THE TASTING ROOM

Hartley and Ostini strive to create flavorful handcrafted wines that possess poise and balance, putting a slice of Santa Barbara in each glass, and a piece of their soul in every bottle of Hitching Post.

The Traditional Tasting at Hitching Post Wines priced at $20 per guest offers a flight of five Hitching Post Wines consisting of Pinks 2017; Hometown Pinot Noir 2016; Cork Dancer Pinot Noir 2015; Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2015; and Gen Red 2016.

A Reserve Tasting, priced at $25, includes five wines – Highliner Pinot Noir 2015; Perfect Set Pinot Noir 2015; Bien Nacido Pinot Noir 2015; Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir 2015; and Four Top 2012. The caveat of the Reserve Tasting will be its ever-changing menu featuring rare single-vineyard bottling and special older vintages of Hitching Post.

For those seeking the ultimate experience, Hitching Post Wines offers customized Private Winemaker Tastings with Gray Hartley or Frank Ostini for $60 per guest and by appointment only.

Lunch+

Hitching Post Wines would not be complete without the added flavor of Hitching Post 2’s Santa Maria Style BBQ food pairings to enjoy while tasting. Classic crowd-pleasing favorites served from the restaurant include HP Burgers; Triple-Fried French Fries; Santa Maria BBQ Artichokes; and Grilled Corn Quesadillas.

Here's the lunch menu served 11:30am to 2:30pm

Here's the appetizer/snacks menu served 2:30 - 4:00 pm

The Site

Hitching Post Wines is set in a mid-century farmhouse off the 246 Highway with trailing walkways and outdoor seating areas banking a view of the Santa Ynez Mountain landscape. The tasting room building covers 2,000 square feet and sits on nearly twelve acres of land, landscaped by red oak trees, including a 200-year-old tree greeting passers-by in the front of the property. Rustic corral fencing frames the building and main property and encloses a red bark-covered landscape with decomposed granite and native plants scattered with picnic tables and ample seating areas covered by shade screens.

The charming cottage has a gray exterior trimmed in white accents and window shutters. Guests first view a cast iron Hitching Post brand inlaid into the polished concrete floor when entering the front door. To the west, the main tasting room boasts original oak floors and a fireplace dating from before 1950. The color palette includes warm stone grays with details of white, copper and bronze. To the east, there is a private tasting room ensconced in gray wainscoting accented by a distressed corrugated tin ceiling. Separating the two wings is a secondary tasting room showcasing historical photos of Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley with a timeline of Hitching Post wines. The tasting bars are covered in burnished copper and composed of repurposed barn-wood siding, copper piping footrests and illuminated by oil-rubbed bronzed and copper farmhouse hanging fixtures.

Throughout the property are walkways and casual picnic areas that invite guests to linger over a bottle of wine while taking in the dramatic Santa Ynez Mountains and river landscape. Dogs with attending families are welcome.

See the interesting history of the building ...