As any self-respecting vinophile knows, if you love wine and you have never taken the boozy road along South California, you shall immediately return your street creds. But while that trail usually takes you to the warm and fruit-scented lands of Napa and Sonoma, Los Angeles isn’t too far behind when it comes to flaunting a delicate yet knock-you-off-your feet crimson goodness in a glass. So, if you are looking to have a boozy weekend brimming with a lot of dining and wining, look no further for here is a list of wineries that are not only close to home but also have shelves full of that fantastic bottled goodness.
Of course, the problem with touring wineries is that someone has to drive. So to make sure no one has to miss out on the fun by being designated driver, consider chartering a private bus or minibus rental to shuttle your group around. That way everyone can enjoy both the ride and vino.
The Ojai Vineyard
With an exquisite collection of over three hundred delicately flavoured wines that will make your tongue dance in utter ecstasy, the Ojai vineyard offers the quaint yet lazy finesse that you see in all those enviable Instagram stories. Often, they will pair their beauties, like Pinot Noir, the Syrah or their luscious white wines, with food which pair gracefully with the flavours of the wine in your hand. And, on every Friday, you may relax and enjoy the taste of a delicate wine that has been aged for at least a decade or two.
The Rosenthal Winery
Now the Rosenthal winery is an experience that you must gather over a lazy weekend of cradling a glass of wine and breathing in the sapphire waves as they lap gently against the golden shore. The Rosenthal winery serves delicate glasses of vino that were lovingly grown in Malibu and every thirteen dollars will give you access to four whole tastings. Who said good booze has to be expensive?
Away from the chaos of the city, this winery is best enjoyed with your lover, as the scent of the delicacies served at the food trucks wafts in and the gentle breeze carries the sound of the waves and the beats from the thriving music scene at the shore.
Cornell Winery
If you set out looking to be transported to another realm, the Cornell winery will not only do so in terms of space but take you on a journey back in time, when beauty was but in the simpler things and the air was joyful and pure.
The tasting room itself looks charmingly rustic as if you were in a land untouched by time. The strangely familiar and comfortable food offered at the restaurant next door takes the experience up another notch. Take your time traipsing through the gift shop and the gallery and then head to the tasting room where a mere ten dollars will offer you five samples.
Malibu Wines
Like Rosenthal, the Malibu Wines is another weekend experience. Often termed the rite of passage to the wine scene in LA, this winery has much to offer and disappointment is not one of them. Plan an extra long weekend and reach here on a Thursday evening. Then, wine in hand, slide under a shared blanket with your lover and settle in for the movie night. Friday is when things get a little intense at the karaoke scene. Pack a picnic for Saturday and spend it with your family in the delicious arms of the fruit-scented vineyard. And if you are nursing a hangover by Sunday, yoga and mimosas might just be the perfect magic potion to take your pains away.
If you can be bothered to actually get up and go somewhere, head to the wine safari that combines the two most beautiful things in life: wildlife and booze. Gawk at the animals, get more informed about the wine scene and the history of the place and drink the vino in Saddlerock- all on one tour!
There are obviously a lot of other options if you want to go on a wine tour in the city. Because say what you will about the city, you cannot deny that it has something for everyone, even if you are someone who would rather splurge on gloriously crisp vino than food and clothes like other people. So, don’t worry. LA has your drunken back. As long as you are not the designated driver, that is.
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