Napa gets most of the attention, but Ventura County has been quietly building one of Southern California’s most underrated wine trails. For residents of Santal Thousand Oaks, much of it sits practically at the doorstep. A spontaneous Saturday afternoon or a full day of tasting room hopping is possible without a three-hour drive north.
The Ventura County Wine Trail now spans 26 wineries, and the variety across stops reflects how much the region has grown. From the Santa Monica Mountains through Camarillo and into Oxnard’s craft beverage district, producers here have carved out a scene with its own personality, separate from the Central Coast or Napa.
Ventura County’s Wine Trail Has Its Own Identity
What the Ventura County trail offers that more established regions have largely lost is scale and access. Tasting rooms run smaller, crowds stay manageable, and the experience tends to feel personal rather than scripted. Right here in Thousand Oaks, Mizel Estate Wines sits tucked into Hidden Valley, offering tastings of 100% estate-grown Bordeaux varietals on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
Additionally, the Santa Monica Mountains frame the property on all sides. Santal Thousand Oaks carries that same outdoor sensibility home, with resort-style amenities, lush outdoor spaces, and a spa-inspired atmosphere built around the kind of pace Ventura County wine country encourages.
Sunland Vintage Winery, also in Thousand Oaks, takes a different approach entirely, pouring Italian varietals like Nebbiolo, Montepulciano, and Dolcetto that rarely appear in Southern California tasting rooms. Open Thursdays through Sundays, it draws regulars who appreciate how specific the lineup is and how much the winemaking differs from the standard California playbook.
The Tasting Rooms Worth Making a Day Of
Image Alt Text: A person holding a pen filling out a wine tasting notes paper resting near glasses containing red wine.
Building a full wine day along the trail works best when the stops are picked with some intention. A few locations consistently earn the trip for different reasons, and combining two or three of them covers the full range of what the county offers.
Strey Cellars in Oxnard runs live music events and food trucks alongside an award-winning lineup of reds, served in a barrel room that has become a regional weekend destination on its own.
Cantara Cellars in Camarillo is a reliable midpoint; family-owned, open Wednesday through Sunday, with wine flights and cheese plates that make settling in for the afternoon easy.
The Stonehaus in Westlake Village is a relaxing choice for a day trip, with covered outdoor seating and daily hours that make it simple to finish without rushing.
No fixed route works best for everyone. Starting near Thousand Oaks and working toward the coast is common, but building the day around whichever wineries are open makes for a perfectly solid itinerary on its own.
Before You Head Out
Image Alt Text: A modern building featuring glass balconies and outdoor seating areas above a paved courtyard at Santal Thousand Oaks.
Smaller operations like Mizel Estate and Sunland Vintage Winery fill quickly on weekend afternoons, so calling ahead is worth the effort. Strey Cellars and Magnavino Cellars in Oxnard run larger facilities with more walk-in flexibility on Saturdays, making them easier to add without advance planning.
Oxnard’s craft beverage corridor, where several wineries and cideries cluster within a short stretch, works well as an endpoint because food is easy to find and the drives between stops pass through some of the better-looking parts of the county. The one- and two-bedroom homes at Santal Thousand Oaks put residents close to all of it, a well-positioned home base for exactly this kind of weekend.
Living close to Ventura County wine country is the kind of thing that pays off quietly over time. If Thousand Oaks is where you are looking to land, schedule a tour and see what life at Santal Thousand Oaks actually looks like.
