Really liked this place - what made it stand out was how different it is from the other wine rooms around the area. More spacious and less stuffy, Municipal feels a bit more like a wine warehouse than a wine room. The woman serving the wine seemed very cool - exactly what I want from my wine connoisseur! Very hip, alt rock playing over the speakers indoors and outdoors. Did not know any of the songs but they were "bops" as the kids say. Multiple locals there too, so you know it's good. I liked all of my wines, especially the first in the flight. They were all interesting and had a lot of flavor. Took two bottles home with me and will certainly come back read more

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We randomly came here on a Saturday night during our short weekend in Santa Barbara and we were not disappointed. They're super dog friendly, with seating both indoors and outdoors. The ambience is beautiful and so spacious inside. My husband and I are not wine connoisseurs so we enjoyed all 5 of the tastings we had. The servers pouring the wine were also so friendly and informative. Would definitely recommend stopping by here for a wine tasting! read more

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Such a cute little winery! Very welcoming staff and I loved the chill vibe. Great wines and very affordable tastings. Would recommend! read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Magical high fives with THE BEST! Do check in! Getting a magical high five by far is only the beginning of your experience at Municipal wines. The wines are refreshing and tasty. 4 tastings for $20, dog friendly. Spacious location for you and your friends as well as your dog because yes! They are dog friendly! Emma my wine server was so chill, even though it was so hot. She's super nice and a great vibe. I'm so glad that I came back. Let's hope it doesn't take me 6 years again to get some magical wine because this is worth the drive. Cheers!! ******Dog friendly ****** read more

Municipal Winemakers - Magical high fives with THE BEST - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Chill spot for wine tasting My wife and I were looking for a low key, fun and cool looking place to have a winetasting at. The interior and exterior of this place was super artistic, modern and minimalist. But when you walk inside it has so much character and the selection of wine looks so fun. There's also a furry friend to greet you when you grab your next wine to taste. I am not very knowledgeable about wine, and haven't met many that I don't like, but each selection comes with a nice description card which really helped while trying to taste the flavors of each of the wines. The ambience outside was awesome on a warm day, so we sat out there for a little bit. I could even go back and read a book on the patio while drinking wine. After a few other wine experiences in Santa Barbara, I was glad we made it here. We also bought some wine that we enjoyed. I'm sure we will return once we are back in SB. read more

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We visited the Municipal Winemakers tasting room when we were visiting Santa Barbara last week. I was thrilled to find a Santa Barbara tasting room with natural, skin-contact, biodynamic wines. The service was great, and the space is nice too - very modern, cool, well-decorated. I loved that they had various seating areas - inside, outside in the shade, outside in the sun. The wines were good, too! I had a flight while my husband chose one or two wines by the glass that he wanted to try. I had a nice time! I'd happily return when I'm next in Santa Barbara. read more

Municipal Winemakers - a glass of wine on a picnic table - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This place is a must. Their tasting ($20) is comped with two bottle purchases. Average bottle super reasonable around $30. Of course I did the tasting and purchased two bottles. I brought the wine glasses to my seat where my hubs drank beer from the brewery. Brewery and winery offered the same food menu. I could also order wine at the brewery if I wanted to. This place has quite a lot of seating, including outdoor seating with heat lamps. It was white busy though. Tip: Sign up for their emails before arrival for a discount code and $10 off. Would have used that. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Super chill vibes. I only wish I brought a book with me. Anyway they were super nice here and had good energy. It wasn't too pricey. I ended up buying the mubbly! Given the opportunity you should definitely try it. It is nice that they also have little to no alcohol options for people. I would come back if I were in the area. read more

I highly recommend this friendly winery. Their white wines are so refreshing and perfect for summer. Luckily, one can sign up for a subscription service in order to have the wine shipped to your household monthly. read more

Municipal Winemakers - My fave white wine in Santa Barbara - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This winery had a nice view of the pier & beach. Friendly customer service! Our server was able to accommodate us because we like primarily whites for our tasting. We tried a Rose, a few whites, & a red. All were light & nice. read more

Muni wines celebrated National Ditch Work Day by hosting a party and secret event. As I arrived The tasting room patio was jamming with music spritzers and pizza. After hanging out and enjoying the festivities we were ordered to leave The tasting room leave our glasses form a line and head up to the street as we walked the half a block they're set the Landshark the activity started to unfold and away we went on the Good ship Landshark out into the bay for an afternoon of more wine music and levity. I'm a member of a couple of wine clubs some have great events some not so much. Wow! Municipal wines hit a Homerun no make that a grand slam! Thanks Muni wines for a great afternoon rumor has it this may be an annual event read more

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We came here Tuesday around 6:30pm. It wasn't too busy. Wines were decent here. Dog friendly place. We did the tasting indoors, but kept our masks on in between sips. Tasting is $20 for 4 wines. They had a Chardonnay and 5 reds. Pretty spacious. They sell other gift items in their shop too. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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The service was very nice and friendly. The young woman working was very helpful and understanding of us trying to enjoy a bottle of wine with our nutty little kids. Will def go back read more

I decided to make this place my one wine tasting spot in the Funk Zone based on the glowing Yelp reviews. I didn't have quite the great experience that others did. Perhaps it's a COVID issue that limits the ambience and service. It's $20 for 4 wines which seems a little steep, but they are decent sized pours for the tasting. The server brought out all four at once and told me what they were, but I got no further descriptions than that. She came back once to clear a couple of the glasses but made no effort to inquire about how I was enjoying the wine or to give me more information on the wine. All the wines were good. I decided to go with the rose since I don't have much of that at home, and I found their style to be pretty unique. I was kind of irked they automatically charge a 20% gratuity for the tasting. I'm happy to tip the person pouring my wine if they provide great service, but I got almost no service. read more

Found Municipal on a Yelp search and was sold on the photos and reviews. My expectations were totally blown away! Emma was such a gem and so knowledgeable about the wine. She made sure myself and my friend's tasting was an enjoyable one for a first visit. After doing a tasting, I am hooked! Every wine was delicious and consistent. This will be my go to wine tasting spot when I'm in town. Thanks Emma! read more

We went to 4 tasting rooms and hands down our favorite in the city wine tasting spot in SB! The customer service and quality of wines offered was amazing! Also helped they had a lobster counter next door that was SO DELICIOUS! We ended our night by returning to Municipal to purchase 5 bottles to go. Thank you for being everything we needed whole in Santa Barbara for a girls weekend! read more

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Santa Barbara's Funk Zone is such a cool area. Over the past few decades, this district, which spans the area between the ocean and Highway 101 and is adjacent to the Amtrak station. There are so many boutique tasting rooms, cafes, galleries, and shops. Converted warehouses and buildings decorated with graffiti murals and contemporary art pieces is where you will find Municipal Winemakers (whose wine club is known as Club Awesome). It's a cool vibe inside with a large patio in the front. Try the Mumble; it's delicious. The rest of wine was decent and the fast it's literally surrounded by multiple other wineries is amazing. read more

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Very friendly staff and super helpful for someone who isn't a wine drinker. Ordered the syrah and enjoyed it. Theyr have two types and I liked them both. They have a great seating area outside. They don't have any food though so you have to eat before or after. I've been a couple times and I'd go back. read more

Great wines, chill and trendy tasting room. Wine flights are super reasonable. Doggies are welcome, lots of seating and down the street from the beach. Just beautiful scenery. Only complaint, the one bathroom. As busy as it is here, one bathroom doesn't cut it. read more

I'm not a review leaving person. I'm also not a wine snob, but each of the wines in the flight were horrible. The first supposedly had hints of apricot. My partner and I didn't get that because the taste of rust or pennies was overwhelming. The third wine smelled like strawberry yogurt, which is off putting with wine. We realized why the wine tasted like rusty metal: they store their glasses in old file cabinets for a quirky aesthetic. The glasses pick up that rust taste. Service was fine. Atmosphere was good. The wine was just very very bad. Two buck Chuck would be preferable. read more

What more could you ask for? Great wines, great servers, great ambiance, great puppy (love you jojo)... you get the gist :) read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Very casual venue. Wines were not pricey but decent. Instead of telling you about the wines, you get a card with a description. That is the level of casual this place is, which is different than all the other wine rooms we visited in the area. It feels more like a local hang out spot rather than a place for serious wine tasting. read more

In terms of taste, this was my favorite winery in SB! My bf and I walked in on a Monday afternoon and it was completely empty. Yes, it was pretty quiet, but we got 100% full attentive service! And the guy doing the pours was a really nice, cool guy who also gave us some helpful advice on places to check out in the area since we were visitors in SB for the day. My bf and I each did the $10 for 5 wine tastings: 1) 2011 Bright White (Dry Riesling) 2) 2010 Bright Red (Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Counoise) 3) 2010 M.C.S (Mourvedre, Carignane, Syrah) 4) 2010 Grenache 5) 2011 Sweetness Riesling We also got complimentary crackers with the wines. :) My fave wines were definitely the M.C.S and the Sweetness Riesling. That Riesling at the end seriously tasted SO good after drinking the bitter Grenache. Great way to end the tasting! We ended up buying a bottle of the Sweetness Riesling to take home because we liked it so much. Really cool, unique artsy decor, great service, and the tastings were awesome! They definitely know what they're doing here. This place is for sure worth checking out! read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We only came in because we were intrigued by the magical high five for our Yelp check in. We did even get two :) Tasting menu looked good, and the interior was really cute - even with an adorable attractive patio. We will be back and update our review after tasting soon. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Cute outdoor area - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I especially loved this winery. The vibe is cool. Trendy but down to earth. Nothing fancy, but it definitely has a unique atmosphere that goes along with the winery's name. The tasting menu was a great variety: a bubbly, 2 whites, 2 reds. We bought a bottle of the Mubbly for ourselves, and a bottle of the Bright Red for a family member. I wish we would have purchased an extra bottle of that red for our collection, but all the more reason to return! The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They didn't make the tasting too formal, and you didn't feel rushed to leave the tasting counter. I can't wait to go back. read more

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Municipal Wine makers is just the right mix of funky classy and sassy. The wines are youthful, clean, well thought out, and usually very good, with a few exceptions that are excellent ( Their Grenache, Cinsault, seasonal sparkling Shiraz "The Fizz" are some that I have fancied enough to purchase). That being said the prices are a bit above what I would like to pay for certain grape varieties (... namely, $28 for a dry white Riesling, $29 for a carbonic Maceration GSM based Rosé) I mean, hats off to Dave Potter, head winemaker for the artistry, the wine is good. i believe it's natural, minimal intervention, native yeast etc and hope it's hand picked ( not sure) but I don't like to pay more than $20 for wine that I can't hold onto at least a year! That's just me! While the wine is decent, this is not my main draw for coming to "Muni" ( as we locals call it :) regularly. 3 words: Wine Club Membership. The membership was the best "wino" thing I ever did and I sure glad to have it now ( during a pandemic) because they make shipping easy and fun! ( although I do wish "to-go" tastings was a thing!) I feel they offer so many benefits for local customers, mainly: having a prime location that offers funk zone peeps a casual, low key spot to chill and of course, free tastings your yourself AND a guest!! Unlike nearby places which can be crowded or too loud to talk because of obnoxious folks being drunk is or super loud music, Muni offers a chill, relaxed setting for not so fancy wine vibes and a beautiful sunset spot on the outdoor patio. There are also cozy inside spots with books and games to check out If you are solo or are looking for something more private. You can even bring your own food ( please be low key about this and don't spoil it for the rest of us be being a nuisance!!) I mean it's great! The space is a converted warehouse that used to be a boat/dive shop I believe? It's super cool and funky! They also have mixed uses that are awesome! I personally LOvE the women's group "RAD" night that meets every month at Muni after hours. So I love Muni! I do hope they bring back the fizz! That wine was exciting ! Oh and ps: Locals only secret- you can still go swimming behind the shop! ;) read more

This place has great potential with a great view of the palms and the beach. Two servers were their to help but one who was dealing with nasal issues was clearly making us feel like we were bothering her much more important conversation than helping patrons. Every other tasting room usually rinses out before the next taste but again the conversation was being interrupted so on to the next pour. And the word pour is being nice as she poured half oz for 4 out of five. The other server was friendly and and poured a expected amount. The wine was ok the sarah's were the better out the five. Based on the service alone I'd pass especially with so much other places around. I'd pass on this place. read more

Great sparkling wine and decorative wine bottles. I went wine tasting with my cousin and symboled across this little gem. It has a cool modern/rustic decor inside and the sparkling wine is the yummiest. Highly recommend. read more

The tasting room is small, simple but nice with good music and everyone enjoying themselves. Dave the winemaker holds court behind the bar and gets to know everyone. Great service and the wine was good but nothing amazing. Worth trying the FIZZ, a sparkling Shiraz, but unfortunately, none came home to live in my rack. The prices were high for the quality of wine. I'll be back next year to see if anything has matured. Thanks for a good time. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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We found this place after walking back from SB Winery. It's located off the street, down an alley lined with some other businesses. It's a small little place, but, very boutique and chic. $10 got us 5 tastings. Not bad. SB Winery offered $5 tastings. Then again, this place is not the corporate juggernaught that SB Winery is, or so we were told. The wines were good. Names like Big Red or Really White or something along those lines replaced old dependables like chardonnay and cabernet. The hosts were cool. The wine maker was in. Dude looked like a wine maker, bearded, laid back and easy going. Nice guy. read more

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The wines here quite different here several years ago when they first opened. The overall lively, acidic characteristics of their earlier wines (Dark Red, Counoise, earlier versions of Bright Red) have been abandoned in favor of trying to taste like many of the other wines available in Santa Barbara. Their current MCS is the lone hold-over that bears resemblance to the wines that I had fallen in love with. They've also made the choice to focus on college beach party and bachelorette limos. I understand it as a business decision, but if you're looking for a relaxing tasting experience this isn't the place for you. I sincerely hope that they work their way back into being "awesome". read more

Municipal Winemakers - Tasting counter - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Matt B. and I dropped into Municipal Winemakers before dinner at The Lark a few weeks back. The place seemed pretty empty for 7:30 on a Saturday, but this might have been because we went at the tail end of a World Series game, and Municipal has no TV. We sweated the Dodgers on our phones like the casual fans we are, giving updates to one of the bartenders--a woman in an Astros jacket--while we drank. We had a great time at this tasting room. It was a charming spot with plenty of character. String lights and fun art on the walls, light fixtures borrowed from a previous tenant, apparently called "Dan's." The wine glasses were kept in filing cabinets behind the counter. I checked in on Yelp when we arrived, unlocking an offer for "1 free Magical High-Five." I redeemed it with our bartender, a very nice young woman who was not actively rooting against the Dodgers (though both women were in fact quite friendly hosts). The wines were good and affordable, with bottles clocking in between $25 and $35. We did two flights, at $14 apiece, and got to try five of Municipal's wines. The line-up consisted of the 2016 Bright White Dry Riesling, the 2016 Blanche Old Vine Chenin Blanc, the 2016 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, the 2015 Bright Red, and the 2015 Dark Red. We enjoyed them all, and our bartender gave us some helpful notes. We took home two bottles of the Chenin Blanc. We've already enjoyed one of them and look forward to drinking the second one soon. Municipal is a great place for tasty wines at a reasonable price point. We live in Los Angeles, but will definitely visit again. read more

Fun, low-key wine tasting room. Even though we are wine noobs, they didn't make us feel like it. They were very friendly and answered all our questions. Plus David Potter (the head winemaker) was hanging out at the front door in a t-shirt and sunglasses. Just to add to the low-key, hipster atmosphere. They source their grapes from multiple vineyards. Then David Potter designs the wines. I like how their wines come with simple names and label designs, not pretentious ones. You got your Bright White (Riesling), Blanche Chenin Blanc, your "kook" Zinfandel (from Rancho Cucamonga), Dark Red (cab and Syrah mix) and your Fox Family Grenache. Our preference was for 1. Kook Zinfandel 2. Bright White 3. Grenache 4. Dark Red 5. Blanche (had least flavor) Compared to the only other tasting I've done in my life (Rodney Strong in Sonoma) Municipal was not as refined in their wines. But definitely just as fun. C'est Cheese plate was great with the wines too. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Menu - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We found this place on yelp and decided to visit. The wines were so good and the service was great! We bought some home and will definitely be coming back here! read more

This is my favorite winery in the funk zone. It's laid back, hipster but not in a pretentious way. It's just cool, feels like you are kicking back in your grandparent's rec room. The wines are all great and there's nothing better than taking a bottle out to their patio on a sunny day. They also have indoor seating, including a board room -- in case you want to bring all your friends together to have a round table discussion on which is better -- red or white wine? It's open later than than other wineries in the area, which is a plus. Everyone that works there is super friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Muni. Five stars. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Municipal Winemakers is a Santa Barbara County winery located in the Funk Zone, near the pier. There are plenty of public lots in the area, available for a fee, if you are spending a lot of time down here. If you are just trying to pop into this one spot, it can be a challenge and parking will be pricey. Fortunately, we were starting early. This was our first tasting on Sunday at 11AM. The shop wasn't ready for us. In fact, there were about 8 of us (3 in our group, 3 in another and another couple) who were waiting when the wine taster of the day arrived. The shop is rustic. As a former dive shop with little adaptation, it is appropriate by the sea. There is also the fascinating file cabinet collection. It's odd but it works for a place in an area called the Funk Zone. There is a flight of 5 wines to taste for $14 per person. It's basically $14 for 5 oz. of wine. Wine is subjective, but these are the five that I tasted with my personal opinion: You Got This Bright White - a dry Riesling with nice peppery notes. Crisp and light. Muni Rose - a dry rose with tangy berry notes. Nice. Potek Pinot Noir - pretty earthy and heavy. Not a fan. CSM Red Blend - great Rhone variation on the California classic GSM. Very good - even got a bottle. Fizz Sparkling Shiraz - wretched; you might as well be linking moldy fruit. We also bought a bottle of the Hofer Ranch Grenache, which is a lovely, light wine with tangy cherry notes, and the Bright Red Blend, which is a real combination of many grapes that is fruity and jammy. I felt awful for the girl serving the wine. She didn't know anything beyond what is written on the bottle, which reflects total apathy of the wine maker. It is up to the wine maker to make sure that anyone who is pouring wines on his behalf knows what they are pouring and can answer questions. She had no maps and no information about the vineyards from which he sources his grapes or his method of harvest or collecting or anything. Overall, I enjoyed myself, but I was very disappointed at the total lack of information. If you are looking for a place to drink, this is a good one - you are near the beach and have a friendly pourer. If you are looking for anything more than that, this is not a good place to come. 3.5 stars. read more

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Muni is one of my favorite places ever! The wine is amazing, but what brings me back is the staff! Everyone is so friendly! Arielle was our point person on this last trip and she was great! Her dog is also super sweet and played with mine! Definitely check out Muni the next time you're in the Funk Zone! You won't regret it. read more

Free high five! Quirky and funny check-in offer, MW! It was 4th of July, and the place was buzzing! The entire wine row area was very busy, as expected - and it was the perfect hour to grab a drink. Our group of four was beyond excited about this joint because two of them were regulars and created some crazy hype! We walked up to the counter and grabbed a tasting. All the girls were super friendly and educated us on the wines -- Tasting of five wines = $12 Souvenir glass = $extra 2012 Bright White - Dry Riesling: white flowers, ginger, cut lime and grapefruit 2012 Blanche Chenin Blanc - Old-Vine Chenin Blanc: green apples, light salinity, vanilla cream 2011 "The Kook" Zinfandel - explosive berry, green leaves, black tea 2011 Dark Red - 47% Cabernet Sauvignon & 53% Syrah: juicy blackberry, mint and mocha 2010 Fox Family Grenache - licorice, black cherries, dried herbs and exotic spice. Mid tasting, the bar got a little crowded - butts touching, people snagging spots and being a little rude, but we were on the end so we made it work out. Each sampling was very tasty, but we all leaned towards a crispy, cold white - the Bright White. We grabbed a glass of Bright White, and sat at a big table by the window. For those in the mood for food with your wine, they do offer cheese plates for $12, but we didn't get one. I gifted a membership to our lovely friends, as an early wedding present and got them souvenir glasses as well. The membership is worth it actually (we got the tastings for free, cute tote bags, the glasses and the membership). We will go back and get bottles of wine next time. They had a lot all around the store, including tee shirts and other knick knacks. read more

Municipal Winemakers - Menu 7/4/13 - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Municipal Winemakers was #5 on our journey around the Urban Wine Trail and I really liked it for four reasons: 1.) I was able to find a 2-for-1 coupon prior to my visit which I brought with me http://santabarbaracoupons.city2.org/muni/ 2.) The service was awesome! 3.) The look and feel of the Tasting Room was very cool - I loved the filing cabinets which they use to store their tasting bottles. 4.) The winemaker is on his game, his blends were amazing. We'll be back! read more

Municipal Winemakers - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

You may have heard the term "shabby chic"well this spot is more "shabby" than chic. Behind the register area were stacked file cabinets(why). A six foot tall stuffed ape was positioned at the top of the stair case (why). There were lots of customers, many of them standing around enjoying themselves drinking wine and eating food which was purchased from the food truck outside. When we first arrived one customer had a very pretty bird walking around on a table. This place is unusual it felt cluttered, messy, dirty, crowded, thrown together but maybe that's the atmosphere the owners are going for. It could use more tables and chairs inside for all the customers standing around. There was only one restroom which is not a problem. The problem is it wasn't working very well. Overall my experience was pleasant or maybe my expectations were low. read more