Approaching Cambria Estate Vineyards & Winery from Santa Maria, it’s easy to miss the turnoff unless you’re watching for their sign.   The views are panoramic and open as large tracts of vineyards span the river beds for miles along the east-west valley in Santa Maria Valley AVA.

In 1981, the Santa Maria American Viticulture Area was designated as the third AVA in the United States and the first in Santa Barbara County.  This unique microclimate leads to early bud break and a long ripening season for the grapes.

Cambria Estate Vineyards and Winery has been touted for over 25 years as a world-class producer of fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.  The winery is also SIP Certified, (Sustainability in Practice), a bio-dynamic farming practice that embraces water conservation and the highest utilization of the land.

What makes Cambria Estate Vineyards and Winery even more unique is that it is woman-owned with a woman winemaker at the helm.  Vino-preneur Barbara Banke and her two daughters run the day-to-day operations and Denise Shurtleff is the artisan winemaker. [Read more…]