When taking a wine and beer tour with Dennis Avila, he may keep you longer than expected. Maybe it’s because he worked as a custody deputy (he worked at the jail) for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for 27 years.
Or maybe it’s because he really enjoys taking people on tours through wine country with his business, Hwy 246 Wine & Brew Tours.
Snaking through the Santa Rita Hills along Highway 246 to Buellton and beyond in his nine-passenger Sprinter van, Avila makes stop after stop at Santa Barbara County’s scenic wineries.
“It’s an experience,” Avila said, explaining that there’s much more to a winery than just the wine. “I just find that the highway has so much to offer.”
He took this Sun reporter on a brief tour, which lasted roughly two hours and was merely a taste (no pun intended) of what his service has to offer. His first stop was Melville Winery along the Highway 246 wine trail between Lompoc and Buellton. He hooked a right into the gravel driveway, drove past a row of thin conifer trees, and pulled into a gravel parking lot. Next to it is an Italian-style villa with a curved patio that’s decorated with hanging foliage. It’s definitely off the beaten path.
The tours are more than what they appear. What Avila doesn’t tell you in the brochures is that the tour includes not only wineries and breweries, but maybe a distillery, too—all you have to do is ask. After Melville, Avila made his way to Buellton’s Industrial Way—a road with a taste of everything: a winery, a brewery, a distillery—as well as a California Highway Patrol station. He stops at Ascendant Spirits Distillery where they make bourbon whiskey and their famous ghost chili pepper vodka, among other spirits.
The next stops were the Figueroa Mountain Brewery right next door, then Terravant Winery at the end of the road. After you taste samples from each of these establishments, Avila will also drive past the CHP station, a quaint reminder that you should thank Avila for being your designated driver.
Based in Lompoc, Avila started his business in January. He began the tours after making a calculated decision to stop playing golf in retirement, which he thought he enjoyed, but discovered that it was just making him frustrated. So he decided to combine his two passions: wine and travel.
All of the marketing is done by Avila himself. He finds the wineries, breweries, and distilleries himself and asks if he can include them on a tour. All of them welcome Avila’s tour, however some are open by appointment only.
He offers two tour packages. The first option costs $109 per person, which includes tastings at four wineries, a gourmet picnic lunch provided by Central Coast Specialty Foods in Lompoc, door-to-door pickup service, and comfortable travel in his air-conditioned van.
The second option is a bit more, costing $330 per person, but it’s a private charter and customized group tour—up to nine people. He includes complimentary bottled water and chips for the ride.
Tours take around five to six hours, and he begins around 10:30 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. Those are the hours most wineries are open, Avila said. Although his tour van operates throughout the week, the most popular days for tours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Reservations aren’t typically required, but they are if tour guests want access to the more exclusive wineries.
Now that he’s no longer playing golf, Avila is enjoying the time in his retirement. The wine, beer, and spirits are all good, but it’s spending time with people that he enjoys the most.
“The greatest thing about my retirement is that my time is my own,” Avila said. “I can be at home, watching TV or at the golf course getting angry. But instead I get out and meet some great people.”
To schedule a tour with Dennis Avila and Hwy 246 Wine & Brew Tours, call 717-1717. For more information, visit 246winetours.com.
Highlights
• The Santa Maria Merchants Committee is holding its monthly meeting on July 16 at 7:30 a.m. at MIYB Spaces in Santa Maria. Discussion will cover topics on revitalizing downtown Santa Maria. All merchants who operate businesses in the downtown area are invited to attend. The Merchants Committee meets every third Thursday of the month. For more information, contact Dave Cross at the Chamber of Commerce EDC office at 925-2403, Ext. 817, or email edc@santamaria.com.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 2, 2015.