Our Jewelbox Cottages in Pacific Grove are at the gateway of California's Central Coast wine region. Here are top spots for wine tasting in our area. Dialing up the distance just gives you more spots to stop at.
Hahn Wineries , Salinas Valley
Pictured above, Hahn's tasting room overlooks a glorious vista, all the way out to the Santa Lucia Highlands and Pinnacles National Park.
They offer two tastings that cost $15 each and include five tastes: the winery selection tasting or the legacy tasting. You can also mix and match if you'd like to taste a few wines from the other menu, and they waive the tasting fee is waived if you buy two bottles.
Hahn is well-known for their Pinot Noir, as is the entire Central Coast, popularized by the movie Sideways. For Pinot Blanc lovers, Hahn has a Noir Blanc that is so popular, it frequently sells out.
They also serve food and are dog-friendly.
Odonata Winery, Salinas Valley
Tastings happen in Odonata’s farm-themed barrel-shaped room and an outdoor patio, with a new gas fire pit. No-reservations required for weekend tastings from noon to 5pm.
The tasting fee is just $10 tasting fee for a selection of six to nine wines, but is waived when you buy a bottle. Their wines range from a dry, sparkling Riesling to deep, dark reds like Peitie Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Malbec, Grenache, Sangiovese, and possibly a Durif from time to time.
A special offering to look for is their magnum of Petite Syrah, which is just $65! It makes a great gift of special bottle to open among friends.
Folktale Winer, Carmel Valley
Located in the lush , luxurious Carmel Valley, Folktale has indoor and outdoor seating and operate like a restaurant, with plush seating and lots of tables. The Margherita flatbread is highly recommended.
The ambiance feels like you've been transported to a little magical fairytale land far, far away.
They offer two types of flights: the Folktale Flight ($25) and the Reserve Flight ($40). And they greet you with a taste of their Brut Rose as you enter the tasting room.
This would be a good one to try at the end of the day because they pour until 9pm.
Their patio is dog-friendly patio and they have music. Check their calendar for the happenings of the day you’ll be going.
Wrath Wines
Wrath has two locations where you can try and buy wine: a tasting room in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, which is on Carmel’s Wine Walk, and a tasting room at the vineyard, which is down the valley and has a beautiful pond.
For $10, you get a taste of 4 wines. For $20, you get one of two preset flights or you can have them choose five wines for you.
Both are pet-friendly and at the tasting room, the cheese plates are love-love-loved. Their Pinot Noir is often hailed as one of the best in the area. Dog friendly.
(The pic by the ocean was not taken at the tasting room in town or at the winery, but you can recreate it with a locally produced wine of your choice!)
Explore More
Check out Carmel's Wine Walk to combine wine tasting with an afternoon in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which is a 10-minute drive from the Jewelbox Cottages.
Recommended by our guests: The Wine House in Carmel Valley Village, because there are three tasting places together, there.
Monterey County has 82 wineries to explore. And if you want to go further, Paso Robles is a great day-trip.
We Won't Force You to Pay Hotel Rates, Despite Attempts to Ban Home Rentals in PG
Because Jewelbox Cottages is our family's forever-home, we want you to know that even though an activist group pf Pacific Grove residents and our local hotels and bed-and-breakfasts are scheduled to bring in a ban on home rentals intended to force visitors to pay our high hotel rates, we will always rent to you.
So follow this blog, stay in touch with me and other homeowners who still believe you have a right to visit our marine paradise – no matter your gender, race or creed – and that you shouldn’t be forced into pay ransom to a hotel to do so.
We will always share our home with you, your friends and family and anyone who wishes to visit. Check out our Jewelbox Cottages and contact Mel to plan your next stay on Monterey Bay.
