Wine Country Visits, when traffic intrudes

The beauty to be found in Wine Country.

When you land in wine country, it’s where the planning meets reality. Let’s talk about it.

If you read my previous post about planning for the trip to wine country, you may know that the first stop is Malibu. Not on the beach Malibu, but lesser advertised Malibu.

 So, our trip started in LA. LAX to be exact. When there are jokes or an SNL sketch around the traffic in LA, know that there is a reason. It’s because there is an insane amount of traffic. We thought the GPS was wrong when it showed how long it would take to get to our hotel. Spoiler alert: It  took longer.

Maybe not LA, but you get the picture.

Any plans to travel far afield are out the window.  Since we are here for a wedding, traveling far from home base, or at least our hotel, is out! I cannot miss the rehearsal dinner or wedding or any other part of the celebration because we are stuck in traffic coming back from a winery!

In the last few years, several of the tasting rooms in Malibu have closed. Of those still open, there was one that I really wanted to go to on the beach in Malibu, Rosenthal Wine Bar and Patio. It looks like a total party!  Not sure about the wine, but if the place is fun, why not?

Given that I did not want to miss the wedding festivities, we didn’t want to fight the traffic to get there. See above about traffic and planning meeting reality. If someone goes, let me know what I missed.

As for wineries in Malibu, we went to a very small winery just north of Los Angeles County. I was told that there can be no actual wineries in Malibu, that LA county forbids it. That is why he made wine right over the border. He said that you can have vineyards and tasting rooms, but no wine making.

There is no end of strange laws about the production and selling of wine. Because there are a ton of strange laws about everything alcoholic, I totally believed it. I love learning about wine from other people, but this was a lesson in: You can’t always believe what you hear. I do believe he was incorrect. I have no idea why he told me such a thing.

Just to review, wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms can be all together. They can also be nowhere near each other.

Moving on from that winery, we went to Cornell Winery and Tasting Room in Agoura Hills in Malibu. What fun! There is no actual winery, but it is, as they word it, “celebrating, drinking and selling locally produced wines.” It is a party around wine!  Visitors are either grabbing a bottle, or a glass or a tasting.

One of the tasting options at Cornell

Everyone who works there is knowledgeable. The selection is incredible.

A small sampling of what they have.

But wait, there’s more.

Even more than I’m showing!

People are strewn all over the place, grabbing a chair or a table. There are families and pets, and it is a great atmosphere. An incredible amount of fun. Just what drinking wine should be!!

We also went to Cielo Farms in Malibu. It was insanely beautiful. The views were incredible! You could walk around the vineyard.

This picture doesn’t actually do it justice.

Maybe this view will help.

Unfortunately, I cannot speak to the wine. I was there for a party but not a tasting. However, there are at least two types of tastings/learning experiences offered. Given the views and the beauty of the Farm, it should be an enjoyable experience at the least.

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As I’ve mentioned, visiting wineries or tasting rooms is not just about the wine for me. It is the whole experience.  

So, I didn’t end up seeing as many wineries in Malibu as planned. As I said, it is when planning meets reality. However, you have to be flexible and enjoy whatever you do get to visit!

On to Paso Robles, and then Solvang and Los Olivos and Santa Barbara. By the way, Solvang and Olivos are both in Santa Barbara County. Given the traffic, we are not going to commute back and forth!

There are other times and places that traffic may upend your plans. Travelling near vineyards during harvest season is a challenge. You just have to roll with it.

If you’re looking at a map, you will realize we are making a crazy big circle during this trip. I am sure it will be worth it, one way or another.

I will report back as I go along.