New vineyard opens on historic ranch in Santa Ynez Valley

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif. - It’s the newest Buellton wine tasting and dining option situated on a historic ranch.

"The property's been here since the 1800s it was part of a larger ranch. It was 55 hundred acres originally," said owner Jimmy Loizides of Vega Vineyard.

Loizides says opening The Vega Vineyard and Farm was a lifetime in the making.

Visitors are bound to make friends at his animal farm.

"We have a pony, we have a Scottish bull. We have Nigerian dwarf goats and dwarf sheep and some llamas. We want a place for kids to come out and interact with the animals and feed the animals. But turns out the adults are just as interested as the kids are in feeding all the animals. So you’re not just wine tasting, you're wine tasting, eating lunch, walking around the property, going for a hike you see the animals," said Luizides.

While seeing a bull or a llama may not be your typical winery experience, Loizides says it's standard here.

"A place where you can connect to your food and your food source … it’s home for me I was born and raised in Zymbabwa, South Africa so this is all normal to me."

"The animals are great and the llamas they are in there and the chickens, the eggs that we get to use. We’ve got a dish on the menu … they wanted to put deviled eggs so we’re lucky to use farm fresh eggs for every ingredient they we have there," said chef Erik Thurman of Vega Vineyard and Farm.

Loizides says the big highlight at this vineyard is customers get to experience wine with a wide range of food options.

"It’s hyper farm to table … huge garden organic dynamic … menu incorporates all those items on almost every single dish," said wine ambassador Aaron Warren of Vega Vineyard and Farm.

In addition to offering a wine and dine experience, Loizides hopes to educate kids in the community.

"We're going to be doing education things, cooking classes, having kids come through and do agricultural education and things like that," said Thurman.