PhotoCredit @Albatross Ridge Wines
Along with scenic walks along the beach, unique shops, and whale watching, there’s one thing you absolutely must add to your list of things to do – visit Carmel-by-the-Sea wine tasting rooms!
Boasting some of California's best wine tasting rooms right here in Carmel, the wine tasting scene in downtown Carmel is not to be missed! Carmel lies only a few hours south of California’s more famous Napa wine country. However, between our Carmel Valley vineyards and our Carmel-by-the-Sea wine tasting rooms, we have plenty of great spots to choose from in our seaside haven.
Between Carmel Valley and Carmel-by-the-Sea, there are more than 20 local wineries and wine tasting rooms that are worth checking out. With the Carmel Wine Walk, Scratch Wines Carmel, and several other delicious wine tasting rooms, you’re sure to satisfy your inner, and maybe outer, sommelier.
One of the beautiful things about the wineries in Carmel is that they wear their dedication to sustainability as a badge of honor. Three of our wineries, each one boasting its own Carmel wine tasting room, are certified for Sustainability In Practice (SIP). They include some of the most celebrated local wineries and exemplify the wide variety of wines in our region.
In a few moments we’ll highlight two of the best wine tasting rooms in Carmel-by-the-Sea as we dive deeper into the details of what each winery offers in our beautiful seaside town of Carmel, California.
SIP Certified: A Vineyard Certification Program
promoting Sustainability-in-Practice
The organization called “SIP Certified” is committed to supporting the producers of high quality wines who exhibit dedication to protecting the environment, our planet, and its people. They support social responsibility, environmentally friendly wine growing practices, and sustainable winemaking.
According to their website: “Our winegrowers and winemakers understand that their actions have implications beyond the fence line. As grapes are grown, harvested, and made into wine, a lot of environmental factors are taken into consideration. When you grab a bottle of wine marked with a SIP Certified sustainability certification, you know that your wine was made with the environment, social responsibility, and high quality in mind.”
Heidi Scheid, of Scheid Vineyards, won the coveted Wine Star Award for 2020. Photo credit @ Scheid Vineyards
BEST WINE TASTING IN CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
What’s the First Thing on My Bucket List? Fill the Bucket with Wine!
Let’s review some of the local wineries and best wine tasting rooms in Carmel so you can choose which ones to visit while you are here. You can choose between doing your own self-guided tour or taking one of several professionally guided wine tasting tours offered in Carmel.
Let’s start with the wineries that you’ll find along the Carmel Wine Walk!
Blair Estate winery specializes in Pinot Noir.
The Blair family has lived and farmed on this estate for the past five generations! The Blair Estate Tasting Room is located in the Carmel Plaza right in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea and just two blocks from the Carmel Retreats cottages. The limited release wines from the Blair Estate winery are in high demand! This winemaker participates in many wine-making events and festivals that you may want to plan for during your visit.
Caraccioli Cellars is a fourth-generation farm that expanded to a 124-acre vineyard in 2006.
They are committed to utilizing grapes grown exclusively in the Santa Lucia Highlands and are known especially for their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as their Brut and Brut Rosé sparkling wines. They have a Carmel wine tasting room that proudly boasts a sleek and trendy atmosphere set within this charming, old-styled village.
Dawn’s Dream Winery is founded upon proprietor Dawn Galante’s passion for producing “wines of exceptional quality and elegance.” Drawing upon her business acumen and passion for life, Dawn made her lifelong dream of running a celebrated winery come true. Her Pinot Noirs, in particular, are a great reason to visit her Carmel winery. Her tasting room is located right in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea and is a highly recommended stop on your Carmel Wine Walk.
De Tierra Vineyards was started by a group of close friends in 1998 and since then it has evolved into a thriving artisanal brand. They take pride in sustainably harvesting their grapes and striving to become the best representation of the beautiful land of Monterey County. They offer a broad variety of wine types as well as olive oil! De Tierra’s wine tasting room is located in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea and is well worth a visit!
Holman Ranch is a sprawling, 600 acre vineyard situated in Carmel Valley where all of their grapes are hand picked and sorted and their wines hand crafted. With a passion for creating distinguished wines, they pride themselves on being the only one hundred percent, single-estate producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carmel Valley. They offer other wines as well, but these two by far are their most famous. Their wine tasting room is located in a converted tavern in the heart of Carmel Valley Village. This unique setting provides a lovely ambiance to complement their delicious wines.
The Galante Tasting Room is located off one of Carmel’s most charming secret courtyards, accessed by Der Ling Lane from Ocean Avenue. Photo Credit @Galante Vineyards
Galante Vineyards started off as a 700-acre cattle ranch back in the late 1960s, and by the early 1980’s they decided to start growing grapes for wine production. They now specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon and have become recognized as the premier Cabernet Sauvignon producer in the state of California. The current owner's great-grandfather, Frank Devendorf, discovered the white sands of Carmel Beach and created the town Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA over a hundred years ago. With their Western Style Emporium, this downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea wine tasting room will bring you back to the times of the cowboys and early settlers. Along with being the ancestors of the founder of this quaint village, they are also proud to say that they were the first Wine Tasting Room in Carmel!
Manzoni Cellars prides itself on combining artistry and passion with science and alchemy. The Manzonis have been farming this land in Monterey County for over one hundred years. They are known for growing cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Syrah. They only have six acres, but their hands-on work in traditional winemaking (including sending out thanks to the gods of weather) is what makes their wine so delicious. They aspire to provide their guests with the richest and most unique flavors possible. They recently moved to a new wine tasting room but they still reside right in the downtown area of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Scheid Vineyards is committed to protecting the land and environment through sustainable farming. Photo credit @Scheid Vineyards
Scheid Vineyards is located only one block off Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea and just two blocks from the Carmel Retreats cottages. They have been farming and winemaking sustainably since their start in 1972. They genuinely believe in taking care of their land and surrounding environment. They even have a clean-energy wind turbine to provide electricity for operations! This is one of the local wineries I referred to earlier that is proud to hold a Sustainability In Practice (SIP) certification. This family owned vineyard is a highly recommended stop on the Carmel Wine Walk!
Scratch Wines Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the best wineries in Carmel. Scratch Wines is owned by winemaker Sabrine Rodems who is a theater and television professional that jumped ship and got her Master’s degree in Science, Viticulture, and Enology at UC Davis. She never looked back and is now considered one of the premier, small lot winemaker in the region. Given their proximity to many of the best vineyards in California, Scratch Wines has access to some of the best cool-climate grapes in the world.
According to Rodems, “What I love most about Monterey, the Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highland, and the Santa Cruz Mountains is that I have four geographically different sites at my fingertips. Getting to work with bench Pinot Noir and river bed Riesling and Grenach, and Coastal Cabernet makes my work exciting and the wine exciting as well. Winemaking is the best of both worlds, the amalgamation of science and art.”
Shale Canyon Wines is the sum of two families who came together to approach traditional winemaking with patience and perfectionism. They pride themselves on small batch wines made from grapes that are hand harvested and fermented. They focus primarily on varietal wines such as Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel. Their grapes are fermented in small batches.
Unfortunately, the master winemaker behind their magic, Ken Gallegos, died in February of 2020, but his influence remains in the wine he left behind. So, when you stop by, be sure to raise a glass to celebrate his dedication and passion for wines!
Albatross Ridge Wine Tasting Room, with its granite waterfall tasting bar and chiseled Carmel stone walls, offers one of the most chic environments for sampling local wines. Photo credit @Albratross Ridge Wines
Silvestri Vineyards has its roots firmly planted in 1978 when they used to make wines for family events. In the late ’80s, though, they moved to Carmel so they could fully commit themselves to the world of winemaking. They have varietal, handcrafted wines that are all worth tasting in their Carmel-by-the-Sea wine tasting room. Alan Silvestri, the owner, is famous for more than just wine, too. He’s a two time Oscar nominee for his Hollywood musical compositions, which include the scores for Forest Gump, Back to the Future, and over a hundred others.
Windy Oaks Estate overlooks Monterey Bay and began operations in 1999 with just 3 acres of Pinot Noir vineyards. Since then, they have expanded to 26 acres of Pinot Noir and 1 additional acre of Chardonnay. They believe in using minimal intervention so that the grape quality remains as authentic as possible. This type of winemaking takes patience, and every wine is bottled without filtering or fining. They opened their wine tasting room in Carmel-by-the-Sea in 2014 and have been thriving ever since.
Wrath Winery is the last wine tasting room on the Carmel Wine Walk and one of the other Sustainable In Practice certified wineries here in Carmel Valley. A mother and son run business, Wrath Winery focuses on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc. Their distribution is limited and the windy climate and gravelly soils in their estate lead to lower yields giving their grapes a greater concentration and character. They also use minimal filtration so that the wine retains its flavor and texture. Wrath Wines is in Carmel Plaza in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. And don’t forget to stop by the Cheese Shop a few doors down!
There are many wine tasting room choices in the Carmel area but Scratch Wines and Galante Vineyards are my 2 favorites! Put them on your to-do list for your next Carmel-by-the-Sea vacation!
Many of the Carmel area tasting rooms offer outdoor patios, allowing visitors to take in the sun and fresh ocean breeze while sampling wines. Photo credit @Scheid Vineyards
Wine a Little, Laugh a Lot!
If you’re looking to explore beyond what the Carmel Wine Walk has to offer, try out the Carmel Valley Wine Experience! It is one of the best ways to explore the wineries and wine tasting rooms of Carmel Valley, as well as spas, golf, galleries, boutiques, and fine dining while you are laughing a lot.
Bernardus Vineyards and Winery focuses on creating wines that stimulate the palate as well as the imagination. With a variety of wines that focus on artistry, Bernardus is the place to go for wine lovers of all kinds. You will be happy you stopped by for their artisanal wines in Carmel.
Chesebro Wines is home to mainstream and unique varietal wines. They produce lots of only 300 or fewer cases, which speaks to their dedication and passion for creating delicious wine. Their wine tasting room is home to the work of seven local artists who work in oil paints, monotype, photography, pastels, ceramics, and jewelry. Chesebro Wines is one of the best places to enjoy a Carmel wine tasting room while admiring the work of a few local artists.
Joullian Vineyards was created by the Joullian and Sias families whose shared goal was to produce winesbrimmimg with complexity, finesse, and the same character as some of the best wines in the world. They were bought by the Hammler Wine Company in 2015 whose owners remain committed to continuing the Joullian brand. You can visit their Vineyards or their Village Tasting Room in Carmel Valley Village.
Massa Estate Organic Vineyards produces its wine from organically grown grapes that are bottled on site at their Carmel Valley winery. They have been implementing dry farming and organic growing practices since 1996, and have succeeded in creating a natural environment that produces award-winning wines. They even have a beautiful sculpture garden on site!
They pride themselves on using wasps in their vineyards to control any pest problems that could harm their grapes. This keeps the vineyard natural, healthy, and thriving.
Rexford Winery is the last winery on our Carmel Valley Wine Experience tour. Established in 2008, they use small lots of select grapes from local vineyards. They focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Merlot. With a wine tasting room located in Carmel Valley Village, they pride themselves on crafting wines which reflect the varietal characteristics of the grapes they choose.
Scratch Wines, mixing science with art, offers some of the best wines in the Carmel area. Photo credit @Scratch Wines
CARMEL AREA WINE TASTING TOURs
Well, Let’s Get On with It!
Along with these wine tours you can also choose to go on the Monterey Guided Wine Tour offering a Wine Tour for Two, a Wine Tasters Package, or a Wine Connoisseur’s Package. Sammy, the owner of Monterey Guided Wine Tour, has been cultivating his winemaking experience for the past ten years. He has also been cultivating relationships with different vineyards so that his wine tasting tour is unique for every single one of his guests.
Another option for a guided wine tour is the Main Event Transportation's Monterey Wine Tours. They have a fleet of luxury vehicles so that you can focus on the drinking and not the driving!
Once you have decided which Carmel wine tasting rooms to explore and how you want to explore them, then it’s time to start planning your stay at Carmel Retreats! We hope you can use some of our tips to enjoy the best wine and wine tasting rooms in Carmel, California!
Barry Shimelfarb
Owner & Host l Carmel Retreats
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
www.carmelretreats.com
Photo credit @Scheid Wines