Tastes of the Valleys

Expensive and didn’t like the gas infused wine pourer… took away the classic feeling of wine tasting.
But staff was good and the ambiance was nice

NOT CLOSED. JUST CHANGED NAMES. Now called The Good Life. It’s a great place to stop in for a glass of wine. Huge local selection. Fireplace. Nice ambience. Friendly people.

I’ve been up to the area quite a few times but this is the first time I’ve been to Tastes of the Valleys. As someone stated before this is more like a wine bar than an actual specific tasting room but that doesn’t mean you can’t do a few flights.
There weren’t a lot of people in there so we had a chance to talk to Mayapple (not sure of the spelling) who was just helping out for the evening. She was really sweet and used to work there but is now at another tasting room in Los Olivos. Since she was just helping out there wasn’t a whole lot she could tell us about the wines that appeared on the flight but that was just fine. She was a wealth of information about wine in general.
They do have cheese plates available but didn’t realize this until we were nearly done with our flights and getting ready to head to dinner. I left there with a really great bottle of Freebird Haka by Labyrinth (which is a blend of Merlot and Tempranillo).
This place is a cute little hidden cellar type that can be easily missed but should be visited. They have a huge selection of wines and you should be able to find something to suit your palliate.

Had a great experience here with a friend. Super friendly, cozy atmosphere with great tasting wine that are surprisingly quite inexpensive. Highly recommended!

Since the town of Solvang shuts down so early and this one of the latest open we stopped by after dinner for a quick taste. The gentleman that helped us was so nice and knowledgeable. There was only one other group there at the time so we got a lot of one on one time to talk and taste. We left with 4 bottles of wine! haha!
Their bottle prices are incredibly low!
We were so happy with our short stay and our purchase. This place is a jem!

Fun place to have wine tasting. They have card game, live music, and friendly staff! Best of all, they have good wine selection, we had their basic tasting and ordered a cheese platter to go with the tasting… Yummy! Would definitely come back!

Every time I’m in Solvang I stop here for a glass or two of wine. They always have great selections, I can drink by a fireplace, the atmosphere is wonderful. The staff has always been very friendly and informative. Just a consistently great time. They are 5 for 5. Can’t wait to go back again!

Cute little wine bar!
So intimate and cozy…
Mayapple, our wine server made sure we had crackers and enough wine to suit our fancy! She asked us if we like red or white. I like both so I asked her what she preferred… course she said red! My boyfriend likes sweet whites, so she tried her best to pick wines that would suit his palette.
I can’t remember all that we tried, but using my Unilocal app (I checked in of course) I was able to have instead of 6 wines, I got 8! Well actually, 9 or 10 because Mayapple was sweet like that and let us sample bottles that she opened for others around us.
We ended up going home with a namesake glass and bottle of reisling from a local winery that was sweet and not too dry, so perfect!
Definitely want to stop by on a Saturday night next time for some wine and jazz! Great place for a drink and locals say its open pretty late versus other wine tasting rooms.

Just as the name implies, there are various wines featured here from the local wineries. Awesome place to explore wines from Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Happy Canyon, and Santa Rita Hills…
Mae Apple was nice enough to blind pour for me and educate me about everything that was offered.
Quaint and lovely tasting room :)

Great little place to enjoy a flight.
Cozy fireplace seating is available to the lucky. There are typically people parked there with wine and, hey, why leave?
Always very knowledgeable staff and a great selection if wines. Try the M5.

I’ve walked by this place a dozen times without giving it a shot so I’m a little torn on how I feel knowing now how awesome it is and that I’d never gone in before. We popped in for a wine flight pre-​dinner. Great crowd without being crowded and an amazing blues guitarist was playing.
I liked that their wine flights varied in price but the quality of my cheaper flight was as good as hubby’s more expensive one.
The wine bar is set up so that you can either sit at a bar, around the fire or at high tops. This would be a great place to visit on a chilly winter night.
Overall, the wine was great and the warm, friendly and efficient service was fantastic. As for the entertainment, I’d even make a point of seeking out the guitarist from that night… apparently he plays in a group called «Do No Harm» (because there’s a couple of doctors in it). Nonetheless, he impressed as a solo artist for the hour or so we hung out listening to him play.
Well, there you have it… and now you know the way to my heart: good wine, amazing blues and great company = a happy and well content girl.

I’ve never been wine tasting in the Sonoma vinyards or anything like that but this place gave me a little taste of what it’s like.
Fiancée and I had the 6 flight tasting (or whatever you call it) for $ 25. 3 whites and 3 reds. Our server, Chris, is a rad dude. Very friendly, informative, and just made you feel comfortable the whole time. He helped me discover the buttery, nutty, flavors in a chardonnay that was stored in aged oak barrels! I say that because if he didnt suggest what I was tasting, I wouldn’t have gotten it. Talk about the power of suggestion!
Anyway, this place is a green light for any of you who are spending the day in Solvang. Fiancée chose this place out of all the other wine tasting joints because some Unilocalers said that it felt like you were being rushed at the other places. Twas a great choice m’love.

While this isn’t necessarily the place to go for a traditional sort of wine tasting experience, I was very pleased with the service, selection, and atmosphere at Tastes of the Valleys. Tastes of the Valleys seems more like a wine bar than a tasting room. For one thing, they not only feature one vineyard, but a selection of various local wineries. You don’t get to keep the glass, there are no tasting notes provided, and the atmosphere is laid back. There isn’t a bucket to spit or toss wine in, and you are mostly just left alone to savor and enjoy.
I’m a big fan of any wine tasting experience, so I didn’t mind this type of business model, but I can see it reflected negatively in some of the other reviews. When it came down to it, the wine flights were decently priced, the selection was fair, and the sommelier who served our table was informative, friendly, and a lot of fun. We opted for the Club flights ($ 15) which featured 6 different wines. All of the wines we tasted were pretty decent, but none of them really blew me away. They were all from mostly small-​scale producers in and around the Santa Ynez Valley, so it was nice to get to know some wineries that I otherwise wouldn’t find at shops in Los Angeles.
My tasting included all red wines, and I was surprised that my two favorite varietals (Pinot Noir and Cab Sauv) were actually not my favorite wines of the tasting. My favorite wine of the tasting was a simple Spanish style table wine– a 2008 William James Grenache from Santa Barbara County. This wine was light-​medium bodied and had a very pleasant finish. The others were medium-​heavy bodied and were a little too acidic for me. Surprisingly, I also tasted a 2005 Syrah which I deemed undrinkable. I’m typically a fan of most California Syrahs from that region from 2003 – 2007, but this particular wine was just too heavy and the tannins did not sit well with my palate.
Our sommelier also told us a great little side story about the William James Cellars, which is why I ended up taking a bottle (inexpensive at only $ 26) home. While most of the selections and the layout would be 2 or 3 stars, I really did enjoy our visit because of the wonderful lady who served us, so I am going to give this place 4 stars for those getting into wine and want a laid back place to give it a shot.

Vacationing by yourself as well as hitting wine tasting rooms for the first time is not the most ideal combination. As I made my way around Solvang with hopes of finding a nice, friendly, and non-​judgmental wine bar, I decided on Tastes of the Valleys.
I came on a Monday night and they were about to close, but pretty much all of Solvang was dead for the week so service overall was pretty great. I believe I had a flight that included the viognier, chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, makor, and syrah. Mayapple, the person who helped me, really made the visit so much better. The flight list was okay but nothing to cry home about — I did get to taste three types of pinot noirs thanks to Mayapple and took home the bottle of Riesling.
Overall, I would give the service a solid 4.5 stars but the wines were alright. The atmosphere was great, the company was fantastic so it’s a solid four stars. I’ll definitely be coming back, but hopefully the flights will be cheaper.

I can’t rate what they had because I didn’t get a chance to look around. I was stopping in to buy a bottle or 2 and the woman from behind the bar said I couldn’t be in there with my 7 month old who was asleep in her stroller.
You won’t see me going back there.

Solvang is considered by the wife and I as our little «Getaway Spot» when we need to get away from our hectic lives and take in the sites, sounds, smells and tastes of a place we enjoy. A place that is a short enough drive away (approx. 3 hours) that we can easily do it as a day trip if we want, but far enough away to be enjoyed as a getaway. There are many lovely, wonderful places here we enjoy frequenting. After today I can happily say that Tastes of the Valleys will be one place we’ll be sure to frequent whenever we’re in town — and we recommend that others do the same!
We’ve been to Solvang probably 6 or 7 times in the past three years — and how we *just now* found this lovely little gem is amazing. I pretty much discovered it by a happy accident. I’d brought my Ipod Touch with me to look around for any open Wifi Hotspots to jump onto so I could do Unilocal «Check Ins» — and wasn’t having much luck at all. The wife decided to slip into a nearby shop called «The Mole Hole» and I lingered outside, enjoying the fresh breezy air.
My gaze wandered to the left and I saw this little breezeway path that led down… to a curious little place on the basement level that beckoned with its lovely wine-​café decorations. Slipping down to investigate — I saw a «Our Customers Love Us on Unilocal!» sticker on the door — and I knew I was in a great place.
The female employee I chatted with was friendly, and we chatted about Unilocal a bit and she happily gave me the Password to their wifi so I could jump on and take care of a couple things. The wife found me a few moments later and we all chatted. We really liked the initial vibe of the place and told the nice lady we might be back later in the evening. That was Act 1!
Cut to Act 2! After an EPICALLY wonderful night and experience at The Hitching Post 2 we drove down Hwy 246 and decided to end our Solvang Daytrip here.
Good move!
This little winebar takes full advantage of its limited space. The atmosphere is open, and yet intimate. There’s a small bar where you can enjoy their offerings as well as a few high round tables and chairs dotted around along with a cozy fireplace with comfy seating. They specialize in showcasing wines from smaller, local vintners and often have their reps. as guests at «meet n greets» here too.
Our wine pourer was a friendly, enthusiastic guy named Phil that really made the experience fun. He was quite knowledgeable. My wife, who was full from HP2, decided to enjoy a glass of a featured Riesling whilst I went for a mid-​priced flight of wine tastes.
The selections were yummy — although the reds were a bit dry for my taste — but the Riesling was enjoyed and we bought a bottle of it on the spot! The evening was capped off with Phil treating my wife to a chocolate truffle on the house — and to us discovering a DELICIOUS soda they have made from Pinot Noir grapes! It was sooo good and refreshing that we bought 3 more bottles and one made from Rose grapes to take home; which Phil discounted for us for purchasing a 4-​pack!
They also have an interesting device behind the bar that keeps the wine they use for their tasting fresh with compressed Argon gas. This noble gas doesn’t affect the wine in any way and keeps it from oxidizing after the bottle is opened.
You can enjoy a glass of wine. or share a bottle and drink it there — or purchase for take home. And what’s even neater is that if you have a wait at the Café Angelica restaurant just down the street — you can come here and enjoy the wine and atmosphere and the place will call here and tell them to let you know your table is ready.
We were only sorry that we had to make the three hour drive back home after spending time here. The next time we’re here for an overnight, we plan on spending more time relaxing here and enjoy the yummy selections and pleasant atmosphere. They put no pressure on you here for purchasing — you can drink and nibble at your own pace and just… veg!
We’ll certainly be back. Sometimes the best places are those found by accident. This is one such happy accident!

I agree with all the other reviewers that the atmosphere is great and the wines are excellent.
However, the «glass» of wine I was poured for $ 13 was imperceptibly larger than a typical tasting.
The pourer kept on asking me if everything was ok. I decided not to say anything because my wife had specifically wanted to come here, but I really wanted to say: «Yes. Pour me my Goddamn 5 ounces so I can enjoy this wine.»
Oh yes, and the cheese and crackers plate we ordered was presented to us with three kinds of cheeses still in their plastic wraps. These were not the kind of plastic wraps that you just peal away; the kind that you have to cut open.

I definitely suggest Tastes of the Valley to anyone staying in Solvang!
I was eager to taste at one of the wine rooms in town after a long drive from the bay area. So happy Tastes of the Valley was still open! You try wines from different wineries here.
The sommelier and other gentleman in the bar were a pleasure to talk to. Awesome service and a good time were had here!
The location is in the center of Solvang and the décor is very cute. They have a 4 chair bar and a handful of tall tables for sitting with friends. They were pretty flexible about which wines to taste. I brought home a bottle of Core Red GSM. It is a blend of grenache, syrah, and mouvedre!

I dont like giving places a 5 star review unless the place was damn near flawless, and Taste of the Valley was damn near flawless. Ok, so number one reason we came in: it was open past 7pm. In all my research of the area and what to do at night, this was the number one spot to hit up. Unless you’re going to a restaurant, not much else is open in Solvang later than that. Not only is it open later, it also comes pretty highly recommended not only on Unilocal but by people I know who are familiar with Solvang. Im glad I went.
The clerk helping us was hospitable and welcoming and so were everyone else working there. They had no other customers at around 7 on a Wednesday night which I was told is the norm for a weeknight, except 2 different guys who rushed in before closing to get a bottle of wine. Both werent staying in Solvang so it adds to its character-​people are willing to drive out just to be here.
Like others have said, its like this really cool and cozy cellar complete with a bar (duh), a fireplace with cozy chairs to sit in. If Im worth millions someday, Im building a replica of this place in my house.
After pouring some wine and beers she immediately gave us menus for restaurants in the area. She also asked what we were planning on doing like if we wanted to see a movie, go bowling, etc. They’re not only concerned with what you do at their place but what you on your stay in Solvang. Its a very comforting feeling if you’re not completely familiar with the area.
Ok so the wines… they have a good selection and thoroughly cover their bases in varietals of reds, whites and even beer. We started with some amazing Rieslings that were sweet and light on the palate. Then some chardonnay, pinot nior and there were some small bites to munch on while you eat. I dont completely remember the prices but the lady was so nice and we were last customers so she only charged us for every full glass that was poured and not the several tastes we tried. For our several glasses of wine (like 5) and 2 beers it was about $ 30. The clerk even came outside with us and pointed us out to the restaurant we decided on.
We recieved extraordinary customer service and tasted some really good wines in an intimate setting devoid of all pretension. I couldnt ask for anything better than that.

Wow! I was really impressed by this great little wine bar. I was referred here by Babcock Winery. I had some time to kill before heading north and this place is one of a few that is open very late. In Solvang, very late is 8pm weekdays and 10pm fri and sat (which is when Tastes of the Valleys closes).
I immediately liked this place, it is very cellaresque, you step down going in and it is set up like a wine cellar. They have a fireplace and everything, very cozy. I was tended to by the lovely Bristol (hope I remembered her name correctly). She claimed she was not a wine expert, yet she had tons of information about the wines they carried and what they were pouring that night.
I did a tasting that was heavy on Au Bön Climat pinot noirs. This is great because you do not often see these in tasting rooms. Bristol had all the info on each pinot and even made me a nice list of what I tasted so I can enter it in my tasting book. My favorite of the bunch was the ABC Isabelle pinot, named for the winemakers daughter.
This place was not in the movie Sideways. They apparently had some sort of licensing arrangement on using the name at one time, but thankfully it appears they have dropped this gimmick for the most part. This place stands on it’s own. They also do have some sort of club, but I had no idea until I went to their website (after leaving).
The owner (Ash) was strolling around and socializing with his customers and drinking a glass himself (as any good wine bar owner should be). I really liked this place and I cannot wait to come back.