Whitcraft Winery

I called twice to try and order wine ahead of time. No answer. My wife and I then decided to walk a mile there to see if they were open. Once we got there we saw 2 large tables set up outside with 10+ people drinking. We were concerned as the stay at home mandate was still in place and all other wineries have shut their doors to pick up only. Nevertheless I approached and was stopped by one of the employees (maybe owner?) and asked what we wanted. I asked if they were open. No answer. I added for pick up? He said yes. When I asked for a menu he huffed and didn't get out of his chair to help

We had planned on tasting at this winery. When we arrived, one person behind the counter, whom we assumed to be the pourer, was engaged in conversation with a couple. We said hello, waited for a minute or two, never got acknowledged even with a " hello" back. The situation felt really weird and decided to leave. Once we were at the door e finally heard a " Can I help you?" . This was a surrealistic situation we have never encountered at a wine tasting room, usually such a convivial type of place. We took our business elsewhere that afternoon but remain perplexed.

This winery was recommended so we reserved a tasting slot. Because of the harvest/crush busy season, the employees are super busy, and they couldn't accommodate us today when they are normally closed. I made an appointment for tomorrow, and then this morning the owner called me to say he had to come in anyway so what time would work for us! When does that ever happen?
We tasted five wines, all delicious, and we purchased three bottles. Can't wait to drink and serve them!

This off the beaten path winery is a true gem, tastings are poured by the winemakers who truly love their work. This winery specializes in non- mechanical natural winemaking since 1985.

Whitcraft is a hidden gem in Santa Barbara. Ended up here thanks to the recommendation from a chef friend, and have been members ever since. Prepare to be educated. This is wine tasting with a farming touch. Although, they buy their grapes, the land dictates the direction of the wine. Chris Bacon will take you on a journey of the local farms and terroir that shape their wines. Wonderful experience. I will continue to drag my favorite wine connoisseur in to experience this little gem.

Whitcraft's tasting room is an EXPERIENCE, I loved the tour and the wines are top notch. Their tasting room is actually in their winemaking facility which sets it apart from the downtown tasting rooms. If you're a fan of Burgundy you have found your place! You can taste the hand-craftedness in their wines, their wines are balanced and structured. Their assistant winemaker Chris is also their tasting room associate, quite a treat if you're interested in making wines (and geeking our about clones/barrels/vineyards etc). Chris is extremely knowledgeable and will make your experience

Ask about Crispy Bacon when you visit. Unique place with a unique local history and perspective on wine.

Went here for a wine tasting ($20/person) and ended up buying 2 wines (covered our tasting fees). They mostly produce Pinot Noirs, but also had a really light Chardonnay and a good Tempranillo! The employee was super knowledgeable about the wines and where their grapes are from and even was able to tell us which local places in OC carried their wines. He was also very helpful for recommendations for coffee & food :)

Great experience today! Mostly Pinots but we end up taking home a Chardonnay and Tempranillo. Plus they have super knowledgeable employees.

Quality... and you will get a good tasting experience if they let you try different years.

The person working was very helpful and was very eager to talk about the wine, their process, and the locations. He didn't tell us about the taste of the wine, rather he told us about where they got the grapes and the climates in those regions. He'd rather we define the taste ourselves.
Overall, a very pleasant experience.
Tasting: $10 for 6 wines.

Drove 6 hours to Santa Barbara for celebrations with this winery as our primary destination. We get here and it was supposed to open according to websites and several phone calls I made. We got here an hour after it was suppose to open and place is locked. Thanks.

Showed up at noon on a Saturday with a group of eight people and the guy inside tells us they are closed all day for a club member event. He proceeds to tell us that we should have called first. We actually did call all the wineries we were visiting that day, but nobody answers when you call Whitcraft and there is no way to leave a message.
He proceeds to tell us that we can come in for one taste but makes it clear that he is doing us a big favor. In the five minutes we are there he tells us a few more times that he is really going out of his way to serve us. He also tells us that if we want to

This place is a super tiny hidden gem in SB. Been wine club members here for several years and thought it was time to review. This is a go to spot whenever we have visitors in town or are recommending places for folks to taste. The wine is mostly pinot, some chardonnay recently, and is crazy small production (about 1,000 wish cases per year). Everything is done by hand there by the two employees (owner and Chris) and lots of volunteers. Whitcraft doesn't own a vineyard, but they buy the best grapes around. They don't do anything to the wine as far as chemistry goes - unfined and unfiltered

Amazing! Chris was so funny and informative - the Pinot Noirs were phenomenal. It is in a hidden nook and well worth it. The people complaining about it being in a "weird area" are stupid, get over it and go inside. I even saw a bottle of their wine in the movie Sideways! Fantastic.

Stunning line up on the bar right now. Great Pinots and a fantastic Chardonnay.

Chris was our amazing host. I can't say enough good things about this experience, the wines and our host.

If you like wine at all and are in SB, make this a stop!

OK, so most of us think wine makers and wineries are these beautiful, fairy-tale estates with horses and vineyards and caves dug into the hillside by generations of family...Whitcraft is not that. Not even close, sister. It looks like they used to sell bags of concrete here, oh wait, that's because there IS a concrete factory across the street! This is winemaking at it's soul - hand crafted by a young guy carrying on his dad's tradition of non-intervention winemaking. I was fortunate enough to meet the dad before he passed last year and you will be lucky enough if you stumble

It's in an industrial park so it looks like it'll be shady, but it is the best wine we tasted doing the Urban Wine Trail. We almost didn't go in because it looked weird, but I'm glad we did! There may be no one in there so if you don't like one on one time with the guy pouring then don't go, but it's worth it.

The guy who poured for us is one of two guys that works there which is cool .And the wine was amazing. This coming from a person who couldn't tell you the difference between Two buck Chuck and a 1962 (insert fancy pants french name). But I knew this

Went here for a living social deal. This is literally a warehouse that offers wine tasting only, no glasses of wine, nothing. Bottles are pricey and the quality is ok but not amazing.

A hidden gem of Santa Barbara! Do not let the location fool you! The wines speak for themselves....I am a Syrah girl, BUT was very impressed with their Pinots!
The "tasting room" is very small, but intimate. Had a great time talking to the guy pouring, which came to find out was the owner. I did not feel pressured to buy, but still left with a bottle of their amazing 2008 Aubaine Pinot Noir, which will be saving for a special occasion.

Driving through SB? Well this is definitely a place to stop by for a tasting!

A wonderful winery located in the "funk zone" area of Santa Barbara. Wine maker Drake Whitcraft is informative and friendly and not too bad on the eyes either!! If you're looking for a local winery with fantastic wines and an even better staff make sure you check them out while exploring the Urban Wine Trail.

Extra star for their winery pup! Terra. Shes precious.

The 2 stars is not based on the wine here... I never even got to taste it...here's why I'm giving it 2 stars....

I purchased a groupon deal and made an appointment on the weekday for my mini vacay in Santa Barbara. When I arrived NOBODY was there, I was left waiting by the door peeping through the windows. I called the business and nobody picked up. Luckily Santa Barbara winery was open... and their tastings are only $5 plus you get a wine glass!!! That was even better than the groupon deal.

A week later I received a phone call from a Whitcraft Winery employee explaining that nobody

This was our first stop on the Urban Wine Trail and we were a little put off by the location since we were walking (think the beginning of a scary movie), but once we got there we had a great time! The atmosphere was laid back and the staff was friendly. The proprieter was there and he was a hoot. He allowed us to go to the back and watch the workers bottle the wine by hand - it was darn pretty cool! The wine was good and we got 7 tastings for $10, but the wines by the bottle were on the pricey side.

We had a great time and would definately recommend this tasting room

We stopped into Whitcraft late in the morning on a Saturday, looking forward to the tasting, since the last time we were in SB, they were just closing up. The owner's son appeared with an unopened bottle of IPA in hand. It sweated on the counter as he pushed us through all six pours like we'd interrupted his snack. Our questions about his family's wine were met with angsty, rolling-of-the-eyes attitude (Yes, I have to pour people wine and talk about it on the weekends, my family has always done this, now I've taken the reins, what a crappy existence...), and rushed explanations

This place is set in the industrial part of town, which was SUPER sketchy to walk to. Times I wish I had mace on me.... So, after a long and pseudo tipsy walk to Whitcraft, it was a bit of a let down. There were 4 pinot noirs, a chardonnay and a shiraz. They were pretty good pinot's, though it was hard to taste the difference when they were back to back and the guy who was pouring, who was also the wine maker, kept pouring more on top of what was left from the previous glass. It made it hard to tell which was which.

So, we decided to buy some to help them out and it was like $120 for

Best experience tasting in Santa Barbara by a long shot. Super small winery with amazing people, wine, and they hand (and foot)-produce. LOVED it!!!!!! 5 stars all the way!

Cost to worth it ratio: 3.5

Highlights:
- Comfortable atmosphere: laid back and casual to the extreme--and in a good way. One of the wines didn't even yet have a label on it. The tasting table was made of wooden crates. At one point, the owner non ceremoniously came out to the tasting area, filled his wine glass, made a funny comment and went in the back room.
- Super friendly, personable, chill staff: not only did they