My recommendation for wineries would really depend upon how seriously into wine the person is. If they are a hard core wino, a must do is the cluster of small boutique startup wineries (about fifteen of them) making wine in an industrial park behind the Home Depot in Lompoc, known as the wine ghetto. For folks who are more casually into it, the wineries along the road from Ballard to Los Olivos and up through Foxen Canyon into Santa Maria is much more scenic - and still with plenty of top notch producers.

There are also several nice winery tasting rooms in Santa Barbara itself, located near the shore, right near the main tourist area, and at least one of these, Santa Barbara Winery, is a full fledged winery, not just a tasting room.