Opulence in a ghetto

Hidden behind Lompoc’s Home Depot is the cornflower blue and white Sobhani Industrial Park, home to a “diamond in the rough”—the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.

By outward appearances, it’s a far cry from the romantic, vineyard-encompassed wine estates scattered throughout the scenic Santa Ynez Valley.

WINE PARK: : The Sobhani Industrial Park, aka the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, houses 17 wine tasting rooms, with nearly all the wine produced under the same roof. Credit: PHOTOS BY WENDY THIES SELL

But out-of-town, “in the know” wine enthusiasts have already discovered what many Santa Barbara County residents still have never experienced firsthand.

The Lompoc Wine Ghetto is a wine destination like no other, featuring 17 wine tasting rooms in an urban warehouse setting, selling world-class wine, often poured by the same person who made it, under the same roof.

And don’t be scared by the name. “The Ghetto” is a winemaker-given nickname that stuck years ago when there were no tasting rooms there, just talented winemakers who found an inexpensive place to handcraft ultra-premium wines.

Ready to visit? There’s no better day to go to the Lompoc Wine Ghetto than its second annual Locals’ Day, Sunday, March 25.

Residents of Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, plus active members of the military and their spouses, will receive special reduced rates for wine tasting.

“Passports” will be available to locals for $30 to use between noon and 4 p.m., entitling the bearer to a souvenir Riedel wine glass and wine tasting at all of the 18 wineries pouring that day. (Make sure to bring your ID to get the discount.)

Non-locals, meaning everyone else, may buy a $40 passport, which is still a good deal.

Local musicians will play in some of the tasting rooms, and several vendors will have food available, allowing visitors to stay awhile and not go hungry.

‘GOING GHETTO’: : The attractive Zotovich Cellars’ tasting room, in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, is proof that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Credit: PHOTOS BY WENDY THIES SELL

The wine tasting rooms in the Wine Ghetto are Ampelos, Arcadian, Black Sheep Finds, Bratcher, Evening Land, Fiddlehead, Flying Goat, Jalama Wines, Joseph Blair, La Vie, Longoria, Loring, Piedrasassi, Palmina, Samsara, Stolpman, Taste of Sta. Rita Hills, and Zotovich. (At least two more tasting rooms plan to open there in the next couple of months.)

“There are all these amazing wineries that are participating,” said Mark Cargassachi, Jalama Wines owner/winemaker. “It’s a no brainer.”

Locals’ Day is designed to familiarize the community with the Wine Ghetto and to thank the people of Lompoc and the surrounding areas for their support.

“We just want people to enjoy themselves and try wineries they haven’t tried in the past,” Cargassachi said. “Don’t go to the ones you’ve heard of. Go to the ones you haven’t heard of. You may be surprised.”

When visitors come, Melissa Sorongon says they see metal garages−“and they walk in and people have outfitted their tasting rooms in beautiful ways, and they taste the wine, and the quality of the wine overall is very, very high. It’s exciting to some people.”

Sorongon owns Piedrasassi/New Vineland Winery with her husband, the respected and hard working Sashi Moorman, who makes wines for several excellent wineries: Stolpman, Evening Land Vineyards, and Sandhi Wines.

SWINE AND VINE: Riverbench Winery in Santa Maria kicks off a four-part food and wine pairing series on Saturday, March 31, 5 to 7 p.m., with “Pork & Pinot” with Bell Street Farm Eatery. Cost is $35 per person. For more info, visit riverbenchwinery.com. Make reservations at 937-8340.

She describes a first-timer’s typical experience “going ghetto”: “It’s exciting because the exterior is so relatively stark. Then, you come in and your wine is poured and you taste it. … There’s such a variety of wines and of such high quality. People will be able to discover new stuff that’s made right here, which is very powerful. For a certain mindset, it’s a very exciting moment.”

Because most of the winemakers source locally grown grapes, more than half of the wines made at the Ghetto are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, often from the nearby prestigious Santa Rita Hills region. But there’s also Syrah, Bordeaux varietals, and sparkling wine, among other wines.

The other side of the valley attracts most of the tourists, but more and more people are making it west to Lompoc to “escape” the crowds in Los Olivos and Solvang, especially on busy summer weekends. They’re seeking a more laid-back wine tasting experience, with a winemaker who wants you to linger, and who takes the time to answer your questions while pouring you more excellent wine.

Word is out, and Sorongon and others who work in the Wine Ghetto day in and day out are still getting used to all the accolades from influential wine writers and increased foot traffic from wine lovers and locals.

“It’s a funny feeling, because for so long, we kind of felt like the scruffy cousin,” Sorongon said.

That’s the scruffy cousin who happens to make some of the best wines around.

Advance tickets to Locals’ Day can be purchased online at lompocghetto.com or with cash at the Longoria tasting room at the Ghetto. Tickets will be available onsite the day of the event.

People who want a safe ride home may take advantage of discounted taxi rates by Promenade Cab Company, which is offering 10 percent off for Locals’ Day. Book in advance to reserve your cab.

And for the first time, some of the proceeds from Locals’ Day will benefit a local charity: the Lompoc District Libraries Foundation.

The Lompoc Wine Ghetto is on North Chestnut Avenue and Industrial Way between 7th and 12th streets.

Sun wine and food writer Wendy Thies Sell loves to smell and taste wine in the same place it’s made, just like the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. Contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Mar 22-29, 2012.