid. Well discuss what to pick next, when to pick and speculate on the ever-changing weather. My assistant winemaker visits other vineyards walking all the rows that are looking ripe and randomly picks clusters, keeping the different clones and varieties separate.
6:50 AM Stop by another vineyard to check out the green harvest. This is the dropping of remaining green grapes to the ground that arent going to ripen at the same time as the rest. The fog is starting to recede a bit.
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Visiting Margerum Wine Company
As stated earlier in this article, round out a visit to Santa Barbara with a stop at . The consistency of the wine will impress any wine enthusiast.
Tasting Room Hours: Sunday-Thursday 12-8 pm & Friday-Saturday 12-9 pm
Note: Common to the wine industry, this writer received a hosted wine tasting. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.
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Region: Happy Canyon Of Santa Barbara Ava
The unique microclimate of the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA is essential to the character of the wines that are produced from these soils. Spanning 23,941 acres at the easternmost end of the Santa Ynez Valley, north and west of Lake Cachuma, the region achieved its AVA status in November of 2009. The countering effect of warm, sunny afternoons and cool, marine-moderated evenings ensures an extended growing season that encourages the maturation of finely balanced fruit, with physiological ripe fruit and acidity. Because the Happy Canyon AVA sees higher temperatures than other neighboring areas, it particularly excels with Bordeaux varietals that require assertive solar energy to achieve peak ripeness, as well as Rhône varietals that also thrive in such climes.
The region is comprised of ancient upland soils, primarily clay loam, riddled with cobbles of red chert and serpentine. These deposits were swept down the canyon over thousands of years, then uplifted and weathered for thousands more. The result is a shallow, low-nutrient topsoil supported by an impervious clay pan that forces the vine roots to grow laterally. In this environment, the vines are stressed for nutrients and water. Root growth and vine vigor are limited, ensuring smaller vines and low yieldsa perfect combination for the development of intensely flavored grapes.
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Celebrated Winemaker Doug Margerum Opens Dazzling New Tasting Room In Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone
Release Date: June 24,2019
Travel by ENTREE
The Funk Zone has ignited Santa Barbaras downtown life with exciting new shops, wine tasting rooms, galleries and restaurants bringing a vibrant energy and vitality to what was once a moribund neighborhood of ignored buildings.
There is no better way to explore this arrondissement of pleasures and treasures than by starting at Margerum Wine Company, a soaring, brand spanking new tasting room built by Santa Barbaras dynamic, award-winning winemaker, Doug Margerum. The two-level Tasting Room, located opposite the entrance to the popular Hotel Californian, offers an ever-changing menu featuring rare bottlings and excellent older vintages of Margerum wines. It is a very pleasant, comfortable and refined experience, with a tasty selection of small plates, cheese & charcuterie and pizzas created by Doug to complement his distinctive wines. This is the coolest gateway to the lively Funk Zone.
The interior, styled by Dougs talented wife, Marni, is a balanced mix of Santa Barbara Colonial and modern, best described as todays farmhouse meets couture boutique. A handsome oak staircase with hand-forged iron railings leads upstairs to a cozy loft, ideal for flights of wine in a soaring space accented by sky-high ceilings with crimson red velvet curtains. We cant imagine a better spot for a private lunch or dinner.
Doug Margerum Builds His Wine Company Into One Of The Biggest And Brightest
The Margerum Wine Company team Douglas Bennett, Patti Rogers, Christina Panameno, Michael Miroballi, Doug Margerum, Julia Weinberg and Lucas Meisinger, from left, in the winery’s barrel room.
- Len Wood, Staff
Doug Margerum consults with his winemaker Michael Miroballi as they barrel taste.
- Len Wood, Staff
The Margerum Wine Company is open for tastings on the weekends at the Buellton production facility.
- Len Wood, Staff
Doug Margerum prepares lunch for his staff at his winery’s production facility in Buellton.
- Len Wood, Staff
Doug Margerum started making wine under his own label in 2001.
- Len Wood, Staff
Doug Margerum is the owner and director of winemaking at his Margerum Wine Company in Buellton.
- Len Wood, Staff
The Margerum Wine Company produces about 16,000 cases a year.
- Len Wood, Staff
- Len Wood, Staff
An after-dinner digestif called Amaro and vermouth are two of of Margerum Wine Company’s lesser-known bottlings.
- Len Wood, Staff
Doug Margerum didn’t start out knowing he wanted to be a winemaker. A French girlfriend during his college days helped put him on that path. The relationship moved him to spend three of his collegiate summer breaks in France. That’s where he learned that he loved food and wine. He especially loved the wine bars in Paris where you could get a glass of wine and a small plate.
“We became fast and furious friends. I sold a ton of their wine, and we all traveled together to Europe. I learned a lot about wine from Jim,” Margerum said.
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Takes A True French Approach To Winemaking
Each and every wine selected for our six different Wine Clubs meets our strict guidelines for quality and rating criteria. Each wine is handcrafted by an authentic, small-production boutique winery with a compelling story to tell like the one above. Since our first Gold Wine Club shipment in 1992, we have added five more impressive Wine Clubs to choose fromeach a showcase for highly-rated, sought-after wines you can enjoy as a Gold Medal, wine of the month club member.
Region: Santa Ynez Valley
Santa Ynez Valley is a long, east-west corridor with very cool temperatures on the coast that become progressively warmer inland. Consequently, several varietals do well, from Pinot Noir in the west to Cabernet and Merlot in the east. Several Rhône and Italian grape varietals have also gained acclaim in this versatile Santa Barbara County AVA. The largest concentration of wineries is in the Santa Ynez Valley appellation. From one-person labors of love to multi-thousand case operations, each has a dedication to producing wine that truly reflects the high quality and broad diversity of local grapes.
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Buellton Winery Private Experiences
Set your prefered Guest Count, Date & Time below. Select “Book Now” to see availability at the Buellton Winery:
Private Seated Deep Dive Tasting of Margerum and Barden Wines
This is a private tasting in our Barrel Room or Santa Barbara Tasting Room of our best wines, hosted by one of our teams knowledgeable Sommeliers. This experience includes an in-depth discussion about all things vinous including viticulture, winemaking, our Estate Vineyard and the various appellations from which we source. This tasting will be complimented by a curated selection of California cheeses and charcuterie with all the accoutrements. $75/person.
Private Terroir Tasting
Geek Alert. Join one of our teams knowledgeable Sommeliers for a detailed tasting focusing on the concept of terroir, a French term used to describe the location and environmental influences affecting grape and wine quality. Using Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, we will taste through various selections highlighting examples of wines grown in different vineyards and appellations in Santa Barbara County. We will discuss why and what the influences are affecting each wines aroma, taste, complexity, age-worthiness and quality with conversations wide-ranging and educational. This experience will be complimented by a curated selection of California cheeses and charcuterie with all the accoutrements. $125/person.
Private Library Tasting
Private M5 Bleding Seminar Tasting
