Please see below for an overnight pre-conference excursion to the Paso Robles wine area, a post-conference lunch at Bridlewood Winery Estatate, and a post-conference dinner and tour in Santa Barbara. You can register for the excursions when you register for the conference. If you are already registered for the conference, please fill out this separate excursion registration form. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. There is an additional charge for each option. Details below.
Post Conference:: Explore Santa Barbara — Dinner
Sunday July 13, 2014
Hosted by Visit Santa Barbara, this excursion begins at 3:45pm (at the conclusion of the Bridlewood Estate excursion), making it an excellent option to create a full post-conference day in the region. The city of Santa Barbara is one of the premier beach towns in California and this excursion shows off the best of the city from a wine lover’s viewpoint.
The excursion includes bus transport from Buellton to Santa Barbara; small-group tours of the eclectic Funk Zone neighborhood with its tasting rooms and food trucks, led by local winemakers as your tour guides; and a pizza party at the Santa Barbara Winery. The excursion finishes in Santa Barbara and you are free to stay the night or continue onward. If you stay the night, you can easily fly out from Santa Barbara or arrange transport to LAX the next morning.
- 3:45 PM – Bus departs Santa Ynez Valley Marriott (bring your luggage)
- 4:45 PM – Bus arrives at the Santa Barbara Winery for a warm welcome to Santa Barbara (store your luggage here)
- 5:30 – 7:15 PM – Explore the Funk Zone tasting rooms by foot in small groups led by a local winemaker and enjoy small bites from local food trucks
- 7:30 PM – Return to the Santa Barbara Winery to enjoy additional wines from wineries with tasting rooms located in downtown Santa Barbara paired with freshly prepared pizza from a local chef
- 10:00 PM – Event concludes. Uber cars will be on hand and available to transport attendees to area hotels and/or to your final destination, if needed. You are responsible for this transportation cost.
Participants of this excursion are responsible for their own lodging. The Santa Barbara CVB has negotiated rates of $239 single or double occupancy ($50 off published rates) at the Fess Parker Doubletree Hotel, one of the premier hotels in the area. Reservations must be made by June 13, 2014 and you can book your room by contacting the hotel directly at 888-884-8508 and referencing “Wine Bloggers Conference”. For less expensive accommodations, consider the nearby La Quinta Inn ($175 on Orbitz for this date), Orange Tree Inn ($160), Hotel Indigo ($189), or Avania Inn ($179).
Cost of the excursion is $15 per person and will include winery and food truck tour, dinner, and one-way transportation from the conference hotel to Buellton.
Post-Conference:: Explore Bridlewood Estate Winery — Lunch
This Excursion is Full
Sunday July 13, 2014
Following what is sure to be an outstanding Wine Bloggers Conference, Bridlewood Estate Winery invites you to gather with new friends and reconnect with those met long ago before we bid farewell to WBC14. This off-site excursion will take place at the iconic Bridlewood Estate Winery, nestled in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley.
Bridlewood’s range of critically acclaimed Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines tell the colorful story of the Central Coast: the adventurous spirit, the relaxed lifestyle, the fresh, local foods and the incredible vineyards.
As part of the excursion, attendees will enjoy a Santa Barbara-style lunch provided by local caterers New West accompanied by Bridlewood wines by the idyllic estate pond. Then, all participants will have the opportunity to partake in an engaging and interactive educational session that is sure to spark conversation.
Cost of the excursion is $15 per person and will include lunch and round-trip transportation to Bridlewood Estate Winery from the conference hotel. The buses will depart for Bridlewood at 12:00 PM and return participants to the hotel by 3:30pm.
Pre-Conference:: Paso Robles Wine Country Excursion
This Excursion is Full
Wednesday July 9, 2014 – Thursday July 10, 2014
The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance pre-conference excursion begins with a winery-hosted tasting and lunch en-route to Paso Robles from San Jose airport.
Guests will then be immersed for the next 24 hours in all things Paso Robles AVA. This includes focused tasting seminars, a small-brand walk-around tasting and barbecue, marquee vineyard visits with tastings and farewell luncheon with presentation.
We estimate you will taste up to 150 wines from up to 50 brands and leave with a new-found knowledge of the Paso Robles terroir, its wines, and its people. All this in 24 hours? Absolutely! Come Grow Wild in Paso Robles Wine Country.
Cost of this excursion is $100 for Citizen Bloggers who agree to post at least one blog post about their experience on the excursion. The excursion cost is $200 otherwise and for non-Citizen Blogger attendees. The cost includes all of the above as well as transportation from SJC to the conference and overnight accommodations in the Paso Robles area.
This excursion will depart by bus from the San Jose International Airport (SJC) at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, July 9th, 2014. If you live or will be in the area and wish to meet in Paso Robles, you can do that and then either drive from Paso to the conference the next day or join us on the bus. Attendees are responsible for making it to the departure spot on time and are responsible for making their own arrangements home after the conference. If you’re flying into SJC, we recommend booking an “open-jaw” ticket and departing from a Southern California airport. Check out the Details page for more information on transportation options to and from the conference.