You Can Make Your Own Wine for Your Wedding at This Santa Barbara Resort

Guests work one-on-one with the McKinney winemaking team, tasting and blending their way toward a custom red or white wine suited to their preferences. Once they've landed on their blend, a half or full barrel is placed into production. They'll also collaborate with the McKinney team on a personalized label, turning the day's work into bottles they can bring into the celebrations still to come. The process generally takes three to four months, making the experience especially intriguing for couples who begin early enough to serve their finished wine at the wedding.

And this isn't a souvenir-sized batch. A standard barrel of wine yields roughly 300 bottles, putting a half barrel at about 150 bottles. That gives couples enough of their custom wine to pour for a substantial number of wedding guests, give bottles as favors or gifts and still set some aside to open on future anniversaries.

That possibility was part of the idea from the start. McLaughlin says the experience was designed with engagements, wedding weekends and honeymoons in mind, with couples able to add their own customization to both the wine and its label. “Several months later at the wedding, they could serve it,” she says.

For couples marrying at Bacara, the timing comes with another advantage. Senior Catering Sales Manager Jennifer Marcott says the resort typically schedules wedding tastings about three to four months before the celebration, allowing its culinary team to plan around seasonal ingredients. A couple's newly produced wine could therefore enter the menu conversation as well, with the culinary team developing food pairings around their blend.

A wedding, however, is only one way to put the experience to use. Couples can make the trip during an engagement getaway or honeymoon, while an anniversary offers another reason to create a bottle tied to a particular chapter of their relationship. A bridal party, family members or other small group could also turn a Santa Barbara getaway into a winemaking excursion, with the finished wine extending the experience well beyond the trip itself.

Marcott imagines couples eventually opening them again for future celebrations. “I would hope you are cracking open this beautifully crafted and personalized bottle on milestone anniversaries or on milestone birthdays,” she says.

The experience pairs two signatures of a Santa Barbara escape: the coast and nearby wine country. McLaughlin notes that the closest wineries are roughly 25 minutes from the resort, opening up another side of the region for couples who may have arrived with the Pacific Ocean in mind.

The Winemaker for the Day package starts at $18,400 and includes suite accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, the private blending experience, tasting and estate tour at McKinney Family Vineyards, a half or full barrel of wine placed into production, custom label design and luxury round-trip transportation. For couples already looking for an excuse to escape wedding planning for a few days, they can return with something destined for the wedding table—or bottles worth saving for years afterward.