» CA.WINE COUNTRY
Soda Tasting Flight is suitable for
visitors 8 and up and includes a bag of
gourmet popcorn and a bottle of root
beer to take home.
2 8 2 013 travel guide to c al i fo r n ia
A TASTE OF Monterey
Wine Visitors' Center
on Monterey's
Cannery Row offers a
tasting room with
a view, right.
» FIND
A WINERY
GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE
californiawineryadvisor.com
WINERIES & VINEYARDS
Northern California Coast
robertmondavi.com
beringer.com
sterlingvineyards.com
themadrones.com
garagistehbg.com
meteorvineyard.com
farella.com
sodarowines.com
caldwellvineyard.com
quivirawine.comferrari-carano.com
Sierra Foothills
boegerwinery.com
sobonwine.com
amadorcellars.com
terrerougewines.com
twistedoak.com
Central Coast: Monterey
atasteofmonterey.com
Paso Robles
peachycanyon.com
greywolfcellars.com
jlohr.com
tablascreek.com
pithywine.com
Santa Lucia Highlands
talbottvineyards.com
mersoleilvineyard.com
hahnestates.com
Southern California & Central Valley:
Temecula
cougarvineyards.com
robertrenzonivineyards.com
Santa Barbara
jaffurswine.com
Lodi
bergholdvineyards.com
michaeldavidwinery.com
TASTING ROOMS
themadrones.com
garagistehbg.com
pithywine.com
atasteofmonterey.com
TOURS
sunriderwinetours.com
WINERY ASSOCIATIONS
Coombsville Winery Members
coombsvillenapa.org/Members.html
Temecula Wineries
temeculawines.org/wineries-vineyards
Sierra Foothills
eldoradowines.org/wineries.html
Sonoma Wine Road Association
wineroad.com
A TASTE OF MONTEREY; MELISSAF84
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA &
CENTRAL VALLEY
Santa Barbara, Santa Rita Hills,
Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos,
Temecula, Lodi, Madera, Clarksburg
The coastal region of Southern
California includes the Santa Barbara,
Santa Rita Hills and Santa Ynez Valley
growing regions, with Santa Ynez Valley
becoming the poster child for wine
tourism since the 2004 film Sideways
confirmed its status as a Pinot Noir hot
spot (or cool spot, as Pinot grapes don't
take well to too much heat). Downtown
Santa Barbara has a handful of tasting
rooms that are within walking distance
of each other, and an urban winery,
Jaffurs Wine Cellars, producing Rhone
varietals with grapes sourced from Santa
Barbara county vineyards.
Zinfandel grows well in the Central
Valley, a major agricultural region that
runs down the middle of the state from
Sacramento to Bakersfield. Two favorites
in Lodi are the Berghold Estate Winery
and Michael-David Winery, best known
for its 7 Deadly Zins blend.
Still emerging as a wine destination,
Southern California's mostly hot and
arid region is not as well developed as
points north, but Temecula in particular
is generating an ardent following for its
wines and sheer determination to grow
grapes in a challenging location. The
majority of wineries are grouped along
Rancho California and De Portola roads,
including the popular Cougar Winery
and Robert Renzoni that specialize in
Italian varieties.
For an unusual tasting experience,
Sunrider tours offers a Jeep safari
adventure through the vines of Temecula
including sampling of more than 18
different wines.
California is known for innovation and
imagination, so it's not too far fetched
to imagine the state's biggest attractions,
Hollywood and wine, collaborating to
create a fantasy Wineland. But until
that day, all you need to experience the
best of California wine is a map and the
interest. No E ticket required. CA