Santa Ynez in a glass, done right
Los Olivos · Solvang · Ranch-to-table Californian with Southern influences · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Bear and Star’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Bear and Star — tucked inside the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn — the wine list feels like it was curated by someone who actually farms here. It's not trying to impress you with a 400-label tome; it's making a deliberate case for Santa Ynez Valley and the surrounding appellations. That focus is both its strength and its ceiling.
The list runs roughly 150-200 labels and leans hard into the local talent: Foxen, Stolpman, Beckmen, Dierberg, and of course Fess Parker himself all show up, which makes sense given the inn's heritage. Syrah and Pinot Noir anchor the reds — this is Sta. Rita Hills and Ballard Canyon country, and the list knows it. There's not a ton of reason to stray outside California here, and the list doesn't really invite you to — which might frustrate globe-trotters but will delight anyone who wants a deep, coherent read on the region. The gaps are real though: if you want old-world Burgundy or Rhône analogues to compare against the local stuff, you're largely out of luck.
Around 10-16 pours are available by the glass, priced between $18-$30, which is respectable for a wine country inn at this level. The glass list pulls from the same local producers, so you can work your way through the valley without committing to a full bottle. Rotation isn't aggressive — don't expect a new pour every week — but what's on is well-chosen.
Beckmen Vineyards Syrah — $60
Beckmen's Ballard Canyon Syrah punches well above its price point — structured, peppery, and built to last. At the lower end of the bottle range here, it's the move if you want something that feels like a splurge without actually being one.
Dierberg Vineyard Chardonnay
Everyone reaches for Pinot when they're in Santa Ynez, but Dierberg's Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley is quietly one of the more serious whites in the region — mineral-driven and restrained in a way that doesn't scream 'California butter bomb.' Most tables walk right past it.
Fess Parker Winery Pinot Noir
Look, it's fine — and of course it's on the list, this is literally the Fess Parker Inn. But you're paying inn-captive pricing on a wine you can find at a Whole Foods back home. It's not a bad Pinot; it's just not the reason you drove out to Los Olivos.
Stolpman Vineyards Syrah + Estate Wagyu Beef
Stolpman's Syrah from Ballard Canyon has the dark fruit and savory, meaty character to stand up to Wagyu's richness without getting steamrolled by the fat. It's a local-meets-local combination that actually earns the ranch-to-table premise this place is built on.
✔️ The Bottom Line
The Bear and Star is the rare hotel restaurant that takes its wine list seriously — regionally focused, properly stored, and staffed by people who can actually walk you through it. The pricing runs steep enough to sting, but if you're already in wine country eating estate-raised Wagyu, you've made your peace with that.
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The Good Life is what happens when someone in a tourist town actually cares about wine instead of just selling it. Come here, drink something you've never heard of, and feel good about it.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · Italian
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Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · New American
Root 246 is the rare hotel restaurant that actually earns your wine attention — a focused Santa Barbara County list with real producers, a sommelier who knows the material, and pricing that doesn't punish you for being curious. If you're passing through Solvang wine country, this is where you eat.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Solvang · Solvang · Traditional Danish and Danish-American comfort food
Solvang Restaurant is not a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either — and that honesty is its best quality. If you're here for Danish pancakes and a glass of local Santa Barbara wine, you'll leave happy; just don't expect the list to keep up with the tasting rooms a few miles away.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Los Olivos · Solvang · New American, Farm-to-Table
Mattei's Tavern earns its Wild Card badge by doing something most hotel restaurants refuse to do: building a wine program that actually reflects where it is. The markup will sting, but if you're eating in Los Olivos and not drinking local Santa Barbara wine, you've made a serious lifestyle error.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Buellton · Solvang · Steakhouse / Santa Maria–style barbecue
The Hitching Post II is a one-of-a-kind wine experience precisely because it doesn't try to be a wine experience — it's a steakhouse that happens to make great wine and charges you fairly for it. Send your friends here, especially if they've seen Sideways and think the mystique has worn off. It hasn't.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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