I loved this place. Loved! Stopped in while I was waiting for my hotel room to be ready. It was me and one of the new managers...first of all, he was awesome. Just down to earth. Cool dude. I drank a couple glasses of wine and bought a couple of bottles. So good. Came back the last day to have a couple more glasses and get on my way. As I understand it there are some very cool changes coming! If they have this manager...they will do great things. He's a legend. Thanks for having me. I will be back asap! read more

What an amazing evening spent with good friends the variety of wine that is provided here's one of a kind definitely recommend to someone to come check this place out FYI it's one of the very few local wineries taste rooms in Santa Barbara owned 100% by Latino. read more

See all

Area 51: No inside seating, only outside. Approximately 20-min. wait. Extremely light wines. All servers wearing masks. Outside seating tables and chairs, each table with its own umbrella, spaced 6 feet apart. At around 12:30 pm, there was a nice man who directed to us to a couple of eating places. This was Bar 51. Later, after having been told that Santa Barbara Winery had a 30-min. wait at around 4:00 pm, and drinks stopped being served at 4:30, we went back to Bar 51, which had been empty at the time. Later in the day, there were a couple of people waiting inside, which was the "wait before the wait," and there were people standing, waiting outside. After a little confusion, we were told to wait outside, so that we could come inside, and then be seated outside. The wait wasn't that long, especially with the plethora of people-watching outside. There were tons of people everywhere this past weekend--mainly waiting around everywhere: to eat, to drink, to visit the loo. The vibe in Santa Barbara in 2020 is as varied as a young woman carrying a bowl of salad as she walked down the street to a memorial mural of Eric Garner with the words, "I can't breathe" to a man (without a mask) walking a dog as big as a horse down the streets of downtown SB in the evening. After graduating to the inside seating area, we didn't wait long before we were seated. We went with the $15 tasting flight, which included 2 whites, 1 rose, and 2 reds. All were super light and easy to drink. Nary a dry wine to be found. All were refreshing to drink in the fairly heated climate. In sum, Area 51 is perfect for the baby sommelier who wants an intro in the wine world. I got my dad a bottle of White Light, and he drank virtually the entire bottle in two sittings with a hunk of ice, LOL. My friend got the fizzy white wine as her drink to taste after the flight, and that, along with our wine girl, seemed to be her favorite. I tried a zin after the flight, and that was characteristically a little more dry, which I prefer. read more

Orgullo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The Quick: My favorite Santa Barbara wine - we stop in every time we're in town. The wine is constantly changing, so you'll have to do a tasting to find your favorite. The vibe is cool and relaxed and the wine is delicious. Everything is alien themed so definitely has that weirdness of like a Portland OR or ME. Keep Santa Barbara weird I guess? As long as the wine is amazing, I can dig it Great spot with a great staff. We even saw a celebrity here once but I won't blow her cover. read more

Outside seating during Covid is available and $15 per flight. It had the vibes of brewery as soon as you in, but it is a wine tasting room! Most of the bottles of wine were left outside on the ground-- some with stoppers and some without, leaving it exposed. The red wines were way too warm. I couldn't enjoy any of the wines. They mostly tasted the same. The warmness affected the taste of the wine. All I could taste was alcohol and no notes of anything in the wine. Servers were not very welcoming. They were barely checking on us. They came to tell us what the next taster they're giving us is and that was it. They were outside whenever they were refilling tables' tasters. read more

Cute spot! I'm not a red or white wine drinker, but their sparkling wine was OUT OF THIS WORLD!! We walked in a few min before closing, it was just the wonderful Mr. Robert, and us! He was not only the nicest, but boy does he have amazing stories!!! Thanks so much Robert, we will be back! read more

Friendly and generous team that made us feel like family! Delicious wine - especially their private label. We stumbled into Area 5.1 after reading its great reviews. The space is modest but the experience was magical. We ended the night making TikTok videos with the team and sharing a couple of large pizzas. We came in as strangers but left with friends. Recommend! read more

Area 5.1 stands apart from any other winery I have visited with its themed approach on a play with words on the top secret government facility Area 51. Keeping in line with the theme you will see pictures of Astronauts behind the wine bar, flight board with daily wine info, 1950/60 posters on the rear wall and wine lists placed inside top secret government folders. Aside from the decor, the wines all have themed names as well like Close Encounter, Rosewell, Conspiracy Red, ZInvasion.... etc. Definitely not your typical wine tasting environment. Names aside, these are serious tasty wines where they have some 100% varietals like Chardonnay and Grenache and a number of unique blends which is the winery's specialty. Each one of these blends have a unique story behind it which we were fortunate to learn from the winemaker himself who was handling our pours on this day. It is so cool when you meet one of these guys and get them to talk about their personal history and travels on their path to becoming a winemaker and to discuss their recent vintages they have produced. To this end, we learned how the wine maker bought barrels of the grape juice from sourced vineyards not knowing what the final blend would be and using a trial and error approach of blending the juice with different varietal juice in varying percentages eventually crafting his masterpiece based on his taste. Absolutely fascinating discussion and one of the highlights of my wine tasting trip through the Santa Rita AVA. If you are in the Santa Barbara wine district this tasting room is a must see for all the reasons mentioned. Nice wine, nice facility with an interesting history/story behind it. Highly recommend. read more

See all

The name of the winery was the reason we stopped in! Love the name of all the wines. Cute decor. Just wish they had more wine to select from! We didn't try them with the chocolates because we were full from dinner but I think it would be a great thing to try for dessert. read more

Orgullo Wine - Flight menu - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Area 5.1 is a cute place to have a glass wine. The only downfall was that Angel was so rude and looked bothered every time we had a question about the wine options. I asked him if he can play some music and he said he was watching the Lakers game. I was like really are you serious right now lol! I honestly thought it was going to be more like the winery in Buellton "ESFUERZO" with good music, food trucks and happy staff members with good attitude. read more

Concept is cool, but they really only had one tasting flight. The location is located within a courtyard with other wineries, so look at the map to locate this. The girl giving us samples was very quick and efficient when filling up our glass. You can tell she has it down bc she would describe each wine very quickly. The wines do taste great, but it's meh when compare to all the other places. I think I liked the shiraz the best. read more

An intimate little place to try wines and if you are lucky--catch some live music. We strolled in on a Saturday around 7 and had a hard time finding any seats open. There were only two people pouring and they seemed overwhelmed so it took a good 15-20 minutes for someone to even come over and ask us what we would like to drink. Once it cleared out it was improved some. We tried the "Try 5 Wines" tasting for $14 and were served by the owner, a quirky, friendly fellow. We had the "White Light" (aptly named: crisp and tart), the "Equinox" (sweeter and more chardonnay tasting though made with three little known grapes), the "Collusion" (a tasty light red), the "Majesti"c (a spicy, full bodied red), and the "Invasion" (also a full bodied red). They were all good, though nothing delighted or surprised. We also ordered a cheese plate, which was a 2/5 stars. Cheese should be served at room temperature and I saw him take it out of a fridge right before he gave it to us. Also, it was not served with bread, but with whole grain crackers that look like they came from Vons. The cheeses were also not interesting and the entire plate was overpriced; for $16 I expect to get a selection of some interesting, special cheeses. So, go for the wine and do not order any food and you will be pleased as punch! read more

See all

What an out of this world tasting room! HA! Get it? I had the privilege of reuniting with long lost friends at this tasting room and we couldn't have stumbled upon a better place to reconnect. The vibe was quiet but social, just enough to where the music set a lovely background tone to the clinks of glasses and the laughs from our stories told. The gal working was so kind and gentle, answering our every question without hesitation, and filling us in on all the specifics about Area 5.1 wines. We were so thankful to have such a wonderful tasting host, and felt terribly for not having cash on us to tip as they only accept CASH tips at this tasting room, so definitely see an ATM before visiting! We had Lucky Penny cater over some nice grub for us to share while enjoying Area 5.1's "Taste All 5 Wines" flight for a ravishing $12 each. What A Deal! And I have to say, the first really set the bar and the last hit it out of the park. The fist of the flight being a light, fruity Champagne and the last tasting being the ever-so-smooth Celestial red blend. I will definitely be back by soon for a Chocolate Truffles tasting/pairing - That White Chocolate Passion Fruit is calling my name! Cheers read more

See all

A bug immediately flew into my wine glass during a flight, the waitress did not re-pour the glass for me, instead she moved onto a new wine. So, instead of having to taste 5 wines, I got 4. Thanks for the rip off. Do not go here, it is overpriced to have a glass of wine, walk a few feet from this place, I believe the wine bar is called "Margerum Wine". Go here instead. They have cheaper wines and serve amazing cheese platters. There are also cheaper places with less colder waitresses at Happy Canyon Vinyards and Jamie Slone Wines. read more

2021 collusion.... For the Syrah lovers. Our server Chloe was very attentive and provided very great costumer service. Shoutout to Angel as well! :) read more

Orgullo Wine - 2021 collusion . Try it! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I love the theme and I enjoyed the wines here but service was lacking. The staff dedicated 99% of their attention and service to those seated at the counter and whoever sat in the tables was the 1%. read more

Orgullo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Loved this little tasting room. The deal is great for the tasting. We did the reserve tasting for $16 (i think) and it was worth it! All of their wines were affordable and delicious. The decor is super awesome but the best part is how dog friendly they are!! read more

Nice wine choices, both red and white. There's a nice patio to enjoy wine and our server was wonderful. I will be back!

This winery is cute, quaint, and cozy. It's got a whole alien theme going on in case you couldn't tell by the name. They also have 2 TVs for watching your favorite games! A tasting is $12 and you have the option to add on 2 of their reserve wines for $5. All their wines were pretty good! I'm a fan of blends, and all the wines here featured some great combos. We even opted to upgrade to the reserve wines because we were impressed with their basic wines. We also ordered the cheese platter ($16) which featured some more common and very palatable cheeses- goat cheese, asiago, brie, smoked mozzarella + nuts, dried apricots and olives. Our server was great and I like how she also infused each spiel with personal anecdotes and opinions about which ones she liked better. She was also very friendly and approachable when we had questions about the wine. read more

Orgullo Wine - Cheese platter $16 - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

What could be more fun than a hip bar that serves up a menu inside TOP SECRET folder? We were going to head over to a fancier winery across the street, but the happiness and vibrancy of patrons inside the venue pulled us in. So glad we stopped in! We each had wine tasting for $15, which were 3 whites and 2 reds. Our sommelier Viktorya was as personable and knowledgeable as can be. It was quite busy and she ran the whole place by herself! I lived the kitschiness of Area 52 theme and the whole government conspiracy. The folders marked TS and CIA emblem was on point! I felt like s cool spy sipping on fine wines. read more

See all

Fun tasting room with an alien theme! From the wall art to the menus, to the names of the wines, everything has a name and them that is centered around aliens and Area 51. Very fun! Found out it is a play on the owner' s birthday which is 5/1! ! Tasty wine, and Eric took care of us with excellent recommendations being that this was our first time in Santa Barbara. Loved the rosé and white blend, so yes, had to get both! A must stop when in this area! read more

See all

super fun and surprisingly good wine! cute little spot in the always entertaining funk zone. worth a peak and a sip.

What a fantastic wine tasting option in the funk zone. On our most recent visit, the staff were so helpful as we definitely had lots of wine and Area 5.1 was our last stop. They brought over water, the flights of wine, and helped us order from Lucky Penny next door. The pizza and salads were delivered straight to our table and we enjoyed our wine and food in pleasure watching Sunday Night Football. My friends are members and enjoy bringing guest with them to share in the alien themed fun. Overall, I was happy with the customer service and ambience. The wine is good, not great, but that really doesn't matter in an area with tons of great wine and crappy service and prices. This place is lots of fun and easy to feel welcome in. Definitely worth the visit! read more

I am always down for a good conspiracy theory, with a side of collusion! This place is fantastic! The whole vibe is super chill and the staff is very polite and customer service oriented. I thought I may have seen Mulder and Scully sitting next us, and possibly the smoking man lingering around. My trusty colleague and I both tried the red and white, which were delicious! I went with the 2019 Conspiracy Red, and it did not disappoint! Make this location a stop the next time you are in the Funk Zone! Safe travels. read more

Don't tell anyone, I will claim that I it did not happen. Everything that happens in in Area 5.1 stays in Area 5.1. A frequent subject of the conspiracy theories is that this great wine was really fermented on a UFO, but I am sworn to secrecy. Just because the wine tastes "out of this world" does not prove these theories. The only evidence that I have seen is the funky graffiti art coloring the walls, which are vaguely reminiscent of alien life. I have tested the delicious tastings of wine and the verdict is in. You do not have to travel on the Extraterrestrial highway to sample wines that are out of this world. read more

Orgullo Wine - Alien sightings - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

A great little wine tasting room in Santa Barbara. Okay let's be honest, I seriously don't remember most of it, but I do remember we had a good time here. It's bigger than the tasting rooms we previously visited. They had food, we had fun and there weren't any aliens. Hahahha. I do remember though, the service was good, the doors through the back had a cute green background and I took many photos of tourists secretly begging for pictures and it was fun! read more

We looooooooved this place!! David was so much fun, so knowledgeable, so sweet and it made our anniversary . The wine was delicious, the ambience was casual cool and quirky and it was the perfect pub meets wine tasting experience. He really listened to our needs and recommended the most relevant and delicious wines - he's freaking awesome. We'll be back!!!! read more

Orgullo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Very small but fun winery. Everything is alien and space themed. Take a look at the books that are around the tables, they are pretty unique. There's one wine tasting flight of 2 white and 3 red. Surprisingly enough for me not being a fan of cloves, the last red was my favorite! The staff was really nice, and I think because it's a pretty small place then it is easier to get to know the staff (and vice versa) better. read more

Orgullo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We visited this cozy winery during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The establishment did a nice job following the new "rules" that are associated with the virus. The wine was DELICIOUS and we enjoyed the white wine tasting after walking around State Street. This was a perfect tasting after exploring all day in the sun. The wine keeper was very knowledgeable about the product he served. I'd highly recommend this place! read more

This was a big disappointment, specifically compared to all the winery's in the vicinity. They aren't very nice and the pours are extremely weak. The wines also weren't anything special. read more

I was recommended by a friend who suggested this place for wine tasting and It was a good experience. The workers are nice and easygoing and the wines are pretty good. read more

See all

I'm so glad I chose this winery for my first time in SB! I used a 2019 Axxess BOGO deal and went with my friend for her first time ever. This winery appealed to me because of its quirky theme. To be honest, I was intimidated because I'm a wine newbie, but our experience here was great. It sucks I didn't catch the name of the person helping us; he had slight facial hair. We were the only people in the shop on a Thursday at 4pm. We had great conversations and tried to learn more about the history of the winery. I'm a white wine person myself, but the notes really helped in tasting both red and white wines. Overall, I'd highly recommend this winery. It must be so fun when it's packed! read more

Matt B. and I went to Area 5.1 Winery at around 6:00 on the Saturday of World Series week, right in the thick of game 4. The TVs were on the game, and the place was quite busy when we walked in. The bar seats and the tables were all full, and we set up a little space by the merchandise to stand and enjoy our first tastes of wine and cheese. It thinned out by the time we left an hour later, toward the end of the game. The whole bar acting like regular season Dodgers fans. I liked Area 5.1. The tasting room was fun and casual, at home in the Funk Zone. Once we got a table, the experience was quite comfortable. The staff was friendly, and we kind of switched off between going up to get our next pours and getting them brought over when someone saw we were ready. This worked just fine for us. The wines were great and affordable, with flights of five for $14, and flights of seven, including two "reserve" pours, for $17. We did two of the full tastings, and tried three whites--the 2015 White Light, the 2015 Equinox, the 2015 Close Encounter--and four reds--the 2014 Collusion, the 2014 Majestic 12, the 2014 Zinvasion, and the 2014 Celestial. All solid wines. We also snacked on a cheese plate, which was okay. Four grocery store variety cheeses with some dried apricot, olives, mixed nuts, and crackers. Something to munch on, in any case. We had a nice time at Area 5.1 and would recommend it if you're looking for an easy place to do a Funk Zone wine tasting. It's a pleasant, laid back tasting room with good wines at a reasonable price point. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Very friendly staff and casual atmosphere. I like that the staff are approachable. We brought in take out and they were very accommodating to make sure we had everything we needed. They have a Chardonnay called the light white that is great for a hot summer day. read more

Orgullo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We came here for a wine tasting tour to celebrate one of my roommates. This was the first stop of four other locations we would visit that day. What a great first impression! Area 5.1 Winery is managed by the sweetest, my entertaining, kind, and laid back Australian gentleman named Martin. He told us all about his story, his travels and his past lawyer-life. He offered to take photos of our group. With every wine he served, he made sure it came with a smile and a good laugh. I could have left after this stop and still thought it was a great experience wine tasting! Thank you, Martin, for a great time. We can't wait to come back and support your local business. read more

See all

Today was our third tasting at Area 51- we usually stop by each time we are in town. Today, we had the opportunity to be served by Martin, the winemaker, and we couldn't ask for better service!! He is extremely personable and knowledgeable about all his wines, taught us a lot about the flavors and how ingredients affect the wine, which was super interesting to learn about. I really loved the 2017 white light and the 2015 Close encounter- very flavorful with a fruity finish. The 2014 Celestial was a burgundy with a taste of Bordeaux which is unusual and made its taste so unique! Last but not least, I enjoyed hearing Martin's travel stories in Southern Africa! read more

Found this gem this weekend on my trip to SB (my 1st time here) and the wine is out of this world we got a tasting of each wine on the menu and they were all amazing! You can immediately tell that the owner crafts his wine to the highest quality and really works on hitting perfection when it comes to flavor we got to meet him and he was very friendly, hospitable, and talked to us about other mixtures in the works. I am sooo excited for what he has coming next our faves were : Zinvasion, Equinox, Rosewell, & Conspiracy Red and we definitely bought a few to take home and share with the family ( or not ) If you're in town go and check out Area 5.1!! I will for sure be coming back read more

Orgullo Wine - Loved it soo much I had to take home some: Zinvasion, Equinox, Rosewell, and Conspiracy Red - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We stopped by Area 5.1 to sample wine and to chit chat with friends. It was a relaxing, laid back and welcoming atmosphere and the hostess was incredible "Sarah" was super friendly and knowledgeable of company history and the various wines. In addition to tasting three red wines we enjoyed the "Charcuterie Plate": Genoa Salami, Black Forest Ham, Parma Prosciutto, Asiago, Smoked Mozzarella, Provolone, Roasted Nuts, Kalamata Olives and Crostinis. The winery has a gift shop and the posters/pictures on the wall are very eye catching. This is a great spot to grab a glass of wine and just unwind in the Funk Zone. read more

See all

Brought Ali B in for a little pre-Mother's Day celebration and had a wonderful time! I hadn't been here in a couple of years but now that I've tried their wines again, I will definitely return more regularly. First off, Sarah was a complete doll! Her warmth and hospitality elevated the entire experience and is unparalleled in The Funk Zone. Mom and I opt'ed for all red flights which included four tastings of various red blends, delicious! Area 5.1 Winery specializes in small batch blends that are never duplicated. So if you taste a wine you love, buy it because once it's gone, it's gone forever! I truly enjoyed each one but if I had to pick a favorite it is the Reserve Celestial. Unfortunately, that must be everyone else's favorite too because it is SOLD OUT! They also sell Jessica Foster's Handmade Gourmet Chocolate Truffles which are fabulous! They pair great with wine, or buy two boxes to take home like I did and stuff your face in front of the TV after an afternoon of wine tasting! :) read more

Orgullo Wine - Cheese & Charcuterie Plate - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Came here on my birthday and had a great time. Even bought a membership. Don't live in the area, so I stopped by today on my way to Santa Ynez. The woman behind the counter decided not to serve me bc I was "slurring my words". I had just finished lunch. It was 2pm on a Monday. I had one glass of wine at lunch. I have nerve damage in my tongue from a dental procedure that affects my speech. She wasn't interested in anything but her own preconceived notions. Bought 2 cases at Margerum instead bc their wine is delicious and their staff are professionals that actually know when someone has been over-served. read more