The reasons why you need to visit Vega Vineyard and Farm are in the name of this magical place! I don’t know about you, but I am immediately sold when I can wine taste AND visit with farm animals. PLUS the property has a rich history and genuine farm-to-table dining! They even have lodging to stay in on the property. It really doesn’t get any better than that!

Vega is located in one of the most picturesque areas in Santa Ynez Valley, very fittingly nicknamed “rainbow alley”. We spotted rainbows a good majority of our visit while dining, tasting trough their wine and visiting the farm animals.

Why you need to visit Vega Vineyard and Farm – a rich history

Dr. Roman de la Cuesta was born in Spain and came to California in 1849. He married Micaela Cota, of neighboring Rancho Santa Rosa, and was gifted Rancho de Vega (Spanish for “the meadow”) as a dowry. Roman and Micaela built a 13 room adobe on the property, which still stands today. Their son Eduardo and his wife Eleva lived on the property for many years and grew wine grapes.

In 1976 Bill Mosby and his wife Jeri purchased the 206 acre preperty and planted eighteen acres of wine grapes. They learned of its rich history and Vega Vineyards was born, a family venture to sell wine grapes to wineries. In 1980 they changed the name to Mosby Winery and focused on selling direct to customers from the tasting room.

This farming and hospitality tradition continues at the modern day Vega Vineyard and Farm. Demetrios and Karen Loizides were always drawn to the region due to its similarities to Demetrios’s ancestral and grape-growing village of Kathikas, Cyprus and his childhood town of the untamed Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. They realized their dream, purchased the farm, and wanted to share with friends and community. That dream is what Vega Vineyard and Farm is today – winery, restaurant and catering operation offering a genuine “farm to table” model. 

A truly farm to table menu

Farm-to-table is not just Vega’s goal, it’s their way of life. Everything prepared is about the freshness of the in-season flavors that pair perfectly with their wines.

Their executive chef, Chef Erik Thurman, is a California native who started his career in the restaurant industry as a dishwasher at 17. He followed in his grandmother’s footsteps, chef/owner of a family-run Los Angeles eatery. Chef Erik worked in restaurants along the California coast and alongside the likes of Chef Michael Mina in Los Angeles and Chef-Owner Peter McNee of Santa Barbara’s Convivo Restaurant and Bar.

After returning to the Santa Barbara region, he was most recently executive sous chef at Alisal Ranch resort, before landing at Vega!

Get a taste of Chef Erik’s farm-to-table dishes sourced from Vega’s garden, beautifully highlighting the best of what’s in season.

Deviled Farm Eggs & Blue Crab smoked trout roe, scallion // Smoked Quail Duo mushroom & leeks, pumpkin fregola // Cavatelli Cacio e Pepe housemade pasta, pecorino romano & parmesan // Caramelle

We absolutely loved everything, but the highlight was definitely the Quail stuffed with mushrooms & leeks atop the pumpkin fregola (ancient form of artisanal oven roasted couscous from the island of Sardinia).

Delicious Wine Tasting

We tasted through a few wines alongside our lunch and also went home with some bottles! Our favorites were: 2019 Nebbiolo, 2020 Syrah & 2021 Barbera (this one will need a bit more time to fully develop, but we already loved it so much)

“With a concentration on our estate vineyard, we have sought to produce wines that are “a window to a place.” Each one of our wines is different in expression, with its own subtle, yet distinctive character and voice. Each year renews in us an intense drive to understand, react to, and work with the vineyard to allow it to reach its full potential. This process, led by our winemaker, Steve Clifton, is crucial for the execution of successful wines.”

Why you need to visit Vega Vineyard and Farm – a farm stand & farm animals

Vega offers a wide selection of quality products from the farm at their farmstand! Grab fresh produce grown on property, stop for a picnic lunch or pick up a pie or a bakery treat.

After lunch, we walked over to the farm animals! We were truly in hog heaven 😉

You can feed the farm animals, enjoy a pumpkin patch (September – November), and other various farm activities. Vega Vineyard and Farm is truly a place built for the whole family in mind. 

Looking for more on SYV? I’ve detailed where to stay, where to eat, where to drink & what else to do that doesn’t involve food or booze! There is also an SYV guide on my instagram with quite a few places if you like that format.