Rideau Vineyard

Founded in 1997, the Rideau Vineyard is the creation of New Orlean's native Iris Rideau. She brought with her a passion for Rhone wines, which she believed paired perfectly with the Creole dishes she grew up eating. In addition to making her wines, she began hosting Creole-inspired dinners at the winery. Foodies from across the country attended these dinners, enjoying the wines and the cuisine. The vineyard regularly presses 150 tons of fruit and stores 500 barrels of their wines at a time. The 16 acre vineyard produces Grenache, Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne and Viognier, all of which are Rhone varietals. The land is farmed in a sustainable manner. The vineyard is the home of the Historic El Alamo Pintado Adobe. The adobe was a guest ranch, a stagecoach stop, an inn and a working ranch, but now serves as the tasting room and hosting house for the winery. The adobe is a Santa Barbara County Historical Monument. The Tasting Room at Rideau is one of the area's most popular destinations. Visitors can enjoy the wines created at the vineyard, as well as the delicious cuisine of Rideau's hometown. She has made sure the experience encompasses the feelings of New Orleans and a visit to the tasting room offers a chance to sample the wines and enjoy true Creole hospitality.