Wine Tasting Along The Pacific Coast Highway California Travel Blog

“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles” – Tim Cahill

There is one magical all-American pastime that I was forced to love as a child and that was road-trips. I grew up driving around the U.S. in my dad’s 4-door sedan with my parents in the front seat, my two sisters, my brother and I squished in the back seat. It was annoying, frustrating, educational and fun, all at the same time. It helped built a bond between us that is inseparable and memories that till this day, we laugh about.

To no surprise, I had been dying to road-trip through the Pacific Coast Highway since 2002, when a good friend of mine moved to LA and introduced me to the beautiful California coast. During my trips to LA (Read about them here) I also learned about the wineries located all along the coast. I finally came to a realization that I can combine two of my favorite pass-times into one, road-tripping and wine tasting.

I’m lucky enough to have friends that are adventurous and love to travel and when we were trying to coordinate a trip to escape Chicago’s freezing temperatures, they jumped on my idea to wine taste through the Pacific Coast Highway.

The Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1, is a scenic drive that stretches approximately 752 miles from San Juan Capistrano in the south to Leggett in the north. It is the longest route in California and visited by over three million tourists a year.

To give you a perspective, we drove approximately 620 miles of this stretch. We started our adventure in LA and ended in the north part of wine country in Sonoma and Napa.

Before I jump into each stop, here is a quick list of some of the most notable landmarks along the Pacific Coast Highway.

LA
Malibu
Santa Barbara
Pismo Beach
Morro Bay
Cambria
San Simeon
Big Sur
Carmel By The Sea
Monterey
Santa Cruz
San Francisco

Road Trip Day 1 - Miles driven – approximately 103
LA —> Santa Barbara = 2.5 - 3 hours

We flew into LAX in the morning to conveniently pick up our rental car and start the drive to Santa Barbara before traffic built up. We rented a convertible to make the most of the coastal experience, but also because we’re fans of the movie, Thelma and Louise.

Santa Barbara is a popular tourist and resort destination with climate similar to the Mediterranean. The weather is always “kind of perfect” which has lead Santa Barbara to be known as the “American Riviera”. The city is large, therefore, I would recommend staying a few days if you can, but since we only had one day there, we chose one of the more popular areas in downtown to hang out, called The Funk Zone. This vibrant neighborhood is comprised of approximately 10 blocks adjacent to the ocean offering a mix of galleries, wineries and breweries. It’s perfect to walk around and hop to various tasting rooms without having to drive, all while enjoying the area’s murals and modern architecture. Just a heads up, most wine tasting rooms close between 6pm – 8pm. Unfortunately, we arrived close to 8pm and only made it to 1 tasting room, but no worries, most tastings open around 10am or 11am. So the next day we woke up early, walked the town some more and visited 2 more tasting rooms before we headed to our next destination.

If you have a bit more time, be sure to visit Santa Barbara Mission (a Spanish mission founded by the Franciscan order) and Stearns Wharf. The wharf was built in 1872 to serve ships and eventually became a naval installation. It’s currently one of the largest attractions in Santa Barbara with shops, restaurants and wine tasting rooms. The wharf is similar to a pier where it extends out into the ocean and connects to a great boardwalk lined with beautiful palm trees, art vendors, musicians and joggers. Find more info about it here.

We stayed in Santa Barbara in a hotel 10 minutes away from downtown to conveniently park our car and Uber to the tasting rooms (safety first). I highly recommend this because parking in downtown was not easy to find.

Here’s a quick list of the tasting rooms we enjoyed in The Funk Zone:

Lafond Winery - it has vineyards in the St. Rita Hills Appellation, an area renowned for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Paradise Springs Winery is the first bi-coastal winery in the United States with operations in both Santa Barbara, California and Virginia

Oreana Winery’s tasting room was once a old tire shop that has been turned into an electric location who focuses on Pinot Noir, Syrah and small batches of reds and refreshing whites

Corks n’ Crowns is a wine and beer tasting room located just across the main street from Stearns Wharf

Road Trip Day 2 - Miles driven, approximately 161, total 264
Santa Barbara —> Pismo Beach = Approx. 2.5 - 3 hours
Pismo Beach —> Morro = Approx. 30 – 40 minutes
Morro —> Cambria = Approx. 30 – 35 minutes

Pismo Beach is known for its beautiful beaches and coastline. It’s a laid back, family friendly town. If you’re traveling as a family and have kids, I recommend visiting The Monarch Butterfly Grove. It shelters monarch butterflies that migrate to Pismo State Beach in the cooler months. You can also visit Dinosaur Caves Park. It has trails with ocean views and a playground. Our stop in Pismo Beach was short; we just drove through the tiny town and stopped by the beach, pier and boardwalk to quickly see it. If I were traveling with my family, I would have stayed longer and enjoyed the nature it provides. You can read more about Pismo Beach here.

Our visit to Morro Bay was also short. We drove straight to Morro State Park where you find Morro Rock. It’s a 581-foot ancient volcanic plug formed by magma. There’s a causeway that connects it with the shore, making it a tied island and a harbor entrance landmark. It’s the last of the Seven Sisters, a chain of worn-down, ancient volcanos that lie between Morrow Bay and San Luis Obispo. The town itself is pretty laid back and popular for natural adventures. Make sure to visit Morro Bay Natural Estuary and State Park where you can visit the wetland, see the natural bay habitat, sail, fish, bird watch and even horse back ride. We did not go prepared to do those activities, but I’ll be sure to do them next time we visit. Source

Our final destination on day 2 of our road-trip was Cambria. It’s a quaint, seaside town and pretty walkable if you stay in the village. You will need a car if you choose to explore the outer areas such as Moonstone Beach, which has great coastline views or Leffinwell Landing where you can spot otters.

We arrived pretty late to Cambria, which was unfortunate because everything, with the exception of a couple of restaurants, closed around 6pm or 7pm. We were starving when we arrived, so we drove to the village (we were staying near Moonstone Beach) to eat at a highly recommended, fine dining, farm to table restaurant.

Our experience when we arrived at the restaurant was not what we had hoped. The atmosphere was very unwelcoming. It began with the staff when we arrived, but continued by those seated around us with uncomfortable stares. We brushed off the weird looks and after dinner, went to the only wine tasting room / restaurant that we found open. When we walked in we asked if the wine tasting was over and they said yes, then we asked if we could be seated at a table or at the bar to have a glass of wine and without hesitation, they said they had no space available for us, without an apology, or even an attempt to accommodate us. This was all very awkward and uncomfortable for us, so we decided to head to the liquor store, purchase some basic wine, and drink it in our hotel room instead. We did not leave Cambria with a good impression, and although it’s a cute city to visit, it needs to become a bit more welcoming and open minded with its visitors.

The boardwalk along Moonstone Beach, Cambria

If you have more time around this area, make sure to visit Hearst Castle. It’s William Randolph Hearst’s masterpiece. The publishing tycoon and his architect, Julia Morgan, started to build this fabulous estate on his ranch-land overlooking the village of San Simeon in 1919. He called the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" - Spanish for The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, the hilltop complex included a twin-towered main building, three sumptuous guesthouses, and 127 acres of terraced gardens, fountains, and pools.The castle is the largest historic house museums in the U.S. It’s so large you need a minimum of 3 hours to fully enjoy it. Make sure to schedule a tour in advance, walk the grounds and do the wine tasting there. I wish we had more time to visit it, but our next stop was waiting for us, Carmel By The Sea.

Road Trip Day 3 – Miles driven, approximately 101, total 365
Cambria —> Big Sur = Approx. 1.5 – 2 hours
Big Sur —> Carmel by the Sea = Approx. 35 – 40 minutes

Big Sur is a rugged stretch of California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon. Bordered to the east by the Santa Lucia Mountains and the west by the Pacific Ocean, it’s traversed by narrow, 2-lane State Route 1 (a.k.a Highway 1), known for winding turns, seaside cliffs and views of the often-misty coastline. The sparsely populated region has numerous state parks for hiking, camping and beachcombing. The drive through Big Sur provided the best views of the coastline. It was by far, my favorite part of the drive. Source

The winding road of the PCH along the coast near Big Sur

We loved Big Sur so much, we wanted to spend more time admiring its beauty and found an amazing restaurant with cliff views of the coast. It was a perfect place to eat, drink and unwind before we hit the road again to our final destination.

Starting the climb up to the restaurant and the views. Nepenthe restaurant stands on the site of The Log House, Big Sur, 808 feet above sea level.

We made it to the top of the Nepenthe Restaurant and were ready to enjoy a glass of wine and the views of Big Sur

At Nepenthe Restaurant enjoying the sun and views of Big Sur

The Phoenix was chosen as the standard of Nepenthe because of its significance and symbol of immortality

Carmel by the Sea was one of my favorite spots along our wine tasting road-trip. It provided exactly what we wanted, a beautiful old town full of friendly people and wine. It’s a small town with fairytale cottages, art galleries, a scenic beachside and plenty of wine tasting rooms. You cannot walk down any of Carmel’s streets without bumping into multiple wine tasting rooms, all providing amazing wines, primarily Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are native to that region. We stayed at a great hotel near the center of the town where we were able to park our car and walk to most of the tasting rooms in the area. This is highly recommended.

Out off all the tasting rooms we visited, below are the ones we enjoyed the most. Please visit me on Instagram to hear live interviews from these amazing locations.

Caraccioli Cellars – Founded in 2006, Caraccioli Cellars’ commitment is to only utilize Santa Lucia Highlands’ grapes. They aim to highlight the quality of their local Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes by producing fruit centric still wines, and Brut and Brut Rosé in their sparkling wine program. Source.

I highly recommended their Pinot Noir.

Interviewing Gary Caraccioli, President of Caraccioli Cellars. Visit me on Instagram to hear him share what makes Caraccioli Cellars the best.

Galante Vineyards – Established in 1994, Galante’s Vineyards philosophy is simple: grow the finest grapes possible and let the fruit express itself in the wine. Since all of their grapes are estate grown, each bottle of wine they produce embodies the characteristics of their unique region, exhibiting the natural flavors that are born from the land. Source

I recommended their 2013 Kick Ass Red Blend.

Galante Vineyards - visit me on instagram to hear my live explanation on why we loved this amazing winery

Dawn’s Dream Winery – Dawn Galante had a dream of producing approachable wines of exceptional quality and elegance. With the loving support of her husband, Jack Galante, yes he’s the owner of Galante Vineyards, her dream has come true. Born and raised in Michigan, Dawn traveled to California in 1985 where she built a life with Jack and their five children. We were really intrigued to hear that a husband and wife each had their own winery, and since we enjoyed Galante Vineyard’s wine so much, we had to stop by Dawn’s Dream Winery’s tasting room as well and it didn’t disappoint. Source

I recommend their Chardonnay and Rosè.

The logo of Dawn’s Dream Winery is a woman in a bathtub. It’s contributed to her husband’s answer when she asks “Honey, will you draw me a bath?” and he answers “Red or white?”

Albatross Ridge- The wines of Albatross Ridge offer an elegant meeting point between nature and nurture. Recognized for their vivid aromatics and varietal purity, these wines have earned an incredibly loyal following among sommeliers and collectors of great cool-climate California Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, using only organic and sustainable practices. Source

I recommend their Vintage 2015, Estate Chardonnay.

In addition to the tasting rooms, we also visited the historic Cypress Inn and had a great brunch. It offered a full bar and accepted credit cards, which not all restaurants in Carmel accept. The Cypress Inn is a pet-friendly, boutique hotel that opened in 1929. It’s owned by Doris Day, American actress, singer and animal welfare activist and Denny LeVett, renowned businessman.

If you’re looking for recommendations on where to stay in Carmel By The Sea, I recommend our hotel, Hotel Carmel (at the corner of 4th and San Carlos), which was the perfect walking distance to the town.

Road Trip Day 4 & 5 – Miles driven, approximately 190, total 555
Carmel By The Sea —> Sonoma = Approx. 2.5 – 3 hours
Sonoma —> Napa = Approx. 30 minutes

Sonoma is a historic city in northern California at the heart of the renowned Sonoma Valley winemaking region. It's known for its art galleries and the colonial Sonoma Plaza. Surrounding this plaza are winery tasting rooms, restaurants and cute boutiques, perfect for walking around. Seasonally, the square hosts a popular weekly farmer's market. Source

Our intention on day 4 was to walk the Sonoma Plaza since our hotel was located just a few minutes away. Unfortunately, it was pretty cold and raining hard, so instead, we took a short drive to Napa to visit The Village Napa Valley. It’s the new extension of The Meritage Resort & Spa that has 9 tasting rooms, a grocery store, a food & wine center and even a 16,000 square feet lawn for picnics and concerts. It was a perfect location for a rainy day. We got there close to 7pm and only had the opportunity to quickly walk the grounds and visit one of their tasting rooms, so a visit back is definitely required.

Gen 7 Wines is a rebirth of Brookside Winery, established in 1832 by a young French man named Theophile Vache. It was the oldest winery in California and sold by the family in the early 1980s. Tim Bacino and the recent generation came together to re… — Gen 7 Wines is a rebirth of Brookside Winery, established in 1832 by a young French man named Theophile Vache. It was the oldest winery in California and sold by the family in the early 1980s. Tim Bacino and the recent generation came together to reopen the winery as GEN 7. The name represents the next generation that will continue the family legacy. Learn about the family and Tim’s life journey of resurrecting their 180 year old family company, at GEN7Wines.com.

Day 5 was dedicated to the wineries in Sonoma. The ones we wanted to visit were conveniently located near our hotel and cheap to get to with Uber. Ride sharing services are very easy to get in both Sonoma and Napa, and are highly recommended to use if you want to jump around from winery to winery (safety first).

Ravenswood Winery - Our first stop was Ravenwood Winery. It started in 1976 and is known for its Zinfandels. Its motto is “No wimpy wines allowed”, meaning “the pursuit of full-throttle, full-flavored wines”. I will admit that I was not a fan of Zinfandels before I visited Ravenswood, but when I got introduced to their 2015 Lalanne – Mendocino County and 2016 Teldeschi Zinfandels, it completely changed my mind.

“No Wimpy Wines Allowed” at Ravenswood Winery

A really good Chardonnay at Ravenswood Winery, although their Zinfandels were my favorite

Buena Vista Winery– This winery is California’s first premium winery in Sonoma founded in 1857. It’s a historic landmark and home to their winery, tasting room and visitors center that offers a museum tour and show. We did the Historic wine museum tour and tasting and loved it. It included a walk through the winery, while you’re tasting wine and listening to its history from its real life count. Throughout the tour, the count shared his knowledge about the noble wines of this beautiful location, but specifically about Agoston Haraszthy. The first sherif of San Diego County who founded the winery in 1857. The wines at Buena Vista honor his pioneering legacy in law enforcement and wine growing, as well as all of those individuals who protect and serve our communities.

Ready to wine taste at Buena Vista Winery

The Sheriff. These bottles are dedicated to Agoston Haraszthy, the first sherif of San Diego County and who founded the winery in 1857. It was my favorite from those I tasted.

Taking a tour inside Buena Vista Winery with the count

The count leading us through the halls of Buena Vista Winery

Enjoying the beautiful grounds of Buena Vista Winery

Gundlach Bundschu Winery – This winery was established in 1858 and has strong German roots. Its grapes grow in a location called Rhinefarm, which provides a unique combination of steep hillsides and cool valley floor sites allowing them to grow a broad variety of wines at a high-quality level. They are known for their Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnays. The grounds of this winery are beautiful and very picturesque.

The entrance to Gundlach Bundschu Winery

Enjoying the wine tasting at Gundlach Bundschu Winery

Some of the great wines of Gundlach Bundschu Winery

If you’re looking for local places to eat in Sonoma, below are a couple of restaurants I recommended.

Girl and The Fig – https://www.thegirlandthefig.com

Harvest Moon Café - http://harvestmooncafesonoma.com

Road Trip Day 6 – Miles driven, approximately 65, total 620
Sonoma —> San Francisco Airport (SFO) = Approx. 1.5 – 2 hours

Day 6 was sad because it was the last day of our adventure. We woke up early and gave ourselves 3 hours to get from Sonoma to the San Francisco airport. Although the travel time usually says about 1.5 hours, don’t trust it! Make sure to account for the traffic in route to San Francisco, which is usually pretty bad. There are various ways to get to the airport, you can go back on Highway 1 or go through the Golden Gate Bridge or Oakland Bridge. To save time, I recommend going through one of the bridges, specially the Golden Gate Bridge if you have not driven it before. It’s a site to see!

Here is a recap of our amazing wine tasting road trip through the Pacific Coast Highway.

Day 1: LAX —> Santa Barbara
- Sleep in Santa Barbara
Day 2: Santa Barbara —> Pismo Beach —> Morro —> Cambria
- Sleep in Cambria
Day 3: Cambria —> Big Sur —> Carmel by the Sea
- Sleep in Carmel By the Sea
Day 4: Carmel by the Sea —> Sonoma —> Napa
- Sleep in Sonoma
Day 5: Sonoma
- Sleep in Sonoma
Day 6: Depart to San Francisco

If you enjoyed reading about our wine country road trip, you’ll also enjoy reading about our road-trip through Italy’s Tuscany region. It’s also filled with great recommendations: Italy: Discover, wine, history and Splendor in Tuscany and Rome.

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