Skip to content

Top Navigation

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Recipes & Cooking
  • Drinks
  • Travel
  • Holidays + Events
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Lifestyle
  • F&W Pro
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • F&W Classic Insiders this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Food & Wine

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Explore

    Explore

    • F&W Cooks

      F&W Cooks

      Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Read More
    • Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Read More
    • 50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Read More
  • Recipes & Cooking

    Recipes & Cooking

    See All Recipes & Cooking
    • Chicken
    • Comfort Food
    • Breakfast + Brunch
    • Salads
    • Desserts
    • Vegetables
    • Pasta + Noodles
    • Chefs
    • Meat + Poultry
    • Soup
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dishes
    • Fruits
    • Seafood
    • Special Diets
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Steal This Trick
  • Drinks

    Drinks

    See All Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Coffee
    • Juices
    • Beer
    • Champagne + Sparkling Wine
    • Tea
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    • Wine Regions
    • Restaurants
  • Holidays + Events

    Holidays + Events

    See All Holidays + Events
    • Valentine's Day
    • Halloween
    • Passover
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • Gifts
    • Super Bowl
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • New Year's Eve
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • News
  • F&W Classic

    F&W Classic

    See All F&W Classic
    • F&W Classic Insider
  • Video
  • Lifestyle
  • F&W Pro
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • F&W Classic Insiders this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. California Wine Pilgrimage

California Wine Pilgrimage

By Food & Wine Updated June 16, 2016
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet
California Wine Tour: The Goodland Hotel
Credit: © Silas Fallstich
The Central Coast is California’s next great wine destination. Take the F&W tour to see the best places to eat, drink, and stay.
Start Slideshow

1 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat

California Wine Tour: Restaurant 1833
Credit: Courtesy of Restaurant 1833

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.

  • Oregon Wines

1 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat

California Wine Tour: Aubergine
Credit: © Mirabel

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.

  • Best New Chef Recipes

2 of 21

3 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat

California Wine Tour: Il Grillo
Credit: Courtesy of Il Grillo

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.

  • Pasta Recipes

3 of 21

Advertisement

4 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Drink

California Wine Tour: Soif
Credit: © Cerise Boestrom

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.

  • Artisanal WInes

4 of 21

5 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Drink

California Wine Tour: Jeninni Kitchen
Credit: © Courtesy of Jeninni

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.

  • European Michelin Chefs

5 of 21

6 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Stay

California Wine Tour: Carmel Valley Ranch
Credit: © Erin Kunkel

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.

  • Farm to Table

6 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Stay

California Wine Tour: Bernardus Lodge
Credit: © Bernardus Lodge

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.

  • Pinot Noir Pairings

7 of 21

8 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat

California Wine Tour: Ember
Credit: © Kendra Aronson

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.

  • Best Pizza Places in the US

8 of 21

9 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat

California Wine Tour: Bob's Well Bread
Credit: © Duncan Dwelle

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.

  • America's Best Bread Bakeries

9 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat

California Wine Tour: Bell Street Farm
Credit: © Jen Curtis

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.

  • Picnic Baskets

10 of 21

11 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Drink

California Wine Tour: Field Recordings
Credit: © Randy Searcy

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.

  • Zinfandel Pairings

11 of 21

12 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Drink

California Wine Tour: Halter Ranch
Credit: © Joseph Dominguez

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.

  • Rhone-Style Wine Pairings

12 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Stay

California Wine Tour: Alamo Hotel
Credit: © Audrey Ma

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.

  • Cowboy Cuisine

13 of 21

14 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Eat

California Wine Tour: SY Kitchen
Credit: © Rob Stark Photography

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.

  • Best New Italian Restaurants

14 of 21

15 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Santa Barbara Public Market

California Wine Tour: Santa Barbara Public Market
Credit: © Kim Reierson

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.

  • World's Best Food Markets

15 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink

California Wine Tour: Domaine de la Cote
Credit: © Jeremy Ball

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.

  • Best Napa Wineries

16 of 21

17 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink

California Wine Tour: Longoria
Credit: © Jeremy Ball/Bottle Branding

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.

  • Pinot Grigio Pairings

17 of 21

18 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink

California Wine Tour: Samsara
Credit: © Jeremy Ball

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.

  • Syrah Pairings

18 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
California Wine Tour: Santa Barbara Wine Collective
Credit: © Erin Feinblatt

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.

  • World's Best Wine Tastings

19 of 21

20 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Stay

California Wine Tour: The Landsby Hotel
Credit: © David Tsay

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.

  • Hotels for Food Lovers

20 of 21

21 of 21

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Stay

California Wine Tour: The Goodland Hotel
Credit: © Silas Fallstich

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.

  • Fish Taco Recipes

21 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Food & Wine

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat
    2 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat
    3 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Eat
    4 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Drink
    5 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Drink
    6 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Stay
    7 of 21 From Santa Cruz to Carmel Valley: Stay
    8 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat
    9 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat
    10 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Eat
    11 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Drink
    12 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Drink
    13 of 21 From Paso Robles to Los Alamos: Stay
    14 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Eat
    15 of 21 Santa Barbara Public Market
    16 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink
    17 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink
    18 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Drink
    19 of 21
    20 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Stay
    21 of 21 From Lompoc to Santa Barbara: Stay

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Food & Wine

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Food & Wine
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithFood & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Food & Wine. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com

    Sign in

    View image

    California Wine Pilgrimage
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.