My family and I went to the wine ghetto and visited Camins 2 Dreams. Brittany helped us and we had a blast! She was great with our son who ordered a charcuterie board and entertained himself on the comfy chairs. Then we enjoyed the mixed red/white flight. We tried a new varietal for us -Gruner Veltliner (yum!) and enjoyed learning about the other wines. I highly recommend this place and hope to get to go back soon. We happily took home 2 bottles. read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Wine - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

Most places are closed on Wednesdays. I came from Orange County hoping to get in to Fiddlehead but no. Only one person in the office who shared she could not accommodate a tasting and shared that she called me back when I left a message. I did not get that call. Darn. Lompoc is hard to navigate during the week. I am grateful Sanford was open and welcoming but they are not located in the wine ghetto. read more

Amazing wines.I have my favorites, but you should try them all. These wineries are gems and need to be visited more.

Everyone is so nice and friendly in this town! My co-worker introduced us to this little town for work. We work hard, play hard ;) How fun to try different wines from different locations all in one area! Same yourself the drive time and walk your way into different tasting rooms. read more

Interesting place. We only stopped at Pali wine. Which was our last stop of the day. Yummy wines Great atmosphere Friendly knowledgeable service The Ghetto is in an industrial setting. I might be back but I honestly prefer our stop in Buellton read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Pali Wine - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

It is named a Wine Court, but does feel like a "Ghetto" of tasting rooms in a whole bunch conglomerate of various warehouses. Some as nicer than others, but it is not pretty, nor has a view. It is not cheap by any means. As it is behind the Home Depot, it kind of feels like HD built a whole bunch of crappy garages for these wine makers. On top of the location, the town of Lompoc is no great shakes, and there is not much to see toward that end. Some locals from the SLO area [& others] do appreciate the fine vineyards that are represented here. They are lighter, generally grow in cool moist conditions, and appeal to those who tend toward Pinot Noirs [e.g. - Ampelos]. While it is a bit fun to check it out, tastings grow to be quite expensive if you even think of tastings at 20+ rooms. You should do your tasting research before you get here to get an idea of how to narrow it down. You can also check each place for the variety that you like and narrow it down that way. I like wines that are grown in the moist areas of Santa Rita Hills, Santa Maria, Southern parts of Edna Valley, and Pinots from Monterey. For some reason, the drier areas near Paso do not grow grapes that I usually desire. Since Lompoc has little in the way of great eats, you are better off in Los Alamos, Buelton, or Solvang. You can find better accommodations there to. If you really want to taste good wines with a nice views, you need to head north to Edna Valley, where you can finds decent eats & accommodations in Pismo Beach or the Five Cities area. They even have a tasting tour bus or two. If you do want to hug the coast, you can go up thru Orcutt and pass Vandenberg AFB. Please obey all speed limits since the military base has their own, nice, but firm police force on the roads near there. It is easy for someone to speed on the near vacant scenic roads & then get a ticket. It is not possible to visit the AFB, unless you have a military ID. Once in a while they do spectacular launches from the AFB, which you can even see from the Central Coast Beaches ranging from Guadalupe to Pismo Beach. read more

This is the hidden gym of the central coast wine scene! 20+ tasting rooms of all kinds of different wine. From classic bold Italian pinots to fun chocolate and wine pairing spots there is truly something for any kind of wine aficionado here. Every time I come here I fall in love with a new tasting room. Out of the ones I have tried so far montemar, Moretti, and fiddlehead have been standouts. Artisan uprising is also doing something special with their neutral blue brandy that they sell and they do fantastic chocolate and wine pairings! read more

So what we have is a bunch of warehouses that house wine tastings. I have little experience with wine tasting and my sister was equally inexperienced. The buildings are equally unattractive with only a small sigh outside to differentiate themselves from the neighbors and to indicate there is somebody working today. We went into the first building and didn't care for the options as we were seeking Pinots to taste. The gentleman directed us to two of his neighbors. We went to the closest of his recommendations. We went into Ampelos Cellars and spent the next hour with Bailey, a charming young lady who was engaging and a joy. We really enjoyed learning about all the details of the lovely Pinots and the business of wine. It was a positive experience and we will do this again. read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

"And how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?" -- Homer Simpson After the two Sunday open houses, our next stop on the wine tour was the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. I'll review the wineries we visited individually, like frankly KT should have done below, although that review is suspect . The Lompoc Wine Ghetto is housed in an ugly industrial park that magically and organically coalesced into ground zero for Santa Rita Hills wine producers. 13 wineries, soon to be 14, have tasting rooms on site and that makes it very easy to taste a wide variety of wines in short order. We hit three wineries on Sunday while walking out of two (Samsara and Tasting of Santa Rita Hills) that were too crowded and too hot to do comfortable wine tasting. There are excellent wineries including favorites of mine like Zotovich, Loring and, soon, Arcadian. If you are in the area and want to avoid to tourist traps like Fess Parker or Firestone, make your way over here to Lompoc. read more

We happened upon the wine ghetto when our hotel (the Santa Ynez Inn) gave us a card for two free tastings at Joseph Blair. We drove right past it since on the outside it doesn't look like anything. Seriously, an industrial park. Ghetto for sure. I was VERY skeptical but figured we were there so we should give it a try. This is for serious wine drinkers who are here to stock up on wine. It is the most efficient way possible to taste wine - no driving around / parking / etc. between wineries - a one stop shop. What's difficult is deciding where to go because you couldn't even make a dent in seeing all the wineries that are represented here in one day. It's not for people looking for that wine tasting experience of walking around a beautiful vineyard and taking in the scene. We did that the day before, so this was perfect for our second day of wine tasting. Wine tasting without the pretension. We made some good finds here and you probably will too. read more

I'm already plotting my return to the Wine Ghetto. It was that good. As many others have stated, you have to put aside your expectations and just go with the flow. You'll be pleasantly surprised how little it matters that the Ghetto is located in a small, nondescript industrial park (asphalt, metal warehouses, etc.) when you're inside the tasting rooms. The quality of the wines, the knowledgeable and friendly staff, and the number of wineries represented in a small, walkable area make this a very worthy detour for any wine aficionado(a). read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Appropriate to the name, the sign was trashed. - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

excellent wine and service !!!! Special thanks to Henry , the manager of the operation !!! Pleasant atmosphere and lots of wine to choose from ! read more

First impression. Ugly on the outside, pretty on the in. It's nowhere near the quaint loveliness you get driving into Los Olivos, and in fact my initial feeling was one of disappointment. I think I was expecting a large single complex with all the tasting rooms under one roof. Instead it's like a large industrial park with corrugated trailer like buildings scattered across the asphalt lot. Once inside any of the tasting rooms though, you'll be quite pleased with the ambience and the quality of product. Tastings are inexpensive and interesting. We started at Palmina and it's a good spot to begin. It's one of the larger rooms, and the most inviting, best of all the wines are excellent. Though the region seems to be known for Pinot, it's the whites that shined brightest. I'm not a fan of white wines by any stretch, yet every varietal I've tried in the Santa Ynez area has been fabulous. A Loring Wine Company wasn't much to look at, but the wine quality was outstanding. It's pricier than the other rooms, but there is no mistaking the superiority. A New Vineland/Piedrasassi has both nice wines and wonderful bread. The owners are wondefful. A- Joseph Blair is a newer room, it's bright and cheery with a pleasant line. B+ Stolpman Vineyard is also very nice. B+ Samsara. Small but interesting product. B+ Jalama Wines gets a little hazy here, don't remember much. Good flavors. B+ Zotovich Cellars towards end of day, even hazier. B+ Fiddlehead Cellars was okay and it's very popular, but it was moderately good for me. B Overall it's a really great place to visit for a day. The boutique wines are quite good and mostly cost effective. Though the website said no kids, it's just as kid friendly as Los Olivos. There's a very decent motel nearby called Cairns Inn, it's inexpensive but comfortable, clean and with a lot off complimentary offerings. There is no food available at The Wine Ghetto, but there are picnic tables. It's a little off the beaten path, but certainly worth the effort if you love wine. read more

The Lompoc Wine Ghetto is a pretty cool place to taste wine. It looks like a boring, industrial business complex on the outside, but once you get inside a tasting room, you pretty much forget how the place looks like. In all honesty, wine making is not all grassy hills, rows of grapevines, large barns, dirt, and tractors. That part of wine making is at the vineyards, right?. Most winemakers who don't have a vineyard, they gravitate to places like the Lompoc Wine Ghetto to make their wines. It's spacious, the overhead is low (sometimes), and it's a convenience. At the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, like on a day like harvest, you'll see barrels and presses being moved around in complex and grapes being produced into wine. There are more boutique wineries at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, so expect to see and experience wines from lesser known wine labels, genius winemakers who defected the big wineries to produce under their own label, etc. The cool part at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto are its tasting rooms. There are some 16 tasting rooms. Some are open to the public and some require a reservation. A tasting of about 6 to 10 wines may cost you between $5 to $10 depending on where you go. Sometimes the tasting fee is waived if you decide to join a wine club the same day. A week ago, my friends and I spent a few hours at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. We shared tastings instead of getting a tasting per person. A two ounce pour of wine is more than enough for two people to share anyway. Makes sense, right? I still like Ampelos and Samsara. Taste of Sta. Rita Hills is a cool little wine shop that sells the wines of even smaller boutique wineries or you can try the shop owner's own wine called Moretti. Last weekend, I ended up liking Jalama Wines so much that I signed up for their wine club. It was the 2010 Jalama Mourvedre that I fell in love with. A bit earthy, some grass, a little wet dirt and the dark chocolate truffle or a chocolate mousse cake undertones, because that's what this wine tasted like to me. read more

This industrial area actuallly has GREAT wines. I particularly loved Fiddlehead and Flying Goat! If you are here and you want a little more variety than the actual vineyards - try this! Really fun and actually the wines are just as good! It is a hidden ghetto gem! While the atmosphere may not be as lovely as the vineyards, the wine is unique and just as delicious! Try it out if you have extra time! read more

I believe that it's important for novice wine drinkers to drive out to the vineyards and get the full "estate" tasting experience several times. By and large, most wineries are beautiful places, each in their own way. You shouldn't rush this. Visiting perhaps two in a morning and two in an afternoon makes for a pretty full day. However, once you've done this for a while, a place like the Lompoc Wine Ghetto can be a welcome change of pace. Since the wineries in this industrial complex are smaller, the wine is often made on-site. This means that you're likely to meet the actual winemaker and the receive the best insights on the wines. Also, this place is still relatively unknown to the casual wine tourist--we didn't see one bachelorette party over an entire weekend. Instead, you get smaller crowds and more time with the tasting room staff, or even the winemaker. Having 20+ tasting rooms in the same location means that it's awfully convenient: you can probably make six visits in a day, if you bring lunch. One winemaker shared with me that since it's a community of small winemakers, they can all easily learn from each other. These synergies ultimately benefit the customer as well. I consider Montemar and Ampelos to be "must visits," and I've Yelped them separately. Fiddlehead and Flying Goat were also good. If you think that Napa and Temecula are the ultimate wine experience, then the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is probably not for you. Lompoc also lacks high-end hotels and fine dining is limited to Le Botte on the other side of this small town. However, if you're willing to "rough it" and try a bunch of smaller wines that you've never had before, you will be rewarded. To get here, look for the hospital and the Home Depot. The ghetto is right behind, and walkable from the Travelodge and a longer walk to the O'Cairns Inn. read more

You would never imagine that inside a rather boring looking industrial complex, you would find such little gems. I think there are 13 tasting rooms. It is a candy store for wine lovers. My very favorite is Palmina. First, their wine is really good. Second, because they serve little tastings of food to go along with their wine flights, things like parmigiano cheese, salami, grissini. It was the only place that had that pairing. In the same complex, you will also find Fiddlehead, Flying Goat, Samsara, La Vie, Dragonette and others. Some tasting rooms have a more sophisticated decor while others are quite simple. Nevertheless, we found that everybody that worked there, was knowledgeable and charming. We got a few bottles to take home. read more

This is a must go place if you're in the Lompoc area definitely stop and go through the different wineries throughout this area.

I'm not a snob by any means, but this place was a dump. If you haven't been, we suggest visiting Buellton, Solvang, Los Olivos or Santa ynez over this place. There are probably 10-15 separate old industrial buildings on a bland gravel lot. It feels like you're walking on an industrial site in Hemet or something. It has zero appeal to it. I'm sure it's cheap for the vendors to rent out space here, but it's not cheap for the customers. It's still $10-$15 for a tasting and that's wrong. Why not overlook a vineyard for that price? We definitely realized why they call it the ghetto. It literally feels like a ghetto. The tasting rooms are quite small but the wine is still good. The town is also a ghetto in case you've never been. The Embassy Suites was where we stayed & that ended up being the best part. We go up to wine country up there at least 1-2 times a year and we'll definitely never go back to Lompoc or the Wine Ghetto. read more

You have to stop by Dark Waters tasting room. Dave Mazzonetto is one fine winemaker. It is for good reason that he is known as the Zin Man in the Santa Rita Hills. A sommelier who makes exquisite zins in the old world style, he allows the juices to mature on the skins for 60 to 80 days. Besides outstanding zins and blends, you would never be disappointed with one of his Cabs, Chardonnays, or Petite Syrah. After a tasting with his infused cheeses, cured meats, and olive oil, you will feel like you have made a visit to Italy. not recommend his wine more highly. Salute! read more

The Lompoc Wine Ghetto gets better every time we visit. There is always something new, the quality of the wines are very good and you will most likely be surrounded by people who know a thing or two about wine and aren't just wine tasting because they "think it looks cool". And yes, if you are serious about wine and are in the SB area, then this is truly a must. Agreed, it's in a pretty random spot. Drive a couple blocks off (like we did the first time) and you might think twice about stopping for directions if you know what I mean. My favorites? Samsara and Loring. These are no frills, knick-knack-crap wine shops who specialize in... you guessed it: wine. Maybe this has already been done but I think a great addition to the ghetto would be food trucks. Just something to think about... read more

Leave your attitude at the door and give this a shot. Basically 15-20 different local wineries in the Santa Barara area - very small producers - are using warehousing space as tasting and production rooms. This is not glamorous...it's behind a hospital and it's about as far from scenic Napa Valley as you can get. But...the wine is amazing, and they're a really supportive group and highly recommend each other. Again, the wine's good...isn't that ultimately what we're after? read more

The wine ghetto is a great place to taste wines and interact with knowledgeable wine people and sometimes the winemakers. There are over 25 tasting rooms here and all are small and many very small. My friends and I like this type of setup - excellent wines, small producers and no crowds. The food is getting better and there was just a food truck here on sat. This place will not be crowded forever. read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Food truck - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

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The Lompoc wine ghetto is great!! If your looking for great local Santa Rita hills Pinot Noir and many other local varietals, this is the epicenter read more

Lompoc Wine Ghetto - Local Wines found here at The Wine Court in Lompoc, CA - Wineries Near Me - Lompoc, California

So much fun! Went here for an event with the Wandering Dog Wine Bar and we got to meet a bunch of the vintners of the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. If you want some laid-back fun wine tasting without judgmental pourers, the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is right for you. There are a ton of places to go tasting at (19 I believe). You won't be disappointed in the quality of the wine at all. Get a sober driver or a taxi cab. The Ghetto is not near anywhere- it's an industrial park. Trust me, the cops will give you a ticket every time. read more

Great place to spend an afternoon. Wineries/tasting rooms are in walking distance of each other. There are also wineries and tasting areas scattered throughout the town. Every so often we spend An inexpensive weekend at Lompoc and do a day trip into salvage. read more

This is a 5-star review for the wine ghetto as a wine ghetto. It is not a winery, it has minimal atmosphere and sits behind a Home Depot. SO MANY GOOD WINES. Went into 5 different places, and enjoyed the company of the staff and other wine-tasters. If someone is being a jerk, you say LATER and move 50 feet to the left and find yourself in a different tasting room. This would be an AMAZING place to have an ironic/modern bachelor/bachelorette combo party with lots of being drunk and getting ridiculous. I will be back read more

Went here over Labor Day weekend (Sunday). We visited Flying Goat, Palmina, Fiddlehead, and Jalama. No particular reason for the choices we made or the order... Great value - each place charged $10 for a minimum of 5 tastings and we could split them. So for $40 we each tasted more than 20 different wines. The service and knowledge was great at each of the places we went, and, if we inquired about the wines that were not being offered for tasting that day, they let us taste them, too. We were very happy with our visit and would definitely recommend it. I didn't give it 5 stars only because the location. However, once you are inside each place, you forget where you are, so, for me, not a big deal. read more

Makes for a great wine tasting day! This was my third visit and each time with a different group and everyone enjoys this new stop on our long weekend trip. This trip we had amazing service at Fiddlehead (Rachel), Flying Goat sparking wines didn't disappoint, Moretti with great cheese and salami pairing and the truffle tasting at Artisan Rising was a return visit for a couple of us. Will keep bringing new people to this area! read more

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Spending the day supporting my locals. What a wonderful day. Much recommended on what a cool place in our own backyard. Tell them I sent you. You won't regret it. Very tasty and price affordable. read more

The Wine Ghetto is NOT CLOSED!! I'm here right now!! This place is awesome! Go to Flying Goat Cellars for Pinot and Sparkling Wine! YAY!

Love that this place had a cluster of great wines! Lutum, Pali and Montemar were amazing! read more

Low key unassuming great wines in a casual setting... remnant of Tin City in Paso Robles only a little quieter. Absolutely recommend if you want to save a few bucks and enjoy some good sips.!! read more

If you like wine tasting, do yourself a favor and go here. Now. A great afternoon spent wine tasting, and you don't have to drive. At least not until you're finished. Bring a lunch, because they don't serve food, and get to tasting! read more

Wow, not sure what Palmina KT went to (comment below) but YIKES! That is so not the Palmina I know and LOVE. Firstly, their wines are in the $20 range ... not too pricey. If that's out of your range, might want to just park it on the couch. They have a great family atmosphere that pays tribute to their Italian heritage. Notable whites. Fiddlehead does a great Sauv Blanc and also offers a really tasty Rose made from fruit sourced locally. Zotovich Cellars is home to two estate Rhones that rocked my world: Viognier (sold out but they pour it) & a blueberry-pepper Syrah. Jalama boasts a Pinot, a few Syrahs and a Sauv Blanc blend. Flying Goat is the only spot in the Ghetto for sparkling(that I'm aware of) ... they're ok. The industrial coomplex that houses these wineries is ... different. It's pretty ugly actually. But the interiors of each tasting room is unique and a each a pleasant surprise. All in all, I'd have to say this place is a great bang for your buck. I did agree with KT, more wineries should comp tastings for a bottle purchase. To my knowledge, Fiddlehead does not and Palmina does not. Zotovich Cellars does comp tasting with bottle purchase. read more

I love this place. The vibe is laid back. Wines and the people are wonderful. Prices are affordable. Don't forget to go to both sides of the wine Ghetto. The painted decorated buildings have maybe 5 tasting rooms but there are many more. My absolutely favorite is Sweetzer Cellars. Lisa is a fantastic host, the wines are AMAZING! They do some wine in stainless steel (partially) which I really like. Basically- Lompoc is a gem and if you're going to eat - 2 minutes away is Scratch Kitchen. It'll blow your mind the food is so incredible. Who knew? read more

Not closed! Great place to walk around to many tasting rooms, all close to each other. Good quality wine. Nice people, fresh air, relaxing vibe. read more

If you are expecting long winding rows of vines and grapes - you made a wrong turn...This is real people - making real wine - for real people. Come to the ghetto to take the nose down a notch. Do not take the word 'Ghetto' literal - the metal buildings hide unique people and wine inside and this area is not dangerous at all. If you come during harvest time you will often find the wine makers and tasting room attendants from many wineries eating lunch together in the parking lot. I suggest Palmina and Zotovich. read more

Had a great time. Only visited four wineries, but everyone was extremely friendly and knowledgable. It would take us at least two days to visit them all, and you better have a designated driver!! read more

Very well kept secret. My first visit here turned me into a wine lover. I stayed at Lotus at Lompac which is where the old travelodge is. It's not fancy, but my room was clean. 4 block walk to the Ghetto, where you get to taste incredible wines, from the passionate people that make them. So much to learn, people to meet and experiences to be had, with nothing conceited or frou frou. Tastings are 10-15 bucks each (some over 20 but rare), you can share one tasting per couple no problem (otherwise you will get smashed fast). I've got nothing but good things to say about the Ghetto. Already planning my next trip. read more