OK. Who's been and has intel on the best wineries to visit? I've been once, but the wife was knocked up and we couldn't do any wine tours. I've got a bead on a bunch of it, but if you got experience on tour/tasting side please chime in.

good question, I'm not sure of any actually that close to Monterey.

lots of bad juice around there, although there is some good stuff.

Funky Town Bear said:

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OK. Who's been and has intel on the best wineries to visit? I've been once, but the wife was knocked up and we couldn't do any wine tours. I've got a bead on a bunch of it, but if you got experience on tour/tasting side please chime in.

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It's a great area for vacation - beautiful, great weather, and good food, but I thought the wineries were just ok.

My favorite of the ones we visited was Galante in Carmel. A nice cabernet sauvignon.

Just up the road from there, Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley was decent and fun. I wore a Baylor shirt and it turns out the manager was a Baylor grad. We had a nice chat and ended up with a complimentary magnum bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Who would have thought my Baylor gear was my ticket to free alcohol?

Talbott Vineyards in Carmel Valley does a very nice Chardonnay, the Sleepy Hollow. Gallo bought them a year or two ago and I haven't been there or tried their wines since then.

Jouillian, also in Carmel Valley, is in a very pretty setting. Their Highland chardonnay is very good.

How far is Santa Cruz to drive? Few good places and vineyards there

bularry said:

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How far is Santa Cruz to drive? Few good places and vineyards there

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Santa Cruz isn't that far, but I'd rather spend time going south towards Big Sur.

Funky Town Bear said:

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bularry said:

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How far is Santa Cruz to drive? Few good places and vineyards there

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Santa Cruz isn't that far, but I'd rather spend time going south towards Big Sur.

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yeah, understand that. is hwy 1 open down through Big Sur? They had a huge landslide not too long ago somewhere in that area.

Last summer we went as a family to Cali. Made the drive from San Fran down to central coast. Loved the Hwy 1 drive. We stopped 4 or 5 times to take pics and climb down to the coast. Great time.

I would go to Carmel Valley, I think there are some tasting rooms there. Probably a fun place to go and eat/drink for vacation.

bularry said:

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Funky Town Bear said:

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bularry said:

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How far is Santa Cruz to drive? Few good places and vineyards there

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Santa Cruz isn't that far, but I'd rather spend time going south towards Big Sur.

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yeah, understand that. is hwy 1 open down through Big Sur? They had a huge landslide not too long ago somewhere in that area.

Last summer we went as a family to Cali. Made the drive from San Fran down to central coast. Loved the Hwy 1 drive. We stopped 4 or 5 times to take pics and climb down to the coast. Great time.

I would go to Carmel Valley, I think there are some tasting rooms there. Probably a fun place to go and eat/drink for vacation.

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Carmel Valley is a nice little town. There are probably 7-10 tasting rooms there. It's only about 10 miles off of Highway 1. The drive on down highway 1 is gorgeous. Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, etc. Can't speak to Larry's comment about landslide effect. Don't know how far down you're going, but on further south, past Big Sur, Hearst Castle is cool and Moro Bay and San Luis Obispo are nice, and there is a ton of wine activity around Paso Robles.

forza orsi said:

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bularry said:

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Funky Town Bear said:

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bularry said:

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How far is Santa Cruz to drive? Few good places and vineyards there

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Santa Cruz isn't that far, but I'd rather spend time going south towards Big Sur.

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yeah, understand that. is hwy 1 open down through Big Sur? They had a huge landslide not too long ago somewhere in that area.

Last summer we went as a family to Cali. Made the drive from San Fran down to central coast. Loved the Hwy 1 drive. We stopped 4 or 5 times to take pics and climb down to the coast. Great time.

I would go to Carmel Valley, I think there are some tasting rooms there. Probably a fun place to go and eat/drink for vacation.

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Carmel Valley is a nice little town. There are probably 7-10 tasting rooms there. It's only about 10 miles off of Highway 1. The drive on down highway 1 is gorgeous. Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, etc. Can't speak to Larry's comment about landslide effect. Don't know how far down you're going, but on further south, past Big Sur, Hearst Castle is cool and Moro Bay and San Luis Obispo are nice, and there is a ton of wine activity around Paso Robles.

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Been down that direction previously and love it. I was pondering doing a day down at Paso Robles since they have such great stuff.

Paso is a decent drive from Monterey. I much preferred SLO as a town over Paso if you are willing to drive that far

bularry said:

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Paso is a decent drive from Monterey. I much preferred SLO as a town over Paso if you are willing to drive that far

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I agree that SLO is nicer as a town. Paso has more wineries and tasting rooms if that's the goal, but SLO is a pretty town.

I'd you're a fan of Mediterranean food, Demetria's in downtown Carmel is some of the best Medi in the country.