About Hitching Post Wines
Hitching Post Wines is the four-decade partnership of two old friends: Frank Ostini, the chef behind Buellton's famed Hitching Post 2 restaurant, and Gray Hartley, a former Alaskan salmon fisherman. They started making wine together at home in 1979, found their calling in Santa Barbara Pinot Noir in 1981, and became a household name when the movie Sideways made their restaurant and its house wines famous.
Pinot Noir remains the heart of it, with up to ten bottlings a year, many vineyard-designated and available only at the tasting room, crowned by the flagship Highliner blend of each vintage's best lots. Syrah, a Cabernet Franc blend and other wines round out the list, and a second generation has joined, with Gray's son Weston now part of the winemaking team.
In 2018 the families finally opened their own tasting room at 420 East Highway 246, right next door to the restaurant on twelve oak-shaded acres. It pours Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 to 5, with flights from white to reserve, a lunch and snack menu from the HP2 kitchen, picnic grounds, and by-appointment private tastings hosted by Frank or Gray themselves.
The Sideways-famous Pinot house of a chef and a fisherman, poured next door to their legendary Buellton grill.
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A chef and a fishermanFrank Ostini and Gray Hartley have made wine together since 1979, with son Weston now on the team.
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Pinot Noir, ten waysUp to ten Pinots a year, many tasting-room-only, topped by the flagship Highliner blend.
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Sideways fame, earnedThe restaurant and wines the movie made famous still deliver the real thing.
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Lunch from the HP2 kitchenSanta Maria BBQ artichokes, burgers and snacks alongside the flights, with picnic grounds outside.
"The Sideways-famous Pinot house of a chef and a fisherman, poured next door to their legendary Buellton grill."
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Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Hitching Post Wines, please check the winery'Santa Ynez Valley producers typically rotate vintages and offerings seasonally.
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Hitching Post Wines has not published a current tasting menu or pricing that we have been able to verify. Check the winery website for what is being poured and what it costs before you visit.
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