Taste of Sta Rita Hills

It was a little hectic when we were there on a rainy Thursday afternoon, but the couple who run this tasting room in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto were gracious and charming. We learned a lot about the region and the different wineries, got some helpful recommendations for other tasting rooms to visit nearby. Not all of them were open, so it saved us some fruitless searching. We left with their own Bianchetto blend and a Thorne 2011 Pinot Noir. The Sea Smoke Eau de Sea we called for was temporarily out of stock, as we were told on the phone, but Antonio had one last bottle in the warehouse, and he called as promised the next day to verify that he had it and shipped it to us in LA. Excellent follow through.

I came to the Sta. Rita Hills as a personal prerequisite for taking my level 1 sommelier exam. Antonio was a great host and very generous with his time. I chewed his brain about the AVA, winemaking practices, and wine in general, and he provided me with some great information that you can only get from someone as passionate about this industry as Antonio is. The tasting was delightful, serving hard to find labels such as Sea Smoke and Demetria who don’t have their own tasting rooms. Delicious cheeses and bread were provided which helped me properly analyze and taste the wines. It’s a cool little tasting room in the wine ghetto.
The only negative thing I have to say about this place is that the prices per bottle are easily 20%-30% more than other retailers in the valley. You can find some of these bottles, including Sea Smoke, at other shops for much less.
This was my first wine tasting in California and it was a great first experience. If you’re in the wine ghetto in Lompoc, this is a must for those hard to find labels. Thanks for your hospitality and the education, Antonio!

We come here at least 3 – 4 times per year. Antonio is passionate about sourcing food friendly wines that are generally not widely distributed. He makes each of our visits a great learning experience… and we always seem to come home with some new finds. Always a high point in our Central Coast winery visits!

What a great find. Yesterday was my first time to the Wine Ghetto. We went there to visit Fiddlehead (also great), Piedrasassi and Samsara. Ended up poking our heads in here first and it was the find of the trip. Antonio is extremely knowledgeable and he pours strictly wines from the Santa Rita Hills. Tons of small production, single vineyard wines that were great. He also had several Sea Smoke wines all the way back to 2002. Only knock is I felt like the prices were a bit marked up, but many of the wines there you’ll never find outside the Central Coast. Really enjoyed our time with Antonio and I consider this a must visit for those of you looking for small production, hard to find wines. Also, his olive oil and truffle cheese were both incredible.

Really loved this place — and as other Unilocalers have stated — Antonio is the best — he not only knows his wines — but is funny and nice — His summary of the Wine Ghetto sums up the Wine Ghetto perfectly «we don’t spend our money on a nice big building we spend it on making great wines»! (perfect) — even though our group came in with only 20 minutes till they close and with 3 (2 for 1) coupons (and already very drunk), Antonio provided great tastings and knowledge — if you go to Wine Ghetto make sure to stop by here

I love this place because they bring together wines from different, small wineries. Provides a nice variety and very well curator. Staff is extremely knowledgable and friendly. Also, delicious food to pair with wines — truffle cheese, grans padano, bread, salami — all included in the tasting fee.

I stick to my last review, as I stick to this place. This place is my Number 1. Antonio is the sweetest man who loves and KNOWS his wine and the cheeeeeeese… :O !!!
THIS IS A MUST STOP from the ghetto! a M U S T S T O P !
His wines are FABULOUS.

Very friendly, knowledgeable staff. The wine is food-​focused in the European tradition. While tasting, they provided delicious nibbles of cheese, bread, and artisan salami to compliment the taste of the wine. The only downside is that they did not waive the one (1) tasting fee when we bought a bottle. Other than that, a great experience.

Antonio is such a neat guy! He is EXTREMELY knowledgeable of all of the wines produced in the Sta Rita Hills area. From the larger wineries to the tiniest of ones. He takes such good care of his guests and freely shares his passion for the area with everyone who steps in the tasting room.
Thank you Antonio for your hospitality, I can’t wait to go back!

Always an amazing place to stop by while visiting the wine ghetto. They always have something special to taste and sometimes the actual wine maker is there to pour and chat with you about their grapes.
Oh and they serve delicious cheese.

This is a wonderful quaint tasting room in the wine ghetto! Both Jeni and Antonio are full of an abundant amount of knowledge of the wine they sell, and wine in general. They serve bread, cheese and salami with the wine– it was a delicious. During my time with Antonio, he took the time to teach me about pairing the wine I selected with certain foods– a great way to impress my family and friends!
Antonio was a true gem to learn from and I will make sure to ALWAYS stop there before anywhere else in the wine ghetto! Can’t wait to go back!

Antonio does a great job of bringing together lots of small wineries with limited production all into one tasting room. It is always admirable to see people who not only love what they do but are committed to their businesses in such a way that it evokes passion in other people. I have a tremendous amount of respect for winemakers who follow their dreams and make unique delights and Cheers to Antonio who makes the introduction and makes his own wine as well. A lot of these fun loving bottles can be found in this tasting room! So I thank you Antonio for always being there every time we stop by, on holiday weekends too. We enjoy our visits with you, the delicious wines you pour with the savory bread and cheese. It’s always a good time!

Antonio’s Taste of Santa Rita Hills is exceptional! He is always so kind and remembers us by name when we go to see him. Great conversation, laughs and a friendly environment here. His wines are a wonderful selection from the Santa Rita Appellation, they are always different, and they never disappoint. He is so knowledgeable about wine in general, this appellation, pairings, and has great taste! If he offers you the chance to pair his black truffle cheese and salami with your last wines, don’t turn it down. It is incredible!

Mr. Morretti thank you. For making such good wines and being such a great host Friday. I though you wines where fantastic. I and my partner Cheryl will be coming back to the ghetto for more

This was one of our last stops in Lompoc Wine Ghetto for tastings.
The man working there was trying really hard to be nice to us, but was barely succeeding. I appreciate the effort.
The wines were nicely paired with the parmesan and bread, but overall the experience was dwarfed by the other wineries in the vicinity.
There are 16 wineries in the vicinity and we stopped by 6, and this was my least favorite. The others had a lot more personality and the wines, frankly, were a bit better.

Visited the tasting room on a Saturday in the wine ghetto area, as they are only open Thursday to Sunday, whereas most wine ghetto rooms are from Friday to Sunday. Mr. Morretti served us and was very knowledgeable. He represents several vintners in the Santa Rita Hills region, hence the name. Morretti has his own label in which we tasted 2 of his wines and bought his Chardonnay which was very unique, a great food pairing wine instead of the normal cocktail Chard. He had 4 other wines from the area that were very good. I thought what he had on the list was a good selection of 6 wines. The other wines that he represents is on a list for purchase and is quite expansive such as the Sea Smoke Pinot Noir vintages. I was told the wine line up changes regular so stop by again, and we probably will.

Great selection of local wines that you can’t taste elsewhere. Antonio, the owner, selects his favorite from the Santa Rita Hills — great Chards, Pinots and Syrahs. Very nice.

I was amazed with this little tasting room in Lompoc of all places. Being from Monterey County I am spoiled with amazing Pinot Noirs, so wasn’t expecting to be blown away by anything here. I was wrong, the thorne rio vista vineyard pinot was superb! I am drinking it as I write, and am not disappointed I purchased it. Antonio and friend (forgot her name sorry) were great hosts, served some yummy cheese with bread, but most of all chatted in a warm and professional manner, I never felt they were trying to sell me, just wanted me to enjoy the wines. You need to try this place when in Lompoc, best in Wine Ghetto area, especially if you love Pinot’s like I do. Cheers.