Best wineries in California
In the last two years, we’ve traveled up and down the famous California Highway 1 over ten times. Most recently doing it on a bicycle. We often get asked what are the best wineries in California? Where are the best places to taste wine in California? With so many places to imbibe, we are listing our top picks for your next trip up and/or down the coast!
Starting from South to North
Santa Barbara
Our first stop is in Southern California, located just under an hour from LA (traffic permitting). We’re crazy for Santa Barbara’s cool climate wine coming from the Santa Rita Hills. Some of the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay in the state, if not the US.
Plus, because it doesn’t have the notoriety of Napa Valley or Sonoma, bottle prices are a good value. Throw in multiple bustling downtown scenes (Funk Zone and State St operating outdoors during COVID), delicious eateries and perfect weather, it’s no question that Santa Barbara deserves a few days on your coastal trip. Check out our city guide here.
Cambria
2 hours north lands us in a small quaint little surf town. This place is much more sleepy than Santa Barbara, but has a unique charm. Wine is pouring a plenty here, and the grapes grown locally have a lot more coastal influence than the bigger, more famous ones in neighboring Paso Robles.
While the wine has nothing on Santa Barbara, it’s still worth a stop for a night or two. Stay at the Rigdon House, eat at Robin’s and/or Indigo Moon and taste at Cayucos Cellars and Stolo Vineyards.
Big Sur
After Cambria, head north to one of the country’s most beautiful stretches — Big Sur. Make sure to download your maps ahead of time because cell phone service can be spotty at best.
A must stop for wine fans here is Nepenthe – a restaurant in Big Sur with an amazing view and an even better wine list. To be quite honest, we’re not huge fans of the food here — but this isn’t a food blog. Nepenthe carries over 400 wines and local treasures from the famed Gary’s and Pisoni vineyards.
There are several lodging options in Big Sur depending on your price point. On the high end, we recommend Post Ranch Inn and on the budget, check out Big Sur River Inn. Wherever you stay, make sure to take a few hours to enjoy the view here over a delicious bottle of a local vino.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Just north of Big Sur is a charming, fairy-tale-like town known as Carmel-by-the-sea. In addition to a flurry of shops, restaurants and hotels, there’s a plethora of tasting rooms within a short walking distance. Often overlooked compared to Sonoma, this collection of best wineries in California, ​with fruit
Via the downtown wine walk, you can sample from local regions including Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, Carmel Valley, Monterey and Watsonville; not exactly household names for those outside of California, but are deserving of some attention. We’ve lived in Carmel for a while and have a lot of recommendations — check out our complete guide here.
Sonoma Coast
Like Napa Valley, Sonoma County is massive, encompassing many Sub-AVA regions under its umbrella. Identifying your favorite regions can be a massive help when staring at a wine list or browsing a shop. We find the Sonoma Coast AVA to be the best.
If you’re a fan of Oysters, none better can be found than at the Marshall Store located in the beautiful Tomales Bay. Check out our full guide to Sonoma here.
California’s best small wineries
What are the best wineries in California? There are tons! We hope our suggestions give you a good start. But if you discover any that you feel are deserving to be on the list, give us a shout on Instagram or hello@thewinescribes.com!
