Lompoc Visitors Guide

Lompoc Valley Visitors Guide 44 L ompoc Wine Alliance established a 501(c)(6) trade association in 2015. We launched our first event, Harvest in the Ghetto, with 26 founding winery members and the assistance of a grant from Explore Lompoc. We started out as a community of urban wineries of- fering fine, handcrafted wines in an industrial setting. We've evolved into a trail of tasting rooms and winer- ies extending across town. Today Lompoc has one of the largest concentrations of world-class, small-pro- ducer tasting rooms in Santa Barbara County, making a wide variety of wines and styles. The first winery in the Sobhani Industrial Park, affectionately called the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, was opened by Richard Longoria in 1998. Tasting rooms later opened, beginning with Palmina in 2005. Now Lompoc has evolved into a wine mecca that extends from the original Lompoc Wine Ghetto across the city. Some wineries own their own vineyards and others source fruit from local and remote vineyards. The individual characteristics of the various brands are reflected by the distinct personalities that you will find in each tasting room. The Lompoc Valley's tradition of growing grapes and making wine dates back to the Mission period, from approximately 1787-1835. La Purisima Mission had its own vineyard for the production of wines for sacramental offerings and other general use. Their pear brandy was prized worldwide. In 1971 the first two vineyards were planted in what would become the Sta. Rita Hills AVA: Sanford and Benedict Vineyard and Lafond Vineyard. For more information about our events or to sign up on our email list, go to: LompocWine.Net