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WINE COUNTRY THIS MONTH | SANTA BARBARA COUNTY – SANTA MARIAPreferred Tasting Room:Costa de Oro Wineryby Michael CervinCosta de Oro, or “gold coast” sums upnot just a region but the winery that bearsits name. The 30-acre Gold Coast Vineyard,located in Santa Maria, is the spotwhere the grapes for the wines of Costado Oro Winery come from. But prior tograpes being planted, this family farmstarted growing greenhouse tomatoes andkiwis, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro,corn, spinach and they are perhaps bestknown for their strawberries.Today the tasting room, which openedin 2006, sits on the site of the Gold Coaststrawberry stand and of course you canpick up fresh veggies and fruits they growwhen in season. The views from the glass windows look directly outto the fields of Santa Maria, and to the low hills in the distance. Thereare lots of gifts too at the comfortable wood-toned tasting room withits wood beams on the ceiling and chairs to relax at. It’s comfortablehere and the staff is friendly and helpful. The wines offered at Costade Oro include award winners from competitions in San Francisco,Orange County and right here in Santa Barbara, not to mention highscores from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. “In the tasting room, we haveadded wines that are either exclusive to the wine club or in very smallquantities for the bar,” says Gary Burk, winemaker. Currently you’llfind three versions of Chardonnay, aPinot Noir rosé, Pinot Grigio, four iterationsof Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.Tasting fees are $10, or you canpurchase individual glasses of wine for$10. Either way make certain you get acheese plate to go with that, which areavailable from $5 to $12 with a variety ofcheeses. Then kick back. To makematters even better, Costa de Oro offerslive music every week with Wine DownFridays. Every Friday night from 5 to 8p.m. you’re likely to hear folk music,maybe blues, solo guitar and a little rockfrom Grammy winning musicians. “Mywife and I are musicians as well andmusic is near and dear to us,” Gary says. It’s an ideal stop when travelingon Highway 101 as you pass through Santa Maria, halfwaybetween Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, a chance to samplewines, enjoy live music and soak up the Gold Coast. Of all the winesGary makes he has a fondness for Pinot Noirs. “We are very excitedabout our Pinot Noirs,” Gary says. “They are the best line-up of PinotNoirs we have released to date.” Get your groove on and check out theexceptional wines of Costa de Oro. The tasting room is open dailyfrom 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1331 S. Nicholson Ave. in Santa Maria. Foradditional information call (805) 922-1468 or www.cdowinery.com.Find out more at www.WineCountryThisMonth.com 37