Take a morning and do the drive -- it really is pretty, with the scenic contrasts of mountains, vineyards, and horse country to give your parents a better overview of the area. I'm disappointed to hear about Sanford's problems, but there are many other nice vineyards to visit. If you start out not too late in the morning, visit a winery or two, and have lunch in Los Olivos you'll be back in Santa Barbara with plenty of the day left. And you'll miss most of the tourists and the 101 traffic.

mlatuchie, how recent a Sanford vintage is "safe" to drink? I liked what I tasted two years ago (probably '03s and maybe '04s) but haven't bought any for a while.