Alma Rosa Winery Tasting Room
Alma Rosa At A Glance:
1623 Mission Drive
Category: Winery Tasting Room
Open Daily
Sun - Wed: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Thurs - Sat: 11:00am - 7:30pm
Offers:
Tasting Fees: $25
Fast Facts & Trivia:
* Founder, Richard Sanford, was inducted into the Vintner's Hall of Fame in 2012 for his contributions to the California wine industry.
* Sanford was the first to plant Pinot Noir grapes in the area 1971.
* Sanford launched 2 wineries before launching Alma Rosa in 2005
* Current Proprietors: Bob and Barb Zorich purchased Alma Rosa in 2014.
* Wine Maker, Samra Morris, is the first Bosnian-American to hold the position of woman winemaker in California.
* Consulting Wine Maker, Tony Biagi, was named "Vintner of the Year" by Antonio Galloni of Vinous in Jauary 2021.
* Wines they are known for: Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Rhone Varietals, Sparkling Wines
* The Alma Rosa estate vineyard is sustainably farmed, and as of 2023, is planted in 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Syrah and Grenache.
* The Spanish name Alma Rosa was chosen as a tribute to the place and the people behind the wines, Alma meaning soul and Rosa referring to the original 1839 California Rancho Santa Rosa land grant that historically emcompassed the region of Santa Barbara County where their vineyard is located.
Alma Rosa Vineyard Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AViGwkAGhEg
About Alma Rosa Winery:
Come visit us for a sit-down tasting experience in our stunning downtown Solvang tasting room that offers a stunning 1000 square foot courtyard and wonderful indoor/outdoor space. You’ll be able to enjoy our wines in a welcoming and well-appointed tasting room that is comfortably furnished and filled with the beautiful natural light of Santa Barbara County.
We offer a selection of 5 wines to taste from our portfolio of Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Rhone varietals and sparkling wines. We change the tasting on a regular basis, so there is always something new to discover and a reason to visit! Our tasting fee is $25 per person. We also have cheese plates available for purchase.
We are located in Solvang just 3 miles east off of Highway 101, about 45 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara.
Our address is 1623 Mission Drive in Solvang – a location that is quickly becoming a gourmet destination, with several other tasting rooms, distilleries, a brewery and excellent restaurants.
Our Estate:
Alma Rosa Winery is dedicated to making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines that express the unique terroir of our appellation, the Sta. Rita Hills. Our wines are layered, vibrant and balanced, reflecting the cool climate impact of the Pacific Ocean breezes that funnel through the unique East-West transverse mountain range of the region.
Situated on the north-facing slopes of the Santa Rosa Hills in Santa Barbara County, the Alma Rosa estate vineyard, El Jabali, was planted in 1983 and became the first certified organic vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Today, the Alma Rosa estate vineyards are 5 non-contiguous plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — along with small amounts of cool climate Syrah and Grenache — that are farmed using sustainable practices. Vines total 38 acres across our 628-acre estate that stretches from the valley floor to the top of the range.
Our History:
Alma Rosa Winery was founded in 2005 by California wine industry pioneer Richard Sanford and his wife, Thekla. They named the winery after the 1839 Rancho Santa Rosa land grant that historically encompassed this region of Santa Barbara County. Richard Sanford was the first to plant Pinot Noir grapes in the area in 1971 after detailed research of climate and geologic records. Richard went on to launch two wineries before creating Alma Rosa.
In 2014, the Sanfords sold Alma Rosa Winery and its 628-acre ranch to Bob and Barb Zorich, who are focusing on the unique attributes that the terroir of the Sta Rita Hills can bring to wines of the region. The Zorichs are also committed to continuing sustainable farming practices established by the Sanfords on the estate decades ago.
Richard and Thekla still live at Alma Rosa, and Richard, now 80, represents the winery around the country.
Our Founder:
Richard Sanford was inducted into the Vintner’s Hall of Fame in 2012 for his contributions to the California wine industry. Following his service in Vietnam, Richard Sanford dreamed of discovering a West Coast climate zone similar to the Burgundy region of France and producing wine that would rival the best in the world. With a degree in Geography from UC Berkeley, he identified a remarkable geographic anomaly: the transverse mountain ranges of California where the valleys open to the west, allowing cool maritime air to moderate the growing climate.
After locating acreage with well-drained soils in the targeted climate zone, Richard planted the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the Central Coast in 1971 — the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. A decade later, he and his wife Thekla founded Sanford Winery, where they produced award-winning wines for over 25 years.
In 2005, the Sanfords launched Alma Rosa Winery to pursue their commitment to organic farming and sustainable business practices. Today, those practices are continued by Bob & Barb Zorich, who purchased Alma Rosa Winery in 2014.
Our Proprietors:
Alma Rosa Proprietors Bob and Barb Zorich met at UC Santa Barbara, where they both graduated in 1971. After a stint in London, Bob & Barb settled in Houston and raised their three children, while Bob built a successful private equity company, Encap Investments, with business partners. Affection for their idyllic oceanside college town eventually led Bob and Barb back to Santa Barbara to purchase a second home.
In 2013, the Zorichs were introduced to Richard and Thekla Sanford, who were selling their ranch and winery, Alma Rosa. Fond of the region and its excellent Pinot Noirs, the Zorichs purchased Alma Rosa the following year, began expanding the estate vineyards and built a stunning tasting room in downtown Buellton.
Today, the Zorichs are committed to creating wines of quality and distinction that express the special terroir of the Sta. Rita Hills. In addition to Pinot Noir, the Zorichs have found that the cool climate created by the region’s unique East-West transverse mountain range is ideal for Chardonnay and some Rhone varietals. The Alma Rosa estate vineyard is now planted to 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Syrah and Grenache. The next horizon for the family is building a new winery on the estate that incorporates the best winemaking practices, while honoring the land and environment.
Our Winemaker:
Born and raised in Bosnia, Samra Morris holds both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Food Sciences from The University of Sarajevo, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Post-graduation, Morris interned in the Department of Enology at The University of Sarajevo before deciding to pursue a winemaking career.
Morris got her start as a tasting room associate in Napa Valley, then went on to intern in the vineyard for St. Supery, spent three harvests as a harvest intern for esteemed winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and was part of the cellar team for Michael Mondavi Family Estate. In 2017, Morris joined the Free Flow Wines team as a lab assistant, was promoted to lab supervisor the following year and then to QC manager in 2019, where she was responsible for managing wine and product quality for canning and kegging.
Our Consulting Winemaker:
Veteran winemaker Tony Biagi brings decades of experience to his role as consulting winemaker with Alma Rosa.
Biagi graduated with a degree in fermentation science from the University of California, Davis in 1995 and immediately joined Duckhorn as the winemaker for the company’s new Paraduxx Winery. In March 2003, Biagi joined the Plumpjack Group, where he remained for nearly 10 years, serving as Winemaker for Plumpjack and becoming the founding Winemaker of Cade. Today Biagi has his own wine brand, Patria, and is winemaker for Hourglass Winery. He has an active consultancy, which includes coaching Alma Rosa winemaker Samra Morris.
“Sta. Rita Hills is proving to be one of the most exciting regions in California for wine,” Biagi says. “It is just warm enough in a cold spot,” he adds emphasizing the potential in the region for Chardonnay and Pinot, as well as Rhone varietals.
Biagi spends a couple of days each month with Samra at Alma Rosa. “I cannot exaggerate how talented Samra is,” he says. “She has an amazing palate and leaves no stone unturned in her pursuit to make great wine.”
Wine critic Antonio Galloni of Vinous named Biagi “Vintner of the Year” in January 2021.