Address: 1603 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463
Phone: 805-740-9463
Website: www.presidiowinery.com
Come visit our tasting room in the heart of Solvang
at the corner of Mission Drive & Atterdag Street! Open Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Presidio Vineyard & Winery’s goal is to produce handcrafted ultra-premium varietal wines from our certified organic and Biodynamic® estate vineyard (the Presidio Vineyard) located west of the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County.  Over the years, Presidio has found that using chemical fertilizers leads to unbalanced wines with undesirable aromatics.  In the Presidio Vineyard, organic and Biodynamic® techniques are practiced by using composts to create a healthy and more balanced soil, accentuating the desirable aromatics of the fruit.  The Presidio Vineyard’s cool climate is particularly well-suited for Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay. 

To successfully execute the goal of producing high quality premium varietal wines, Presidio has held production standards in keeping with minimal manipulation and handling of the wine.  For this reason, Presidio produces mostly unfiltered wines.  There are essentially two reasons for filtration of wine.  One is to prevent fermentation if a wine has residual sugar.  The second is to prevent malo-lactic fermentation if a wine has residual malic acid.  Other than these two reasons, filtration is done merely for beautification of the wine (to shine the apple, as it were).  However, along with improving clarity, filtration also strips wine of aromatics and flavor constituents.  All of our wines are made in this unfiltered style and are bottled straight from the barrel.  These standards dictate minimal manipulation of the wines, aging in the highest quality French oak, and bottling unfined and unfiltered.

Presidio Vineyard & Winery was founded in 1991 from winemaker Douglas Braun’s concept of bringing European viticultural philosophy to Santa Barbara County. His idea was of a high-density, low-yield per vine vineyard, planted low to the ground to maximize the refraction of heat from the soil, at the winery’s estate Presidio Vineyard located west of the Santa Rita Hills near Lompoc.  This certified organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard’s cool climate and southern-facing exposure is particularly well-suited for Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay.

Presidio’s vineyard management blends modern viticultural techniques with traditional farming methods.  Douglas’ involvement in the vineyard is year-round from pruning to harvest.  Controlling pruning to limit crop levels, meticulous canopy management, and precisely monitored minimum drip irrigation with organic compost fertilization to maximize concentration result in the highest quality fruit; the essential start to a superior wine.  At harvest the fruit is hand-picked and sorted to ensure select clusters and immediately transported to the crushing facility to prevent deterioration of the flavor chemistries in the hot, summer sun.  Throughout, Douglas’ focus has been to match the varietals to their preferred environment.  While most mountain ranges run north and south, Santa Barbara County is unique in that its two ranges run east and west, creating the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.  These valley’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean, coupled with their orientation, acts as a channel for fog, rendering these valleys as an excellent place for growing many different grape varietals.