Skip Napa and Visit Carmel, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Instead
Carmel by the Sea, California
Skip Napa and visit Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz for wine? Ok, do I have your attention?
If you're a wine enthusiast and like to take an annual Napa Vacation, skip out on your Napa or Sonoma trip one year and give one of the other wine regions South of San Francisco a try. The wines in Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Los Gatos are really starting to make some waves in the wine community. With a heavy focus on Pinot Noir, earthy red wines and crisp and aromatic white wines and roses, there's something for every kind of wine drinker.
If you're like me and one of your favorite things about wine tasting is the atmosphere and ambiance, you won't be sacrificing scenery by trading in your Napa trip for a California Central Coast wine vacation. In fact, there are unique offerings that Napa and Sonoma can't provide for scenery including the crisp Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay air and beautiful ocean views. Not all wineries will be along the Ocean, but the region is along the coastline and if you visit Carmel By the Sea, there are around 20 tasting rooms that are within 5 minutes walk to the beach.
While working at Google a a while back, I attended one of the Wine Wednesday events and fell in love with the winery that hosted that week's event, Left Bend Winery. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of wine with the price-point. Left Bend is a Los Gatos and Santa Cruz based winery with vineyards along the Santa Cruz Mountains and with a tasting room in Los Gatos. I've been a wine club member since 2013.
Why else would you want to visit Carmel? What I’m about to say is no exaggeration… This Winery in Carmel by the Sea has my favorite Pinot Noir’s in the world, and when I order them on-sale, I get each bottle for under $35. For a wine drinker like me, that’s a deal. I’m willing to open an $80 bottle on a random Tuesday night. They always has the most friendly staff too and I just love visiting the tasting room. It’s also women owned, and the owner names each of her annual pinot noir releases after her three daughters. Check out the winery I’m talking about, by clicking the image below.
Visit Carmel… Really! Carmel by the Sea is one of the cutest places EVER! My Mom and I have gone there a few times, and it’s so fun getting a little buzz from day-drinking, then walking around shopping and eating great Italian food or Seafood. Monterey and Carmel have a huge Italian community as well.
I first visited Carmel By The Sea in 2011, and I fell in love with the charm and beauty that the art town had to offer. During that time, there was only one wine tasting room. I went back to visit Carmel in 2016 and there were nearly 20 wine tasting rooms. This is a testament to the wines getting recognition and gaining popularity.
In Santa Cruz, there's also a cute little wine tasting area that has 5-6 wine tasting rooms on top of the vineyards in the region that span the Santa Cruz Mountains and the valley. Los Gatos is a great stop-off on your way to Santa Cruz and Left Bend is there. Great for lunch and a wine tasting.
I hope I’ve provided a little bit of an argument for you to try another region, or at least to try the wines from Carmel by the Sea, Monterey, and Santa Cruz.
If you’re interested in a great hotel to stay on the cheap in the Monterey or Carmel region, I highly recommend The Best Western Inn & Suites Pacific Grove and you can read my review on it HERE. Seriously, I’m typically a 4 star gal, but I hate spending a lot of money on hotels a couple hours from home, so I found this little gem in Pacific Grove.
