New Vineyards Are Planting the Seeds of Wrath Among Neighbors

As vineyards began replacing cattle and horse ranches in this scenic region of northern Santa Barbara County, many neighbors assumed that quiet rows of grapes would preserve their pastoral way of life.

But those wineries are increasingly hosting noisy weddings, parties and even concerts amid the rolling hills and oak chaparral. So, some valley residents fear an end to their treasured tranquillity.

As a result, the county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to accept a compromise plan limiting events at one winery. Anticipating more such disputes as the local industry continues to grow, county planners are looking at stronger rules for vineyards in residential areas.

“We have no quarrel with the vineyards, the agricultural aspects of it, or the wine tasting rooms. It’s the events, the weddings, the jazz festivals. We don’t want the noise, the lights, all the alcohol. People driving on our roads at night loaded up with alcohol,” said Petie J. Kern, who moved to the area from Woodside, near Palo Alto, 11 years ago.

Kern led the fight to limit large events at the neighboring Bridlewood Winery, a 105-acre former horse farm that started planting grapes last summer. Kern and other neighbors appealed a recent county permit that would have allowed 12 large events a year, each with up to 300 people, at Bridlewood. The compromise approved Tuesday would permit six daytime-only events for up to 200 people each.

Bridlewood is not the first winery in the area to wrestle with its neighbors, and it will not be the last, say vintners and county officials. That’s because the wineries are coming closer and closer to residential areas.

“For the long term, we need a systematic set of rules in place for wineries,” said county Supervisor Gail Marshall, who represents the Santa Ynez Valley. “But for the long term, we also need to support agriculture.”

Marshall’s aide, John Buttny, said workshops will soon be held for the planning staff and the industry on the issues of events, traffic and noise. He expects draft guidelines within six months.

“A culture or a habit has evolved where if you have a winery, you have events. What we’re looking at are some controls on what happens in those areas close to people as opposed to a winery way out on an isolated property,” Buttny said.

Adam Firestone, president of Firestone Vineyards, said the area vintners believe they can reach agreement with county staff. “We do not want to do anything that puts us out of business,” he said, stressing that vintners will be good neighbors.

Although some wineries have voluntarily cut back on the number of their events, many in the industry say that they resent what they see as interference with their property rights. Some say that they need to hold weddings and other events to stay afloat financially, especially because it can take three years to grow a good crop of grapes even in the valley’s temperate climate, which is ideal for premium vineyards.

“The reality of being a winery is they have to promote their properties,” said Andrew Murray, of Andrew Murray Vineyards in the north valley. “If people take on the wineries, there will be a backlash. Property will be sold to developers, and it will be split up. If a vineyard is put in, there’s no reason to pull it out for 30, 50, even 70 years.”

The Santa Barbara County wine industry has grown from an estimated 171 acres of wine grapes in 1970 to between 15,000 and 18,000 acres today, said industry and county government sources. Wine bottle sales increased from 4.7 million bottles to 7.1 million bottles between 1992 and 1996, according to the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Assn. Sales of wine grapes to other vintners, plus bottled wine and bulk sales, topped more than $100 million in 1996.

In the Santa Ynez Valley, 22 wineries and vineyards are listed on maps. County officials report that seven more are being planned.

The wineries have raised other issues recently too; one of the most heated disputes involves the destruction of oak trees to create some vineyards. (No oak was ripped out to establish Bridlewood, a winery representative said.)

The oak tree issue came to a head with two countywide initiatives on the November ballot, one with strong proposed restrictions on oak removal and a weaker alternative from the wine industry. Both were defeated, but some winery owners think the passions raised by the votes remain alive in the disputes over the events at Bridlewood and elsewhere.

Bridlewood Winery is on Roblar Avenue just off California 154, southeast of Los Olivos. It sports the tiny vines supported by telltale PVC pipes seen in new vineyards across the valley. Bridlewood’s main Mission-style building, formerly a barn, is being remodeled to accommodate a tasting room. A remaining horse track surrounds a lush green island with a picturesque bridge over two small ponds populated by ducks and swans.

Cory Holbrook, Bridlewood’s owner, said he could have avoided controversy if the county already had general rules about winery events. Even so, he discounted reports of any wildly noisy events disrupting the region.

“If it’s threatening our way of life, why are these events so popular?” asked Holbrook, a former flower grower who moved from a small town in Oregon and purchased the farm about a year ago. “There have been very few actual documented cases of problems with established winery events. All we ever wanted was a couple of music events in conjunction with the vintner festival and harvest festival.”

What’s more, he said, formal balls and a very large wedding were held on the property when it was a horse farm, and “there wasn’t a peep out of the neighbors.”

A growing number of urban expatriates have moved to the Santa Ynez Valley, after falling in love with its slower pace, at the same time as many horse and cattle ranches are being converted to wineries. The valley encompasses the Danish-style village of Solvang and the communities of Buellton, Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. It follows the Santa Ynez River basin from the foothills below Lake Cachuma to the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, experts in the area’s wine business say that the current boom is a direct result of increased availability of water--because of the drought’s end and the arrival of the state water project pipeline. In addition, there is increased demand for premium labels like those grown here.

One model for regulating wineries is in place in Napa County, which passed a strict winery ordinance in 1990. Napa County Deputy Planner Michael Miller said the ordinance requires a hearing and license for any winery event that will attract more than 100 people. Small wine club dinners are allowed, while weddings have been virtually banned at Napa wineries. He does not believe the rules hampered the wine industry, “although the wedding planners are upset.”

Officials promise that any such countywide rules will be drafted not to harm an industry that preserves open space and is more profitable than the cattle, horse and failed ostrich farms that came before it. In fact, those officials predict the wine industry will continue to grow.

“We’re not at anywhere near the saturation point,” said Al McCurdy, deputy planning director for Santa Barbara county. “There are thousands of acres which can be converted to vineyards right now.”