Pack lunch and pick a driver before you leave Los Olivos. The trail follows Foxen Canyon Road about 30 miles north to Santa Maria, past 16 member wineries, and food and ride-shares are both scarce. Start at Firestone (walk-ins, open daily), picnic at Zaca Mesa and finish at Foxen Winery, on the ranch Benjamin Foxen took in 1837.
This week
- Nov6–8Buellton Fall Festival · Visit Buellton
Avenue of the Flags; Fri 4-10pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm; carnival rides, live music on two stages; Ales on the Avenue beer and wine tasting Sat (tickets) · Free · by City of Buellton
- FriNov 6NatureTrack Film Festival · Visit NatureTrack Foundation
8th annual; reception 6pm, program 6:45pm at the SYV Grange Hall · $25 · by NatureTrack Foundation
- SatNov 7Alma Rosa Fall Harvest Dinner · Visit Alma Rosa Winery
Winery event; check access on the listing · Not published · by Alma Rosa Winery
- SatNov 7SYV Historical Museum Vaquero Benefit Dinner & Auction · Visit Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
42nd annual · Tickets (early bird from Aug 1) · by Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
Quick facts
- On this list
- 8 places in Foxen Canyon
- Book online
- 4 places take online bookings
- Walk-ins
- Firestone Vineyard and FOXEN
- Dogs welcome
- Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, Demetria Estate and FOXEN
- Good with kids
- Demetria Estate and FOXEN
- Open Sunday
- 4 places
- Open Monday
- 4 places
- List updated
- Oct 16, 2026
Counted from the listings below. Check hours and booking with each place.
Go for
- Families: Demetria Estate and FOXEN
- No reservation needed: Firestone Vineyard and FOXEN
- Bringing the dog: Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, Demetria Estate and FOXEN
- A picnic: Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, Demetria Estate and FOXEN
Which wineries are on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail?
The trail association says it represents 16 wineries and tasting rooms. Its member page lists Andrew Murray Vineyards, Demetria Estate Winery, FOXEN, Rancho Sisquoc Winery, Bien Nacido, Dovecote, foxen 7200, Riverbench Vineyard Tasting Room, Zaca Mesa Winery, Cambria Winery & Vineyards, Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, Koehler Winery, So Far Out Winery, Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard & Winery, Firestone Vineyard, Petros Winery, Tres Hermanas Vineyard & Winery (foxen 7200 is FOXEN's second room, The Shack). Eight are shortlisted below, starting from the Los Olivos end, with visit details from each winery's own site. Hours for the rest are in the full member table.
| Winery | End of trail | Tasting | Walk-ins | Picnic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firestone Vineyard | Los Olivos end | $25 Estate Tasting Flight | Walk-ins welcome | |
| Andrew Murray Vineyards | Los Olivos end | Not listed | ||
| Fess Parker Winery | Los Olivos end | Not listed | ||
| Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards | Los Olivos end | $30–45 | Recommended, not required | Yes, with tasting or purchase |
| Demetria Estate | Los Olivos end | $30 | Book; walk-ins if space | Bring your own |
| Riverbench Vineyard & Winery | Santa Maria end | Not listed | Reservations recommended | |
| Rancho Sisquoc Winery | Santa Maria end | Not listed | ||
| FOXEN | Santa Maria end | From $25 | Walk-ins OK for 6 or fewer | Snacks sold; bring a picnic |
-
Los Olivos end · $25 Estate Tasting Flight · Foxen Canyon
Firestone Vineyard
On Zaca Station Road at the Los Olivos end of the trail. Firestone is open daily and takes walk-ins, which makes it the easiest first stop if you haven't booked anything. Its barrel room is where the four sneak off in Sideways.
Go if you haven't booked anything yet.
- Open
- Open every day. Open daily 11am–5pm
- Fee
- $25 Estate Tasting Flight
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
- Getting there
- Off Foxen Canyon Rd on Zaca Station Rd, about 18 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos
Go for A drop-in visit
More details
- Walk-ins welcome as space allows
5017 Zaca Station Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-688-3940
-
Editor's pickLos Olivos end · Not listed · Foxen Canyon
Andrew Murray Vineyards
94 pts JebDunnuck.com on the 2023 SEPPO
An estate that opens earlier and stays later than most of the trail: 10:30am to 5:30pm every day. That makes it a good bookend at either end of the day.
- Open
- Open every day. Open daily 10:30am–5:30pm
- Getting there
- Out on Foxen Canyon Rd, about 12 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos
More details
Press Jeb Dunnuck gave its 2023 SEPPO 94 points. JebDunnuck.com
5249 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-686-9604
-
Imokurnotok, Public domain Editor's pickLos Olivos end · Not listed · Foxen Canyon
Fess Parker Winery
96 pts JebDunnuck.com on the 2022 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir
Staying at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn? Pick up the inn's tasting vouchers, which include a complimentary tasting here and at Epiphany. This is the family winery behind it. In Sideways it plays “Frass Canyon,” the spit-bucket winery.
- Getting there
- Out on Foxen Canyon Rd, about 16 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos
More details
Press Jeb Dunnuck gave its 2022 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir 96 points. JebDunnuck.com
- Inn guests: tasting vouchers for Fess Parker Winery and Epiphany
6200 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-688-1545
-
Lori Steed, CC BY-SA 3.0 Los Olivos end · $30–45 · Foxen Canyon
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards
The classic picnic stop. You can bring your own food if you taste or buy wine (outside alcohol isn't allowed), leashed dogs are welcome, and cyclists stop here too. The Lounge & Terrace looks over the vineyard. It's open Friday to Sunday and has very few seats, so book that one.
Go if the kids are along or you didn't book anything.
- Open
- Open every day. Open daily 11am–4pm
- Fee
- $30–45
- Booking
- Recommended, not required
- Getting there
- Out on Foxen Canyon Rd, about 24 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos and 30 min from Bell St in Los Alamos
Go with The dog
More details
Connections Ken Brown was Zaca Mesa's first winemaker, planted the county's first Syrah there in 1978 and hired Jim Clendenen, Bob Lindquist and Adam Tolmach. He founded Byron in 1984 and now pours his own label in Buellton. Source
- Picnics
- Yes, with tasting or purchase
- TREAD flight $30; Reserve flight $45 (waived with $150 purchase)
- Outside food OK with tasting or purchase; dogs on leash
6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-688-9339
-
Los Olivos end · $30 · Foxen Canyon
Demetria EstateBook
An estate founded by John Zahoudanis, who grew up on a farm in Greece. It doesn't sell food, so bring a picnic. Kids and leashed dogs are welcome, and you can book a 75-minute ranch ride with Vino Vaqueros. There's no cell service, so set your GPS before you leave.
Go if the kids or the dog are along and horseback riding sounds better than another flight.
- Open
- Tasting $30 per person; open daily 11am–5pm
- Fee
- $30
- Booking
- Book; walk-ins if space
Go with The kids · The dog
More details
- Picnics
- Bring your own
- Reservations encouraged; walk-ins if space permits
- No food sold; picnics encouraged; kids & leashed dogs welcome
- 75-minute guided ride (Vino Vaqueros), by reservation
6701 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-686-2345
-
Santa Maria end · Not listed · Foxen Canyon
Riverbench Vineyard & WineryBook
Come here if you like bubbles. The Santa Maria Valley grower-producer, established in 1973, makes small lots of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. Reservations are recommended.
- Booking
- Reservations recommended
- Getting there
- Out on Foxen Canyon Rd, about 29 min by car from Bell St in Los Alamos
More details
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling
6020 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454 · 805-937-8340
-
Santa Maria end · Not listed · Foxen Canyon
Rancho Sisquoc WineryBook
Cattle still run on this working ranch on an old land grant, with vineyards planted on the mesas above the Sisquoc River in 1968. It's the trail's working-ranch stop; book through its site.
More details
- Working cattle ranch, grape grower and winery
- Vineyards planted 1968
6600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454 · 805-934-4332
-
Santa Maria end · From $25 · Foxen Canyon
FOXENBook
Foxen Winery is named for the family, and so is the canyon: founder Dick Doré's ancestor, the sea captain Benjamin Foxen, took this land, Rancho Tinaquaic, in 1837. The main tasting room is open daily, and The Shack, an 1860s ranch blacksmith shop down the road at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road and the winery's first home, opens Friday to Sunday for a separate flight. Kids and leashed dogs are welcome, and there are EV chargers. Pre-book a ride home: ride-shares are hard to get out here. The Shack is the room in the Sideways tasting montage.
Go if you want history and the kids or dog along: Foxen's Shack began as the ranch's 1860s blacksmith shop.
- Open
- Open every day. Tasting room daily 11am–4pm; The Shack (7200 Foxen Canyon Rd) Fri–Sun 11am–4pm
- Fee
- From $25
- Booking
- Walk-ins OK for 6 or fewer
Go for A picnic · A drop-in visit
More details
- Picnics
- Snacks sold; bring a picnic
- "Classic" flight $25 (1–1.5 hrs)
- No reservation needed for 6 or fewer; email for larger groups
- Kids and leashed dogs welcome; snacks sold, picnics encouraged
- About 55 miles / 1 hr 20 min from downtown Santa Barbara
7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454
What are all the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail wineries, with hours?
The Santa Maria Valley visitor bureau's trail page lists the 15 tasting rooms below, with the address and hours each one gave it. Those hours can lag a winery's own site, so confirm before a long drive; where a winery's own page says something different, the Notes column says so. The bureau's list doesn't include Cambria, So Far Out or Cottonwood Canyon, which the trail association's own site names as members.
| Winery | Address | Hours (bureau) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Murray | 5249 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos | Daily 10:30am–5pm | Estate tasting and chocolate pairing |
| Bien Nacido Estate | 4705 Santa Maria Mesa Road, Santa Maria | Thu–Mon 11am–4pm | |
| The Gatehouse at Bien Nacido | 3503 Rancho Tepusquet Road, Santa Maria | Thu–Mon 11:30am–5pm | |
| Demetria | 6701 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos | Daily 11am–5pm, by appointment | |
| Dovecote | 9229 Alisos Canyon Rd, Los Alamos | Fri–Sat 11am–5pm; Sun–Thu 11:30am–5pm | Its own site says visits are by reservation only |
| Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard | 6200 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos | Daily 10am–5pm (last tasting 3:30pm) | Reservations recommended; groups of 8 or fewer; food truck Fri–Sun |
| Firestone Vineyard | 5017 Zaca Station Rd, Los Olivos | Daily 11am–5pm | Groups of up to 8; walk-ins when slow |
| Foxen Vineyards | 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria | Daily 11am–4pm | No groups over 6; last tasting 2:30pm |
| foxen 7200 (The Shack) | 7200 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria | Fri to Sun 11am to 4pm | Per Foxen's own visit page |
| Koehler Winery | 5360 Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa Maria | Daily 10am–5pm | |
| Petros Winery | 3360 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos | Thu–Sun 11am–9pm | Petros's own site lists Santa Barbara locations, so check first |
| Rancho Sisquoc Winery | 6600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria | Mon–Thu 10am–4pm; Fri–Sun 10am–5pm | Also by the glass or bottle |
| Riverbench Vineyards | 6020 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria | Daily 10am–3pm, by appointment | Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling |
| Tres Hermanas Winery | 9660 Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa Maria | By appointment or request | Its own site says daily 10am–5pm; call (805) 937-8451 |
| Zaca Mesa Winery | 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd, Los Olivos | Sun–Thu 10am–4pm; Fri–Sat 10am–5pm | Reservations recommended; walk-ins as capacity allows |
Starting from Santa Maria instead of Los Olivos? Our Santa Maria Valley guide drives the trail north to south, from Riverbench to Rancho Sisquoc and Foxen's Shack, with routed drive times between stops.
How long does the Foxen Canyon drive take?
The road is about 30 miles long. From downtown Santa Barbara, FOXEN says the trip is about 55 miles and an hour and 20 minutes, because the last stretch is on scenic country roads. Plan on three or four wineries: FOXEN's Classic flight takes one to one and a half hours, and that's typical. The Los Olivos tasting rooms make a good walkable finish at the south end. Zaca Mesa calls itself a stop on the Foxen Canyon cycling trail, and the wine tour companies can drive you. The Zaca Lake Road turnoff, about 7.8 miles up from Los Olivos, leads to Zaca Lake, which is private and books only buyouts and events.
Where is Foxen Winery?
FOXEN is near the north end, at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454. It's open daily 11am–4pm, and the Classic flight is $25. The Shack, its second tasting spot at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road, opens Friday to Sunday for a separate flight. It's also the Shack from the tasting montage in Sideways: see our Sideways filming locations tour, which also covers Fess Parker ("Frass Canyon") and Firestone. The winery has four EV chargers. Ride-shares are hard to get this far out, so FOXEN suggests booking your pickup in advance. Carrying on north? Our Santa Maria Valley wineries guide adds Presqu'ile and Bien Nacido's Gatehouse.
Do Foxen Canyon wineries need reservations?
For small groups, often not. Firestone takes walk-ins as space allows, Zaca Mesa recommends booking but doesn't require it, and FOXEN needs no reservation for six or fewer. Demetria encourages reservations but takes walk-ins if there's room (a sign at the gate says when it's full), and Riverbench recommends booking. Book anything special ahead, like Zaca Mesa's Lounge & Terrace or Demetria's ranch ride.
Where to picnic on Foxen Canyon Road?
The trail association says most of its wineries have picnic space. Zaca Mesa lets you bring food if you taste or buy wine (no outside alcohol). Demetria doesn't sell food and calls a picnic lunch "the perfect patio partner." FOXEN sells chips, jerky and charcuterie, and also encourages you to bring a picnic. Pick up supplies in Los Olivos before you set off, for example from Lucky Penny or Panino (see lunch in Los Olivos). The trail also runs two passport weekends: a summer passport in June and Christmas on the Trail in December.
Plan your day
- MorningBreakfast first: Best coffee in the Santa Ynez ValleyBy town, plus where to work
- MiddayGo tasting: Drum Canyon Road wine routeBack-road Pinot to a Los Alamos lunch
- EveningBook dinner: Los Alamos restaurantsA Michelin star on Bell Street
- LateNight out: Solvang happy hoursSpritzes, Industry Night, 8pm deals
- OvernightFind a bed: Santa Ynez hotelsPolo bungalows to a rooftop pool
Good to know
Which wineries are on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail? The trail association says it represents 16 wineries and tasting rooms along Foxen Canyon Road. They include Firestone, Andrew Murray, Fess Parker, Zaca Mesa, Demetria, Riverbench, Rancho Sisquoc, FOXEN, Cambria, Bien Nacido and Koehler.
How long does the Foxen Canyon drive take? Foxen Canyon Road runs about 30 miles from Los Olivos to Santa Maria. FOXEN, near the north end, says it is about 55 miles and an hour and 20 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara on country roads. With tastings of an hour or more each, three or four stops fill a day.
Do Foxen Canyon wineries need reservations? Not always. Firestone takes walk-ins, Zaca Mesa recommends reservations but does not require them, and FOXEN needs no reservation for six or fewer. Demetria and Riverbench encourage booking. For groups, book everywhere.
Where to picnic on Foxen Canyon Road? The trail says most wineries offer picnicking space. Zaca Mesa allows outside food with a tasting or wine purchase, Demetria doesn't sell food and encourages picnics, and FOXEN sells snacks and welcomes your own picnic.
Quick answers
Where is Foxen Winery?
FOXEN's tasting room is at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454, and it's open daily 11am–4pm. Its second spot, The Shack, is at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road and opens Friday–Sunday.
Sources
tap to open
- Foxen Canyon Wine Trail: foxencanyonwinetrail.net (members, route, events).
- Santa Maria Valley visitor bureau, Foxen Canyon Wine Trail (member addresses and hours).
- Dovecote, contact and FOXEN, visit.
- Each winery's own website, linked in its listing above.
Last updated Oct 26, 2026. We list what each winery publishes. We haven't tasted at every one, and we never copy reviews. Confirm before you go.
