Monterey County ranks among the world’s top ten wine destinations, according to the just released February issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Its annual ten best issue is designed to alert readers to up-and-coming wine regions.
The two-page color spread says: “Monterey has diverse draws for wine-oriented visitors. Glamorous resorts dot the county, featuring world-class cuisine, stellar local wines and full spas that pamper with style.” The article goes on to recommend visiting A Taste of Monterey on Cannery Row, then stopping at Taste Morgan in Carmel before heading to Talbott Vineyards in Carmel Valley and over to the River Road Wine Trail in the Santa Lucia Highlands.
It suggests dining at Restaurant 1833 in Monterey for its “skillfully crafted cuisine and a wine list so extensive it has been described as an auction catalog” and at Nepenthe in Big Sur for its famous Ambrosia Burger. Other local wines highlighted in the article include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Pessagno Winery, Roar, and Pisoni; Syrah from Wrath; and “elegant, earthy Cabernets” from Bernardus and Galante Vineyards.
“We feel Monterey represents our reader—extremely modern, approachable, sincerely quality driven, glamour without pretense, progressive.” noted Wine Enthusiast Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa, who visited the area last November for the Party in the Hangar wine festival.
The full top ten list includes: La Rioja, Spain; Danube, Austria; North and South Forks Long Island, New York; Stellenbosch, South Africa; Monterey County, California; Vale dos Vinedhos, Brazil; Willamette Valley, Oregon; Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia; Douro Valley, Portugal; and Puglia, Italy.
“Having excellent wine is just the starting point for this designation,” said Tammy Blount, CEO of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB). “We have a combination of complimentary activities that makes us unique—creative chefs, local foods, great seafood, spas, golf, scenery, the race track, the aquarium—and this designation will take us to a whole new audience.”
MCCVB Marketing & Development Manager Rob O’Keefe says new visitors attracted by the article may include wine connaisseurs who already know California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys and are looking for a more authentic experience, as well as those who are just getting into the wine world.
Monterey County has seen a stunning 40 percent increase in the number of tasting rooms over the past year. Carmel-by-the-sea now has 15 tasting rooms and the village has created a wine walk passport. Monterey Salinas Transit has also started the hourly Grapevine Express bus service to move visitors from downtown Monterey and Carmel to the new East End Wine Row in Carmel Valley Village.
Monterey County has more than 175 vineyards and 40,000 acres of premium grapes, grouped into nine different appellations. The county receives 3.3 million overnight visitors a year and generates close to $2 billion a year in revenues. While tourism officials declined to speculate how many more visitors may be coming to our area due to this newfound fame, Tammy Blount said she hoped there would be “a bunch.”
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
