The best Santa Ynez wine tour skips the bar. Ride a horse through the vines at Buttonwood ($150, one hour) or Vino Vaqueros ($190, private). Meet a camel and zebra on the Folded Hills ranch tour ($150, two hours), or blend your own wine at Artiste ($150). All need booking. Want a driver instead? See driver tours.
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
How much do horseback wine rides cost in Santa Ynez?
Two ways to ride, both booked ahead. Buttonwood is a group ride; Vino Vaqueros is private. For rides without a winery, pony rides for kids and the beach, see our horseback riding guide.
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Courtesy of Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard, photo by Heather Daenitz, Press kit Guided horseback ride through the vines, Solvang · Edge of Solvang
Buttonwood Vineyard Trail RidesBook
One hour in the saddle on Buttonwood's farm and vineyard trails. Staff match you with a horse and supply the safety gear, and the ride ends with a glass of wine. Time slots differ between Buttonwood's own page (11:30am, 1pm and 2:30pm) and its Tock listing (which adds 10am), so check Tock.
- Open
- Friday to Sunday
- Booking
- Tock; walk-ins if space
- Getting there
- On Alamo Pintado Rd north of the village, about 2 min by car from Copenhagen Dr
More details
- $150 per rider (members get a discount)
- 1-hour group ride
- Riders 7 and over, at least 48 inches tall
- Helmets for under-18s; closed-toe shoes required
- Includes horse matching, safety gear and a glass of wine
- 24-hour cancellation
- Book: exploretock.com/buttonwoodwinery
1500 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-688-3032
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Private horseback ride on a vineyard ranch, Los Olivos · Foxen Canyon
Vino Vaqueros at DemetriaBook
Your group rides alone, never mixed with strangers, on a guided ride through Demetria's ranch and vineyard trails.
Go if private means two people and their horses, no strangers.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily except major holidays: 10am, noon, 2pm, 3:30pm
- Booking
- Reservation form, $50 deposit
More details
- $190 per person, 2-person minimum
- About 70 minutes
- Private: groups are not mixed
- $50 deposit; cancel 24 hours ahead or pay in full
- Gratuity not included (20% added for 5+)
- No dogs
- Book: vinovaqueros.com/reservations
6701 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-944-0493
Which winery tours include animals?
Folded Hills keeps its camel, zebra and Clydesdales on a private ranch you only reach on a paid booking.
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Private ranch tour and tasting, Gaviota · Gaviota
Folded Hills VIP Off-Road Ranch Tour
The only way to meet George the camel, Zazu the zebra and the Clydesdales. An off-road RTV takes you across the private ranch, where you meet and feed the animals, then you sit at the lake dock for a guided tasting of five wines. This is separate from the walk-in weekend Farmstead.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily, 11am or 2pm
- Booking
- Prepaid on Tock
More details
- $150 per person
- 2 hours
- 1 to 5 guests per booking
- 21 and over
- Includes off-road RTV tour, animal feeding and a 5-wine tasting
- No pets; rain may cancel
- Book: exploretock.com/foldedhills
2323 Old Coast Highway, Gaviota, CA 93117 · 805-694-8086
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Guided vineyard and ranch hike with tasting · Gaviota
Folded Hills Behind-the-Scenes Private Hike
Three miles on foot, easy to moderate, through the organic vineyard to the private ranch. You collect eggs from the coop, feed the ranch animals, meet George and Zazu, and finish with a tasting at the lake dock. They can drive you back from the halfway point.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily, 10am
- Booking
- Email experiences@foldedhills.com
More details
- $125 per person
- 3 hours
- Up to 10 guests per booking (more by email)
- No age limit; a shorter hike for younger guests
- Includes 5-wine tasting, egg collecting and animal feeding
- Bring closed-toe shoes, layers and sun protection
- No pets; rain may cancel; member discounts
2323 Old Coast Highway, Gaviota, CA 93117 · 805-694-8086
Where can you blend wine or tour a winery?
Seated, hands-on sessions for a group.
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Make-your-own wine blend, Santa Ynez · Santa Ynez
Artiste Private Blending WorkshopBook
Hands-on from start to finish: taste, pull barrel samples, then blend your own wine with the team. Pay more to bottle your blend and take it home.
- Open
- By reservation
- Booking
- 50% non-refundable deposit
More details
- $150 per person; $200 to bottle and take your blend home
- 60 to 90 minutes
- 6 to 30 guests
- $500 facility fee over 12 guests
- Charcuterie add-on $15
- Book: artiste.com/private-blending-workshop
1095A Edison Street, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · 805-686-2626
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Winery tour and tasting, Foxen Canyon · Foxen Canyon
Firestone Vineyard Estate Tour & Tasting
A walk through the estate winery that ends with a seated tasting in the Wine Club Lounge. Firestone doesn't publish a length.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily, 10:30am
- Booking
- Reservation required
- Getting there
- Off Foxen Canyon Rd on Zaca Station Rd, about 18 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos
More details
- $75 per person (members $60)
- 2 to 12 guests
- 21 and over
- Daily at 10:30am, by reservation
- No dogs
- Book: firestonewine.com/visit
5017 Zaca Station Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · 805-688-3940
Santa Ynez wine tour with a driver
If you want three wineries and lunch without anyone driving, book a guided tour. Stagecoach is $225 a person including three wineries and lunch, and Grapeline starts at $159. Both are compared, with pickup towns and what's included, in our Santa Barbara wine tours guide. Choosing the wineries yourself? Start with our Santa Ynez wineries shortlist.
Santa Ynez wine tours for groups
For a birthday or a bachelorette, the hands-on sessions scale best. Artiste's blending workshop takes 6 to 30 guests, and Firestone's estate tour takes 2 to 12 and ends in the Wine Club Lounge. The horseback rides and the Folded Hills tours are smaller, so book early for a group.
What is free and what costs money?
Paid and booked: everything above. Walk-in, with no fee listed: the Folded Hills Farmstead, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm, where you can feed the pigs, goats and donkeys but not meet the camel or zebra. For more walk-in fun, see unique wineries and family-friendly wineries.
How far ahead should you book?
Every experience here needs a booking. Vino Vaqueros takes a $50 deposit and charges in full inside 24 hours. Buttonwood allows cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Artiste keeps half as a non-refundable deposit. Folded Hills prepays the ranch tour on Tock. For a driver, see Santa Barbara wine tours.
What did we leave out?
For a morning hot-air balloon flight over the wine country with a champagne toast, book direct with Sky's The Limit. Star Lane's blending dinner and Sunstone's Valentine's blend have already passed this year.
Plan your day
- MorningBreakfast first: Breakfast in SolvangDanish pancakes to bear claws
- MiddayGo tasting: Wine tasting in SolvangNebbiolo to Rhône in an adobe
- EveningBook dinner: Solvang restaurantsBib Gourmand chicken to aebleskiver
- LateNight out: Solvang happy hoursSpritzes, Industry Night, 8pm deals
- OvernightFind a bed: Solvang hotelsNordic rooms to a 1946 ranch
Good to know
Can you see the camel and zebra at Folded Hills? Only on a paid private booking. The VIP Off-Road Ranch Tour is $150 per person, two hours, 21 and over, on Tock. The Behind-the-Scenes Private Hike is $125 per person, three hours, all ages. The walk-in weekend Farmstead has smaller farm animals.
Is there a winery where you make your own blend? Yes. Artiste in Santa Ynez runs a private blending workshop for 6 to 30 guests, $150 per person, or $200 if you bottle your blend and take it home.
Do Santa Ynez wine experiences allow kids? Some do. The Folded Hills private hike has no age limit, and Buttonwood takes riders from age 7 who are at least 48 inches tall. The Folded Hills ranch tour and Firestone's estate tour are 21 and over.
Quick answers
How much does horseback wine tasting cost in Santa Ynez?
Buttonwood's one-hour group trail ride is $150 per rider and ends with a glass of wine. Vino Vaqueros at Demetria is $190 per person for a private ride of about 70 minutes, with a two-person minimum.
Sources
tap to open
- Each venue's own website or official page, linked in its listing above.
- Source log with supporting quotes kept on file for every name, hour and price.
Last updated Oct 18, 2026. We list what each winery publishes, plus dated news from regional press. We haven't visited every one this season, and we never copy reviews. Confirm hours and policies before you go.
