FAQ

Dreamcôte is independently owned by Brit & Ryan Zotovich. Brit founded Dreamcôte in 2013 when they were living in a 40-foot 5th wheel on an estate vineyard that Ryan was overseeing. Brit and Ryan met at Cal Poly when they were both studying Viticulture at Cal Poly and on the board of Vines to Wines – an awesome wine club on the Cal Poly campus. The Cal Poly school motto is ‘Learn by Doing’ – and that what they did. Ryan and Brit both held Assistant Winemaking positions prior to graduation where they began their winemaking journey. Their shared passions for hospitality, hosting, culinary, making wine, agriculture, farming and the ocean continues into the fabric of Dreamcôte today.

100% of Dreamcôte wines are made from Santa Barbara County AVA wine grapes – all but 2 of our sites (grapes, apples, prickly pears) are certified sustainable or organic. We are actively working in the direction of full sustainability by 2025. As a mother and an avid gardener – I feel strongly that this is the correct decision for us, the planet and all of our futures. We are known for producing bright, fresh, vibrant – lively wines that possess a lot of verve and pair extremely well with seasonal produce – think Santa Barbara County bubbles & a bright-fresh heirloom tomato & burrata salad. Our wines are low in alcohol, sulfur and show a lot of fresh “primary” fruit – even when we make the decision to utilize new oak. Like many local, smaller producers, our intervention is minimal. Santa Barbara County with its maritime locale produces fresher-fruit style wines with ease. We do our best to shepherd them through.

When we started out, I was in full play-mode. The things that ‘bit’ me were a love of hospitality – making people feel welcomed, and a love of experimentation in the cellar (thanks to my first winery boss, Harold Osborne of Kelsey See Canyon). I had a Nebbiolo that was very juicy and young and in-market earlier than I would have expected. I just thought – whoa, can you do carbonic with any varietal? The answer is yes, but not all varietals in all regions do well with the style. I found that out through a bit of personal trial and error. So my general plan was to experiment. For years we made 6-7 wines that held the same style philosophy – “something for everyone” – a bubble, a cider, a bright white, a rosé, a bright red, a richer-heavier red and a wild-card. Our bubbles have historically been made in a method-ancestrale style – a bottle fermentation – resulting in a delicate bubble and hazy pour. This allows us to release a house-made, Santa Barbara maritime farmed bubble in a crown-cap with minimal touches at an under $34/$38 price point. A fresh, fun bubble intended to be consumed in <8 years.

This is tricky. While there is no technical blanket definition for this for many, the term natural means organically and/or biodynamically farmed with no commercial products. I do not consider our wines to be natural in that we do not subscribe to biodynamics and that we are achieving sustainability not organic farming on all vineyards. I don’t personally subscribe to biodynamics. Mouse pelt powder to mitigate rodents? No thank you. Owl boxes to encourage natural predators? Yes please. Composting and cover cropping – absolutely. I’m 100% into responsible farming on our property in Ballard and for fruit comprising our wines and cider. I’m happy to use commercial yeast in certain situations and don’t want that term to define every single wine we make. Native is not always a safe practice to ensure healthy fermentations. While we appreciate native in many cases, we inoculate with yeast in others. It is a case-by-case basis. We, like most small producers exercise minimal intervention in our winemaking. Currently all of our bubbles – Grenache Rosé, Prickly Pear Cider and Blanc Au Blanc Chardonnay bubbles are all fermented in bottle without sulfur (San Soufre) specifically because that would inhibit the yeast that we need STRONG to complete a healthy fermentation. The intention behind our still wine lower-sulfur ads is that we want these wines expressive, flavorful and aromatic when we release them because so many drink them immediately. We think sulfur is great but feel it’s impact can negatively impact the aromas and flavors of our wines in the short run. Our wines are intended to be consumed on the younger side. For our window of consumability, we rely on monitoring our wine grapes, selecting pick dates that work for both grape and wine ripeness – ripe, delicious flavors, stem lignification (for carbonic), seed ripeness, pH, TA, all in consideration with the impending season the weather and picking window is considered – an overall sense of completion.

Generally we recommend consuming our wines in <7 years from purchase. We are known for producing bright, fresh, vibrant – lively wines that possess a lot of verve, are lower in alcohol and in sulfur – a preservative. Our winemaking intention is to produce wines that highlight primary – fresh fruit found in fresh grapes. These essences can ‘blow-off’ with a delayed wine consumption window becoming more tertiary – dried fruit, dried floral – not bad, just different and not necessarily our preferred showcasing for these wines. We recommend our bubbles, bright white and bright red wines be consumed in <7 years from vintage, that our heavier reds be consumed in <10 years. The tannins tend to protect these bigger wines from oxidation but our intention is for the consumer to enjoy the fresh fruit and floral notes that we strive to preserve in our winemaking.

People join wine clubs for a number of reasons – some of the most popular reasons are to ensure an allocation of wine from a winery that produces a style of wine they hope to see more of. In exchange for the purchase commitment, wine club members are often rewarded with complimentary tastings at the tasting room, volume-based purchase and loyalty discounts, access to library and petite-production fermentations that are not available to the general public, discounts to events open to the public as well as members-only events like our annual dock party.

There is no membership fee or costs of any kind to be a wine club member.

Yes, our wine club is 100% customizable – you select the bottles you wish to drink and share with friends. 100% red, white, rose, bubbles or cider is totally fine.

In June of 2025 we moved to an online platform that allows our club members the ease of logging in to an online portal to make a purchase. Here you can check your previous purchase history, purchase your preferred bottles. You can also call, text or email your preference in to us. We are always happy to have a conversation about the types and styles of wines you are most interested in purchasing. Drop us a line here with a time that you’d prefer to be contacted: 805.691.1200 / guzzle@dreamcotewines.com.

We require that a member take 3 shipments before cancelling the membership. This is to match the discounts and perks intended only for members who are purchasing above the stated threshold of your membership tier. If this is not met, please expect an early cancellation charge of $75.

Please see our membership grid above for specific details by tier. We have 4 club tiers that ship 3x a year – a 4-bottle, a 6-bottle and a 12-bottle. Each tier corresponds with the ability to fully customize your shipment, a corresponding loyalty discount, complimentary tastings in our rural Los Olivos tasting room, discounts to events open to the public and access to members only events like our annual dock party in the Santa Barbara Harbor aboard our 1980 Grand Banks Classic.

Absolutely! Happy to help. If you’d prefer not to see an ongoing charge, our Fleur Sauvage (Wildflower Club) is a great option. Drop us a line here with a time that you’d prefer to be contacted: 805-691-1200 / guzzle@dreamcotewines.com.

Absolutely. All members have the ability to customize their preferred method of receipt – pickup or ship. We also know that things change and that flexibility in anything is the way to go. You can modify your preferred method within your client portal online, OR by sending us an email. Please note that due to the size of our tasting room and the complications that can arise with wine being held, we are unable to hold wines longer than 45 days from the official release. Wines held to 45 days will be placed on auto-shipment. It is our responsibility to get the wine to the contract club member on file and it is the responsibility of the client to ensure they have an adult located at the ship-to address for signing.

Yes and no. You can absolutely come to events and to the tasting room together, but we need a main number on file.

Absolutely! You are welcome to taste through, selecting all 3 shipments at one time, receiving your discount at that time, complimentary tastings at that time while expecting to see that discount against any future purchases – should you wish to purchase more, as well as receiving your complimentary tastings, access to members only wines and events throughout the year. We will be sure to mark that all shipments have been released to you. It is important to note that wines are bottled throughout the year and will be made available to all members as they become ‘ready’ for release. This means that you will still receive the emails regarding the availability – BUT – you will be under no obligation to purchase.

According to the government, this is absolutely a requirement. This requirement means that we must list ‘adult signature required’ at an additional shipping cost to us on your shipment. UPS is in charge of the policing of this. What they do is beyond our purview.

UPS guarantees 3 delivery attempts to ensure you get your wine. We email club members with the release dates and the mandatory ship dates of wine not picked up – 45 days after official release. Please note that we release wines in January, April and October to avoid shipping in the hot months.

Dreamcôte Los Olivos is open from 11a-5pm Thursday through Monday for take-away purchases, and are happy to offer both Indoor and Outdoor still and sparkling wine tastings. We also offer wines by the bottle and glass for onsite consumption.

Still wine tastings are $25 and take anywhere from 45-60 minutes depending on the pace you choose to set. The still flight consists of 5-6 wines. The sparkling flight consists of 3-4 sparkling wines with larger, 2oz pours, and is accompanied by an individual portion of sea salt kettle ships to showcase the bright and vibrant flavors of the wine.

Absolutely – but this is subject to availability and reservation. We recommend sending an email to guzzle@dreamcotewines.com with your party size, date, and time preference. At the tasting room in Los Olivos, we have 2 tables that are perfect for parties of 6+ persons. The Los Olivos patio can comfortably seat 12 and can also reserve the entirety of the indoor space for a private group with advanced notice (up to 20). For private boat tastings in Santa Barbara, we can accommodate parties up to a total of 20 persons for a “dock party” style event – (8-10 under the upstairs bimini cover), indoors in the salon (6 persons), back decking (6), front bow (6). The farm can seat 18 at our picnic table outdoors under the arbor. Shoot us an email and let’s talk about what would be best for you and your group.

Absolutely. We ask that foods with scents be eaten outside (eggs, tuna, onions, anything aromatic) to avoid lingering smells in a space we work hard to keep scent-free for the purposes of wine evaluation.

Obedient, quiet and friendly dogs welcomed in Los Olivos indoors and out! Your dog must not be aggressive toward humans or other animals to hang in our space. We are not able to accommodate dogs on the boat or at the farm at this time.

Absolutely. All humans welcome at all locations. Please note that it is the responsibility of the parent to provide weight and age-appropriate life vests to all minors. We do not take the boat out into the open ocean – we remain in dock. The railings are minimal and require that the utmost attention and care be exercised. Both the farm and the boat present outdoor hazards that we are unable to safeguard. Please exercise caution knowing you are accepting full liability upon arrival.

All good. We are HAPPY to serve. We always have a few flavors of sparkling wine onsite available for purchase. We always have serve filtered tap water. We often have seasonal non-alcoholic (as well as alcoholic spritz options) available for purchase. To ensure your standards are met, please note this in an email to use along with your date and time of tasting.

We are admittedly light on snacks for purchase. We have Utz chips in 2 flavors – sea salt & salt & vinegar. Feel free to bring your snacks IN.

Sure thing! First – tell us more about your friend, boss, coworker, colleague, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. Call us or email us at 805.691.1200 / guzzle@dreamcotewines.com While our online options showcase ongoing memberships, we are happy to offer one-time club shipments, farm and ocean experiences for friends, loved ones and garden and ocean enthusiast buddies!

No! We keep the boat docked in Marina 1, in Santa Barbara. We will not be taking the boat out for a wine-tasting cruise combo – ever. Most people think they like the ocean and when we go out, they turn a specific shade of green. We find that keeping the boat in the harbor provides a more pleasant experience for all. This is a great way to enjoy a unique maritime view while wine tasting.

We take the boat out all summer long before harvest hits. Ryan and Brit are avid divers and very much enjoy freediving and sea foraging at the islands. We do not offer this experience to the public. If you want to start diving, we recommend checking these guys out: Sann Luis Obispo (www.slooceancurrents.com) Santa Barbara: (www.blueh20.com). 1st – get your open water and advanced certification – not required but a really smart plan so that you can understand safe protocols for diving. Dive with well-trained and prepared guides. Trial gear. Buy gear. See where you went wrong and buy better gear. Keep diving. Take Island Packers out to the Channel islands – the least frequented national park! (www.islandpackers.com)

Kids and well-behaved/friendly/non-aggressive dogs are 1000% welcome at the tasting room in Los Olivos. Unfortunately, we are not able to allow dogs at the farm or the boat at this time. Kids are welcome at both the farm and the boat but must be monitored by a legal guardian at ALL times. Please note that it is the responsibility of the parent to provide weight and age-appropriate life vests to all minors. We do not take the boat out into the open ocean – we remain in dock. The railings are minimal and require that the utmost attention and care be exercised. Both the farm and the boat present outdoor hazards that we are unable to safeguard. Please exercise caution knowing you are accepting full liability upon arrival.

We are available to answer questions quickly Thursday through Monday from 11-5 via email: guzzle@dreamcotewines.com, phone and text: 805.691.1200. We are a bit slower to answer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as those are our weekend days, but we try! We are also very responsive via Instagram message.