Before he ever made a bottle, Doug Margerum had already tasted more great wine than most winemakers ever will. For decades he ran the Wine Cask, the Santa Barbara restaurant and wine shop that was the beating heart of the local scene, pouring the world’s finest bottles night after night. When he finally made his own, he knew exactly what he was reaching for.

A restaurateur’s palate, in a bottle

Doug Margerum founded Margerum Wine Company in 2001, channeling a lifetime of comparative tasting into wines built around the Rhone Valley and the south of France. The house is best known for its Syrah and the M5 red blend, a Rhone-style blend of five grapes, alongside the Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc and a crisp, bone-dry, Provencal-style rose that helped make serious rose a Santa Barbara fixture. The estate fruit comes from warm Happy Canyon, and the wines carry a sense of proportion and drinkability you would expect from someone who has spent his life at the table.

Thirty years of tasting the world’s best wines is its own kind of apprenticeship.

The wines

Margerum is a Rhone house with a Provencal accent. The Syrah and the M5 blend are savory and balanced rather than heavy, the Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc is bright and textural, and the rose is the real calling card: pale, dry, and refreshing in the classic southern-French style, a wine made for a warm afternoon and a table full of food.

What to drink it with

The Syrah and M5 are built for the grill: Santa Maria tri-tip, lamb, or a peppercorn steak, where the wine’s spice and dark fruit meet the char. The Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc loves goat cheese, oysters, or a salad dressed in lemon, and the rose is made for charcuterie, a salade nicoise, or simply the sunshine.

Plan your visit

Margerum pours in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, an easy stop on the city’s walkable wine scene near the waterfront and the Funk Zone. It is one of the most polished and welcoming tasting rooms in town.

Frequently asked questions