THE OTHER WINE COUNTRY : VISITING THE VINEYARDS OF CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo used to be towns Southern California residents would speed through on their way to the wine country - those famous valleys of Napa and Sonoma, north of San Francisco.

But now, the rolling hills of the Central Coast communities are the wine country. Although these vineyards have fewer years of winemaking tradition under their belts, they are less crowded and more accessible than the other wine country more than 300 miles further north.

Wine aficionados, of course, have known for years that choice vintages are produced by Central Coast vineyards. But for the rest of us, it's a surprise to drive along Highway 101 and realize that not all the green stuff growing along the road is cabbage or lettuce; in many spots, its wine grapes nudging the highway.

If you turn off the main road and follow country lanes, you'll come across more vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms. And visits by meandering tourists are just fine with many vintners, who report an increasing number of weekend visitors.

``I don't think we want to be Napa and Sonoma,'' said Vicki Carroll, director of the 15-member Edna Valley/Arroyo Grande Valley Vintners Association. ``We'd prefer things to be low-key. We're seeing a lot more people showing up in our tasting rooms, which we love. We want people to be here and enjoying our wines, but we don't want people to feel like we're herding them through and taking their money.''

Smaller and less crowded means friendlier and more educational, vintners say.

``We're pretty small, so visitors who come to see us can often talk directly to the winemaker,'' said Laila Rashid, a member of the board of directors of the 30-member Santa Barbara Vintners Association. ``But our wines are sold all over the country - all over the world. We're making a name for ourselves.''

The Central Coast vineyards are blessed with perfect grape-growing weather: The daytime heat spurs growth and coaxes sweetness from the fruit, while the cool nights - which often bring in a blanket of fog that lingers into midmorning near the ocean - moderate growth and edges the fruit slowly toward ripeness.

Early fall is usually the perfect time to visit Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo wineries and vineyards because that's when the facilities hum with the bustle of harvest. Because of the unusually hot summer, vintners say they'll begin picking early this year, probably this week.

Some wineries aren't equipped to lead public tours, or offer tours by appointment only. Others welcome visitors on regular tours that show the entire winemaking process, starting with a walk into the sun-warmed vineyards to taste the grapes growing on the vines and ending in the tasting room for a sample of the finished product.

On a recent drive through the Central Coast wine region, I checked out several vineyards and wineries:

Byron Vineyard and Winery, Santa Maria: A drive down a country lane past acres of grape vines leads to this small redwood-sided winery and tasting room, established in 1984 and acquired by Robert Mondavi in 1990. Winemaker Byron Brown produces white wines from 640 acres of grape vines, plus grapes from other vineyards.

There was no formal tour the day I visited, but cellar master Mike Sinor explained the winemaking process. The fog that blankets the vineyards most mornings gives Santa Maria a longer growing season than some other wine-growing areas, he said. ``Plus we have great grapes to work with,'' he said. ``You can't go wrong with that combination.''

Edna Valley Vineyard, San Luis Obispo: Down a dusty country road, surrounded by acres of green vineyards, you'll find a metal warehouse that - temporarily - houses this winery's offices, tasting room and processing facilities. By next spring, facilities will move to a new barrel room and hospitality center, now under construction where a garden recently grew, which also will include a banquet room, kitchen and conference room. Tours temporarily have been curtailed, but visitors can taste a selection of wines or wander on their own into the processing facility.

The new construction was prompted by increasing numbers of tourists and others interested in local wines, said Dana Milstead, the vineyard's retail sales manager.

``This area's becoming a lot more well-known,'' she said, pouring glasses of wine for a handful of visitors. ``Between Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, there are probably over 100 wineries. We've seen tourism increasing by about 25 percent every year.''

Until the new facility opens, there's not much in the way of amenities, but visitors can buy a chilled bottle of wine and bring a picnic lunch to redwood picnic tables under shade trees, overlooking the vineyards.

Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard, Santa Ynez: If you remember Fess Parker only as television's Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone in the late 1950s and early '60s, you're in for a surprise when you visit this welcoming winery where prize-winning wines are made. The onetime movie and TV star has built a center for meetings, conventions, weddings and other social occasions in addition to a 714-acre working vineyard and winery.

Tours begin in the vineyards, then wind through the fermenting, aging and bottling facilities - including a visit to ``Bubba,'' the giant grape-crushing machine - and end in the tasting room.

``We let you actually go out and taste the Riesling grapes,'' said our tour guide, David T. Snead, who doubles as the winery's marketing and special events coordinator. ``We want them to be able to see what the wine started as, and compare it with the finished product.''

While the winemaking facilities are cool and sterile, the wine tasting room - which doubles as a gift shop, with cookbooks, kitchen equipment and other wine-related items - is cozy. There's a refrigerated case where visitors can buy a chilled bottle of wine, cheese and other items to lunch on at a picnic area in a rose garden under spreading oak trees.

Parker bought the land to retire on, then decided ``he was not the retiring kind.'' So, he went into the wine business, lives on the property and is often on hand to greet visitors, sign autographs and have his photo taken, Snead said.

The Gainey Vineyard, Santa Ynez: Purchased in 1962 and operated as an Arabian horse ranch, Daniel J. Gainey went into the wine business in 1984 and now has 65 acres of the 1,000-acre ranch planted in grapes. Gainey grapes make up only about 40 percent of Gainey wines; 40 percent of the wines are made from grapes grown in other local vineyards. The blend is what makes Gainey wines award-winners, said Dore Kraus, a former cellar master who, on one of the best winery tours offered, showed us the winery's crushing, aging and bottling facilities.

``The No. 1 factor in making your wine is where your grapes come from,'' Kraus said, showing us through the winery's 35,000-bottle cellar. ``If you have the wrong grapes, not even God can make a great wine.''

Visitors can climb up on a concrete platform and peer down into the giant stainless steel grape-crushing machines; after the juice is drained off for winemaking, the skins and pulp that remain are used for cattle feed, he said. White wines, which are produced in about three months, ferment in giant vertical tanks open on top so natural yeasts can help transform the grape juice. The ``skin'' that forms on top is stirred into the fermenting juice, helping to give a unique taste to the wine, he explained.

The dimly lit aging room provides a respite for visitors in hot weather: Every few minutes, a fine mist of water is sprayed from the ceiling onto the oak barrels in which the wine is aging - and on anyone in the room. The resulting 85 percent humidity keeps the barrels from drying out and keeps evaporation of the wine to a minimum, Kraus said.

Back in the wine tasting room, visitors can sample wines from the day's list of offerings, or they can buy wines, cheeses and other snacks for an impromptu picnic outside.

Santa Barbara Winery, Santa Barbara: This tiny winery - the only one in Santa Barbara and, founded in 1962, the oldest in the county - is tucked away not among rolling hills, but in an industrial area of Santa Barbara. The grapes are grown in a 108-acre Santa Ynez Valley vineyard and trucked to the winery.

``We're in kind of an unusual place,'' said Meredith Llewellyn, who was pouring wines in the tasting room and who led a brief tour. ``But people find us. I had a man from Thailand come in the other day and show me how he'd read about us in a guidebook in Thailand.''

The mountains that form the valley where the grapes are grown are unique, she said. ``They run east and west,'' Llewellyn pointed out on a large map in the winery. ``Other California mountain ranges run north and south. This makes Santa Ynez Valley a really, really great place to grow pinot grapes.''

The short tour includes a brief history of the winery and a visit to the production facility where grapes ferment in huge steel tanks, then are transferred to oak barrels for aging before being bottled.

The tasting room, where visitors can sample as many as a half-dozen wines, doubles as a gift shop. Outside, there's a shady patio with tables and chairs where visitors can enjoy a bottle of wine or a snack.

On Location

Here are some Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo wineries within a day's drive:

Byron Winery and Vineyard, 5230 Tepesquet Road, Santa Maria; [phone] Tours are given when staffing allows.

Edna Valley Vineyard, 2585 Biddle Ranch Road, San Luis Obispo; [phone]. The Edna Valley/Arroyo Grande Valley Harvest Celebration will take place at the winery from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 2. Only 500 tickets will be sold, at $45 each. Tickets: [phone].

Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, 6200 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos; [phone]. Tours are given at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. daily. The Fess Parker Vineyard will host an evening of wine, barbecue and jazz from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 1; tickets are $45.

The Gainey Vineyard, 3950 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez; [phone]. Tours are given at 11 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. daily.

Santa Barbara Winery, 202 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; [phone]/.Tours are given at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

If you'd rather let someone else do the driving, there are companies that offer escorted tours.

Breakaway Tours offers half-day trips to three Central Coast winemaking areas - Paso Robles, $49; Edna Valley, $25; and Santa Ynez, $49. Vans pick up tour participants in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo. Information: [phone].

Santa Barbara Wine Country Getaways are three-day trips, beginning in Solvang, hosted by wine expert Peter D. Kerr. Trips this year are scheduled Sept. 5-7, Oct. 24-26 and Nov. 21-23. Cost is $395 per person, double occupancy. Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

6 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--color) The rolling hills between Santa Ba rbara and San Luis Obispo are covered with acres of vineyards. Back-road drives can lead to some of the state's finest wineries.

(2--color) A welcoming sign invites visitors to stop and see how wine is made.

(3--color) The wine tasting room at the Santa Barbara Winery doubles as a gift shop. At left, signposts throughout the region guide travelers to nearby wineries.

(4--color) A winery worker is dwarfed by giant fermenting tanks and stacks of oak aging barrels.

(5) Visitors to the Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos can stroll, or they can picnic under spreading oak trees after touring the winemaking facilities.

(6) Dore Kraus showa how the bottling equipment works at the Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez.

Carol Bidwell/Daily News

Box: On Location (see text)