California Wine Pilgrimage

Restaurant 1833
This adobe building, originally constructed in 1833, is now the place to eat applewood-smoked sturgeon with chicken-skin crumble and other comforting, playful dishes from F&W Best New Chef 2011 Jason Franey. Bernabe de Luna’s wine list offers dozens of local choices (Pisoni Estate, Pelerin) as well as wines from some of the best producers in Europe. 500 Hartnell St., Monterey; restaurant1833.com.

Aubergine
F&W Best New Chef 2013 Justin Cogley is an obsessive forager, as evidenced by his new eight-course tasting menu. Genius combinations, like abalone with fermented lettuces, are brilliantly presented on handcrafted plates tailor-made for each dish. Sommelier Nathaniel Muñoz matches Cogley’s delicate flavors with grower Champagnes (Egly-Ouriet, Marie Courtin) and premier cru Burgundy. Monte Verde St. and 7th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea; auberginecarmel.com.

Il Grillo
Emanuele and Anna Bartolini opened this new casual spot a block from their excellent La Balena. This small place is open for pastries in the morning, cheese and salumi (some made in-house, some in Italy) at lunch, and chef Brad Briske’s fantastic crudos and handmade pastas in the evening. Mission St. between 4th Ave. and 5th Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea; ilgrillocarmel.com.

Soif Wine Bar & Merchants
This Santa Cruz bar has quietly become the unofficial tasting room for many of the area’s new, exciting little producers—Birichino, Le P’tit Paysan, Trail Marker, Rhys and Roar. 105 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz; soifwine.com.

Jeninni Kitchen & Wine Bar
Veteran sommelier Thamin Saleh has filled his wine list with European favorites, as well as wines he’s making himself with local fruit. Chef Jeffrey Weiss, a José Andrés disciple, creates matches inspired by the Mediterranean rim. 542 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove; jeninni.com.

Carmel Valley Ranch
Newly renovated with 30 additional treetop suites, this property gives guests myriad reasons to leave their rooms. Sommelier Dave Eriksen leads classes on tasting wine like an expert; the resident farmer gives ranch tours that include a stop at the chicken coop; and the outdoor spa is in the middle of a Pinot Noir vineyard. Doubles from $455; 1 Old Ranch Rd., Carmel Valley; carmelvalleyranch.com.

Bernardus Lodge
This winery resort surrounded by 28 acres of vineyards and lavender fields has just undergone a massive renovation. Many rooms now have garden patios, the new spa hosts yoga classes in the moonlight, and its new restaurant, Lucia, has an epic heated outdoor terrace where guests can pair dishes like smoked duck stew with Bernardus’s own Pinot Noir. Doubles from $515; 415 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley; bernarduslodge.com.

Ember Restaurant
Brian Collins attained superhero status for his pizzas at Full of Life Flatbreads in Los Alamos. So when he left to open Ember in his hometown, Arroyo Grande, fans followed. While he’s still making pizza, he’s also using his open-air grill and wood-fired oven for dishes like lamb chops with blistered cherry tomato salsa and crispy Monterey Bay squid. The local focus extends to the bar, where 18 taps pour beer from nearby breweries. 1200 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande; emberwoodfire.com.

Bob’s Well Bread
Bob Oswaks left a career as an executive at Sony Pictures Television to open this bakery in a vintage automobile service station. People drive up from L.A. for his naturally fermented miche, Provençal olive bread and five-seed multigrain. 550 Bell St., Los Alamos; bobswellbread.com.

Bell Street Farm
This restaurant and market in a former bank building is a go-to for picnic necessities like smashed potato and pancetta salad, rotisserie chicken and pork sandwiches. It also offers tastings of local Santa Ynez Valley wines. 406 Bell St., Los Alamos; bellstreetfarm.com.

Field Recordings
An old industrial area of Paso Robles has evolved into Tin City, where the corrugated metal buildings are now home to a brewery, a distillery and 14 wineries. One winery, Field Recordings, has a new tasting room for the wines Andrew Jones makes from some of the Central Coast’s oldest vineyards. Jones is now selling his delicious Fiction Red, a Zinfandel blend, in 16-ounce tallboy beer cans—giving a whole new meaning to the name Tin City. 460 Marquita Ave., Paso Robles; fieldrecordingswine.com.

Halter Ranch
The soon-to-open new tasting room here will sit at the top of the gravity-fed winery, overlooking the vineyards. On weekends, the owners offer tours through the 23,000 square feet of cellars, ending with a tasting of the Rhône-style reds. 8910 Adelaida Rd., Paso Robles; halterranch.com.

Alamo Motel
Kenny Osehan and Chris Sewell (a.k.a. Shelter Social Club) have spent the past 10 years reimagining old motels across Southern California. Their newest property has an appropriate cowboy-style vibe with lots of wood, leather and old brass. Doubles from $99; 425 Bell St., Los Alamos; rememberthealamomotel.com.

SY Kitchen
Brothers Luc and Francesco Crestanelli are using Southern California’s exceptional produce to make outstanding Italian dishes, like wild mushroom pappardelle and minestrone soup. Behind the bar, Alberto Battaglini (the Crestanellis’ elementary school classmate) smashes pineapple and basil into margaritas best consumed in the restaurant’s new open-air courtyard. 1110 Faraday St., Santa Ynez; sykitchen.com.

Santa Barbara Public Market
This year-old market is making downtown Santa Barbara a food destination with the all-organic Belcampo Meat Co.; Crazy Good Bread from mother-daughter duo Bettie Miller and Rossell Studer; and Rori’s Artisanal Creamery, which makes some of the best ice cream on the coast. 38 W. Victoria, Santa Barbara; sbpublicmarket.com.

Domaine de la Cote
At their Santa Rita Hills winery, the great Sashi Moorman and star sommelier–turned–winemaker Rajat Parr make three single-vineyard Pinots. Their new Lompoc tasting room shares space with Moorman’s Piedrasassi wines and bread bakery. 1501 E. Chestnut Ave., Lompoc; domainedelacote.com.

Longoria
Once, if you wanted to sample Santa Rita crusader Rick Longoria’s Pinots, you went to an off-site, cottage-like tasting room in Los Olivos. But now you can also try them at the winery in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. 415 E. Chestnut Ave., Lompoc; longoriawine.com.

Samsara
Winemakers Chad and Mary Melville produce beautiful Pinots and Syrahs for their small-production Samsara label. Their new Los Olivos tasting room is in a teeny building next to an art gallery. Mary designed the space with a sandstone Buddha in the entryway to exude calm. 2466 Almo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos; samsarawine.com.

Santa Barbara Wine Collective
Located in the Funk Zone art district, this pretty new tasting room pours wines from great producers like Sandhi, Qupé, Fess Parker, Babcock and the Paring. Winemakers often teach classes, too. 131 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; santabarbarawinecollective.com.

The Landsby Hotel
Danish pioneers found their way to Solvang in the early 1900s and stayed. This new 41-room hotel pays tribute with a Scandinavian aesthetic. A full-time wine concierge tailors tasting itineraries. Doubles from $225; 1576 Mission Dr., Solvang; thelandsby.com.

The Goodland Hotel
Pool parties, complete with duck floats, often break out at this new surf-themed hotel. There are weavings on the walls, record players on the bureaus and surf catalogs on the nightstands. At its Outpost restaurant, fish tacos and the Pool Shark cocktail on tap keep the party going. Doubles from $149; 5650 Calle Real, Goleta; thegoodland.com.