Warm weather attracts visitors to Santa Maria Valley wineries

SANTA MARIA, Calif, - Visitors are under the warm spell at Riverbench Vineyard and Winery in Santa Maria.

"We’re so lucky here on the central coast we have some of the best weather
in the world," said visitor Kathleen Bryson of the Riverbench Vineyard and Winery.

As the Central Coast continues getting warmer, the winery is getting busier.

"Well that’s great to get out and we’d be out here if it was cold too ha ha
ha," said visitor Reed Wagoner of the Riverbench Vineyard and Winery.

Managers at the winery say reservations are filling up.

"We’ve seen the sun and it hasn’t been too warm which is kind of nice ...
because when it gets too hot then it’s very difficult to serve people wine.
So having this nice weather is bringing people out in a good way and it’s
what we need right now," said hospitality director Danae Smith of the Riverbench Vineyard and Winery.

As the weather gets warmer, Smith says reservations are already filling up
this weekend.

"We will see people show up, especially if they made a reservation ... we don’t
see a lot of no-shows," said Smith.

"We’re just gonna enjoy some wine tasting then go out to lunch it’s a
beautiful day for it," said Wagoner.

"My hope is with the weather changing and warming up people will continue to
feel safe to come outside," said Smith.

If you are planning to visit a winery during the Super Bowl weekend,
managers highly recommend you make a reservation first.

In addition to increased business, the vineyard's growers say the warm weather will help the vines wake up from winter dormancy. 

They are expected to see bud break by next week. 

While rain is needed, growers believe the dry weather has allowed their crews to progress through pruning.

Right now, growers say Riverbench Vineyard and Winery is on schedule to finish pruning before bud break is anything significant.