September is California Wine Month!
Discover the Award-Winning Wines of Edna Valley,
Arroyo Grande, Avila Beach, Cambria and San Simeon
Along the Highway 1 Discovery Route
This perfect slice of California’s Central Coast is open for business and home to the Avila Beach Wine Trail, the Pacific Coast Wine Trail, Award-Winning Tasting Rooms and must see, must do Wine-centric activities
Did you know that there are more than 2,000 acres of vineyards in Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande wine regions located on the CA Highway 1 Discovery Route? Have you taken theAvila Beach Wine Trail or the Pacific Coast Wine Trail? Or tasted the hand-crafted offerings of Hearst Ranch Winery in San Simeon? Do you know about the award-winning wines of Cambria? If the answers to those question is yes, then you know the region offers the perfect growing climate for delicate grapes – warm sunny days that turn into cool coastal nights. The weather is also perfect for wine tasting adventures and outdoor play! This stretch of Highway 1 is open for business and ready to roam and wine taste! And since September is California Wine Month, this is the perfect time to experience the annual harvest season first hand and enjoy special tastings, festivals, concerts, wine and food offerings along the CA Highway 1 Discovery Route.
Edna Valley 
Edna Valley, where cool ocean breezes and rich soil create ideal conditions for growing world-class grapes is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located just a dozen miles from Arroyo Grande Valley in San Luis Obispo County. Surrounded by Tuscan-style countryside, guests can sample award-winning wines in more than 27 tasting rooms and attend annual wine tasting events like the Chardonnay Symposium and Harvest on the Coast.
Edna Valley, where cool ocean breezes and rich soil create ideal conditions for growing world-class grapes is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located just a dozen miles from Arroyo Grande Valley in San Luis Obispo County. Surrounded by Tuscan-style countryside, guests can sample award-winning wines in more than 27 tasting rooms and attend annual wine tasting events like the Chardonnay Symposium and Harvest on the Coast.
The Arroyo Grande Valley is the perfect climate for long bike rides and wine tasting among rolling hills. Just a short distance away is the Village of Arroyo Grande full of shopping, great places to eat, and CA’s only swinging bridge. The Lopez Lake Recreation Area offers a water playground with 22 miles of shoreline ideal for boating, fishing, sailing, hiking and mountain biking. Families can enjoy the Mustang Waterpark and Vista Lago Zipline Adventure Park.
Don’t miss the ahh inspiring Avila Beach featuring wine tasting at the beach. Avila Beach is right in the heart of the Central Coast and Wine Country, so it’s no surprise that you will taste and buy some amazing and award-winning wines there. You’ll find several tasting rooms in downtown Avila, as well as vineyards and tasting rooms scattered all through the rolling hills of the Avila Valley. One of the newest tasting rooms in Avila Beach is 2nd Chance Winery. Other tasting rooms in and around downtown Avila Beach & Valley include Apapay Wine and roasting, Biddle Ranch Vineyard, Cuvee Champagne Bar, Kelsey See Canyon Winery,Morovino Winery, Mr. Ricks Beach Bar, Peloton Cellars, PierFront Wine & Brew
San Simeon
Your experience begins at the edge of NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and is sandwiched between Highway 1, a National Scenic Byway, and the Pacific Whale Trail, the grey whale migration route from the feeding grounds of Alaska to the breeding grounds of Baja California. World Famous Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument sits atop “The Enchanted Hill” with a magnificent 115-room main house, guesthouses, pools, 8 acres of cultivated gardens, with a world class art collection. San Simeon has so much to offer wine lovers. With views ofHearst Castle®, the historic Piedras Blancas Light Station, don’t miss theHearst Ranch Winery Tasting Room, a destination deli serving Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef burgers with outdoor seating.
Your experience begins at the edge of NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and is sandwiched between Highway 1, a National Scenic Byway, and the Pacific Whale Trail, the grey whale migration route from the feeding grounds of Alaska to the breeding grounds of Baja California. World Famous Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument sits atop “The Enchanted Hill” with a magnificent 115-room main house, guesthouses, pools, 8 acres of cultivated gardens, with a world class art collection. San Simeon has so much to offer wine lovers. With views ofHearst Castle®, the historic Piedras Blancas Light Station, don’t miss theHearst Ranch Winery Tasting Room, a destination deli serving Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef burgers with outdoor seating.
Enjoy some fine wines from Cabernet and Zinfandel, to Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and more in Cambria. Visit the great small vineyard called Stolo Family Winery & Vineyards, grab a bottle of award winning wine at Harmony Cellars Winery, picnic at Moonstone Cellars, enjoy a Riesling at Cutruzzola Vineyards, and don’t miss visiting Twin Coyotes Winery, and the boutique winery Black Hand Cellars. Just 6 miles south of Hearst Castle, Cambria is where the pines meet the sea, the perfect place to eat, drink and repeat.
Wine-centric Activities in Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Avila Beach and San Simeon
- SLO Wine Country Wineries
The vineyards of SLO Wine Country unfold along the seafront side of the coastal Santa Lucia Mountain Range in coastal San Luis Obispo County. Here, the land exhibits a distinct set of growing conditions that bind the region’s wines. From north to south, the SLO Coast extends from the seaside town of San Simeon to Nipomo. From east to west, it extends from the peaks of the Santa Lucia mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The geographic orientation of SLO Wine Country ensures a continuous influence of marine air from the Pacific Ocean. - Bike Tours of Edna Valley
How about taking a guided SLO wine country bicycle tour featuring Edna Valley, offering some of prettiest cycling along the CA Highway 1 Discovery Route? Full day rides begin just outside San Luis Obispo and venture straightaway into wine country located just south of town. Get your camera ready for stunning views of picturesque hills rising above rows of grapevines. Bike riders can stop by award-winning wineries like Chamisal, Kynsi and Baileyana, with the highlight being a gourmet picnic lunch and complimentary tasting at Talley Vineyards, located at the south end of the Edna Valley. Longer cycling options into the rolling farms and ranchland south of Edna valley are also possible. After lunch, the ride yields beautiful views of the Nine Sisters, a line of craggy volcanic mountains stretching from SLO wine country to Morro Bay. This is an ideal California Central Coast wine country bicycle trip for cyclists of differing abilities and interests. - Avila Valley – Tasting by The Beach
You’ve got salt in your hair, sand between your toes and two, maybe three, boards in the back seat. Your perfect wine pairing involves a bonfire, a little surf guitar, and the occasional errant Frisbee. Avila Valley is one of the few places where you can taste great wines grown and made within earshot of the Pacific, all while you sit back and enjoy the sunset off the water. Featured Wineries: Croma Vera Wines, Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards, Silver Horse Winery, Sinor-La Vallee Wine and Peloton Cellars.
- Sip in SLO
Get the SLO Wine Country new tasting pass program called “Sip in SLO,” which launched in February through March and is coming back this November through December 2017. The pass allows visitors to taste at four wineries of your choice along the SLO Wine Trail, which includes wineries in Avila Valley, for just $40. For groups of 5 or more, please call 805-541-5868 or email info@slowine.com to schedule tastings and purchase group passes. - Avila Wine TrailNestled beneath the sheltering hills of Point San Luis and the Avila lighthouse, the Avila Wine Trail features family-owned and operated wine venues offering award winning vintages that capture the essence of wine making on California’s Central Coast. From downtown beachfront wine tasting rooms to the See Canyon and Avila Valley wineries just five minutes from the beach, one thing is consistent – the focus on making your Central Coast wine tasting tour fun and enjoyable. The trail includes:
- The Pacific Coast Wine TrailEnjoy hand-crafted wines from 11 small wineries from the Morro Bay Rock, with stops in-between at Cayucos, Cambria, and Harmony. The Trail offers travelers a wine experience as unique as the coastal communities themselves. Guests are met with hand-crafted, boutique wines, often poured by the owners or winemakers. Those traveling the Pacific Coast Trail are encouraged to complement wine tasting with a spectacular coastal experience-beaching, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and more. The trail includes:
