Taste of Santa Rita Hills

I love visiting this spot to taste the incredible wines that Michael and Maureen curate from some of the best local winemakers who don’t have tasting rooms of their own. The setting is beautiful, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the wine selection is always outstanding. Highly recommended!

My wife and I stopped by during the week after Labor Day weekend. We had about 6-7 wines, and they were all super unique and super tasty. Glad we discovered A Taste of Santa Rita Hills. Our favorites were the Pinots from the west side.

What an amazing concept. These passionate co-owners represent smaller vineyards that don’t have their own tasting rooms. I hated Pinot Noir until I visited this wonderful oasis for a tasting. The owner knows his wines.

The wines were great here! Mike and Marlene were so nice, super knowledgeable, and spent time going over the wines with us. They've got a big map where they show you where the grapes in their wines are harvested from. It's a great experience.

A tastefully designed tasting room hosts an array of unique local wines, each possessing its own charm and character, creating an inviting and enjoyable experience.

Everything about our tasting experience was wonderful. The owners are extremely knowledgeable, the tasting room and outdoor seating are beautiful and relaxing, and the wine was fantastic. We tasted six wines, and we liked them all so much that we bought a bottle of each.

Came here on a whim because I was looking for a small producer in Santa Rita hills. They didn't have it but the owners were so nice and caring. I ended up buying something in my price range and delicious. Thanks to their recommendation. They are a small business that is not pretentious and really listens to their customers. The owner spent lots of time with me and we connected. Thank you and I will be back.

I usually do not like to write reviews but this one is well worth a sip. I happened to walk into this charming little boutique wine store and tasting room on Grand Ave in Los Olivos. Mike, the owner was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the wines in the region as well as around the world. You could see he has a passion for this business. A good variety of wines to taste and purchase at respective prices. Definitely worth the walk in out of all the stores on the street. Then buy a bottle and eat at one of the restaurants that accept BYOB. A true spirit of small town USA in California. I will be back to fill my wine fridge for friends and family. A perfect break on my drive to Monterey.

My husband and I visited on April 15th. Michael provided us with excellent service. You can feel his dedication and love for wine through his speech. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Taste of Sta Rita Hills. The wines were excellent. I can't believe we've passed this location so often going to Paso Robles. We highly recommend people to come here.

Full range of wines from this small region / Appalachian. Curated by an authentic Italian somolier

Antonio and Jeni are the nicest and most knowledgeable couple you can find in los olivos! The tastings here are unique in that they represent over 20 + different wine labels so you can really try the best this area has to offer for wine by going here. The variety is unmatched in my opinion! Even higher end bottles such as Sea Smoke and Paul Lato can also be purchased and sampled in a wine flight here. Antonio and Jenis personal label "Moretti Wines" also has some standouts like their prosecco and their new 2018 Babera. The wine tasting room is gorgeous and they have ample outdoor seating nowadays to help stay COVID precaution complaint. I encourage anyone stopping into Los Olivos to make sure you come here for all your pinot noir needs! =)

Being Italian it was such an amazing treat and experience to find this amazing brand and tasting room. Thank you Antonio for the great tastings we will stop by every time that we are in the area. Cheers!

Excellent wine and extremely knowledgeable staff. We tasted outside looking out on the really cute town of Los Olivos. Their tasting wines represent a range of Santa Ynez Valley exclusive wineries. If you're serious about wine go here.

Absolutely enjoyed the wine tasting here yesterday. A flight of 5 tastings was only $15. The owners even added in a tasting of Prosecco. The owner is from Italy, so you know the insight and expertise is authentic. The pairings of wines with cheese, bread, and pastrami was perfection. You have to try the truffle cheese. I honestly should have purchased some to take home. I truly recommend making a trip to the Wine Ghetto.

Always an amazing place to stop by while visiting the wine ghetto. They always have something special to taste and sometimes the actual wine maker is there to pour and chat with you about their grapes. Oh and they serve delicious cheese.

Antonio has taste and a great appreciation and knowledge of all things wine and olive oil. Taste of Santa Rita Hills carry the best wine in Santa Ynez. The attention to detail and quality insure a great opportunity to taste the best wines in the greater area. The olive oil made in Italy is amazing as are the many great wines. The business is owned by a caring, conscientious family tuned into their passion

Antonio is very kind and knowledgeable. He knows what my husband likes and he give us lots of history, story behind the wine maker, etc . He keep it interesting while we have his wine and cheese! Keep coming back for more!

I didn't have time to visit more than one tasting room on my trip to Lompoc this time. I'm really glad I chose Taste of Sta. Rita Hills. Antonio was very generous with his knowledge of wines from the Santa Rita AVA and Europe. There are the best pinots from various labels in the region to taste as well as the Moretti label which I enjoyed. It was quite educational and I will be back on my next trip. Don't miss this one!

This was one of our last stops in Lompoc Wine Ghetto for tastings. The man working there was trying really hard to be nice to us, but was barely succeeding. I appreciate the effort. The wines were nicely paired with the parmesan and bread, but overall the experience was dwarfed by the other wineries in the vicinity. There are 16 wineries in the vicinity and we stopped by 6, and this was my least favorite. The others had a lot more personality and the wines, frankly, were a bit better.

I came to the Sta. Rita Hills as a personal prerequisite for taking my level 1 sommelier exam. Antonio was a great host and very generous with his time. I chewed his brain about the AVA, winemaking practices, and wine in general, and he provided me with some great information that you can only get from someone as passionate about this industry as Antonio is. The tasting was delightful, serving hard to find labels such as Sea Smoke and Demetria who don't have their own tasting rooms. Delicious cheeses and bread were provided which helped me properly analyze and taste the wines. It's a cool little tasting room in the wine ghetto. The only negative thing I have to say about this place is that the prices per bottle are easily 20%-30% more than other retailers in the valley. You can find some of these bottles, including Sea Smoke, at other shops for much less. This was my first wine tasting in California and it was a great first experience. If you're in the wine ghetto in Lompoc, this is a must for those hard to find labels. Thanks for your hospitality and the education, Antonio!

Antonio is such a neat guy! He is EXTREMELY knowledgeable of all of the wines produced in the Sta Rita Hills area.. From the larger wineries to the tiniest of ones. He takes such good care of his guests and freely shares his passion for the area with everyone who steps in the tasting room. Thank you Antonio for your hospitality, I can't wait to go back!

If you're a fan of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay this is the place for you!! Jeni and Antonio have an amazing selection of small lot producers that you will not be able to get enough of. In addition to the great wines, they have a way of putting everyone at ease. They are kind and genuine to all. Don't miss out on trying Antonio's Moretti wines as well. Taste of Santa Rita Hills is a true gem!

I stick to my last review, as I stick to this place. This place is my Number 1. Antonio is the sweetest man who loves and KNOWS his wine and the cheeeeeeese... :O !!! THIS IS A MUST STOP from the ghetto! a M U S T S T O P ! His wines are FABULOUS.

Great wine and friendly place! We have been going there for years and have always found something new and always great. Antonio is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his wine selections.

This is probably my favorite tasting room in the area. We came in with our toddler and I was amazed with how much the owners interacted with him and helped to keep him happy. All of the wines they chose for the tasting were great, and the order they poured them told a story of the area that put the experience over the top. If you like Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir this is a must stop place.

One of my favorite wine clubs providing a wide selection of Pinot noir selections from mostly smaller producers. We love bellying up to the bar to taste wine and chat with proprietor Antonio Moretti. We can sample some of his special cheeses and meats often imported from Italy. He's located in the wine ghetto of Lompoc which is a bit of a drive from the heart of the wine area around Buellton and Solvang but worth the trip.

We always stay in Lompoc to go visit Solvang any chance we get. This time we left on 4 of July weekend. Your website said closes at 5:00 we got there at 4:00pm wanting to taste some wine. it probably would have taken us just a few minutes to try it as we don't really like to talk much. I was disappointed we were told it was closed when there was still about 10 people trying some wine. Maybe next time you should be more specific or about your holiday schedule. Specially when your wine tasting is not like Solvangs not very attractive just a few warehouses nothing around it to enjoy. Be nice and hospitable Specially for those that drive a few hours to get there.

Antonio does a great job of bringing together lots of small wineries with limited production all into one tasting room. It is always admirable to see people who not only love what they do but are committed to their businesses in such a way that it evokes passion in other people. I have a tremendous amount of respect for winemakers who follow their dreams and make unique delights and Cheers to Antonio who makes the introduction and makes his own wine as well. A lot of these fun loving bottles can be found in this tasting room! So I thank you Antonio for always being there every time we stop by, on holiday weekends too. We enjoy our visits with you, the delicious wines you pour with the savory bread and cheese. It's always a good time!

I was amazed with this little tasting room in Lompoc of all places. Being from Monterey County I am spoiled with amazing Pinot Noirs, so wasn't expecting to be blown away by anything here. I was wrong, the thorne rio vista vineyard pinot was superb!! I am drinking it as I write, and am not disappointed I purchased it. Antonio and friend(forgot her name sorry) were great hosts, served some yummy cheese with bread, but most of all chatted in a warm and professional manner, I never felt they were trying to sell me, just wanted me to enjoy the wines. You need to try this place when in Lompoc, best in Wine Ghetto area, especially if you love Pinot's like I do. Cheers.

It was a little hectic when we were there on a rainy Thursday afternoon, but the couple who run this tasting room in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto were gracious and charming. We learned a lot about the region and the different wineries, got some helpful recommendations for other tasting rooms to visit nearby. Not all of them were open, so it saved us some fruitless searching. We left with their own Bianchetto blend and a Thorne 2011 Pinot Noir. The Sea Smoke Eau de Sea we called for was temporarily out of stock, as we were told on the phone, but Antonio had one last bottle in the warehouse, and he called as promised the next day to verify that he had it and shipped it to us in LA. Excellent follow through.

Great selection of local wines that you can't taste elsewhere. Antonio, the owner, selects his favorite from the Santa Rita Hills - great Chards, Pinots and Syrahs. Very nice.

Visited the tasting room on a Saturday in the wine ghetto area, as they are only open Thursday to Sunday, whereas most wine ghetto rooms are from Friday to Sunday. Mr. Morretti served us and was very knowledgeable. He represents several vintners in the Santa Rita Hills region, hence the name. Morretti has his own label in which we tasted 2 of his wines and bought his Chardonnay which was very unique, a great food pairing wine instead of the normal cocktail Chard. He had 4 other wines from the area that were very good. I thought what he had on the list was a good selection of 6 wines. The other wines that he represents is on a list for purchase and is quite expansive such as the Sea Smoke Pinot Noir vintages. I was told the wine line up changes regular so stop by again, and we probably will.

Mr. Morretti thank you. For making such good wines and being such a great host Friday. I though you wines where fantastic. I and my partner Cheryl will be coming back to the ghetto for more

Really loved this place - and as other Yelpers have stated - Antonio is the best - he not only knows his wines - but is funny and nice - His summary of the Wine Ghetto sums up the Wine Ghetto perfectly "we don't spend our money on a nice big building we spend it on making great wines"! (perfect) - even though our group came in with only 20 minutes till they close and with 3 (2 for 1) coupons (and already very drunk) , Antonio provided great tastings and knowledge - if you go to Wine Ghetto make sure to stop by here

What a great find. Yesterday was my first time to the Wine Ghetto. We went there to visit Fiddlehead (also great), Piedrasassi and Samsara. Ended up poking our heads in here first and it was the find of the trip. Antonio is extremely knowledgeable and he pours strictly wines from the Santa Rita Hills. Tons of small production, single vineyard wines that were great. He also had several Sea Smoke wines all the way back to 2002. Only knock is I felt like the prices were a bit marked up, but many of the wines there you'll never find outside the Central Coast. Really enjoyed our time with Antonio and I consider this a must visit for those of you looking for small production, hard to find wines. Also, his olive oil and truffle cheese were both incredible.

Antonio's Taste of Santa Rita Hills is exceptional! He is always so kind and remembers us by name when we go to see him. Great conversation, laughs and a friendly environment here. His wines are a wonderful selection from the Santa Rita Appellation, they are always different, and they never disappoint. He is so knowledgeable about wine in general, this appellation, pairings, and has great taste! If he offers you the chance to pair his black truffle cheese and salami with your last wines, don't turn it down. It is incredible!

This is a wonderful quaint tasting room in the wine ghetto! Both Jeni and Antonio are full of an abundant amount of knowledge of the wine they sell, and wine in general. They serve bread, cheese and salami with the wine- it was a delicious. During my time with Antonio, he took the time to teach me about pairing the wine I selected with certain foods- a great way to impress my family and friends! Antonio was a true gem to learn from and I will make sure to ALWAYS stop there before anywhere else in the wine ghetto! Can't wait to go back!

Very friendly, knowledgeable staff. The wine is food-focused in the European tradition. While tasting, they provided delicious nibbles of cheese, bread, and artisan salami to compliment the taste of the wine. The only downside is that they did not waive the one (1) tasting fee when we bought a bottle. Other than that, a great experience.

I love this place because they bring together wines from different, small wineries. Provides a nice variety and very well curator. Staff is extremely knowledgable and friendly. Also, delicious food to pair with wines - truffle cheese, grans padano, bread, salami - all included in the tasting fee.

We come here at least 3-4 times per year. Antonio is passionate about sourcing food friendly wines that are generally not widely distributed. He makes each of our visits a great learning experience...and we always seem to come home with some new finds. Always a high point in our Central Coast winery visits!