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Best Places Near Los Angeles To Drink Wine

wine tasting 610
(credit: bikeriderlondon/shutterstock)

Who said Northern California is the sole Golden State market that means much in terms of tasty varietals? Our land in the south also produces grapes of high desire, especially so in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara, Malibu, Temecula and Paso Robles. To drink up these options, consider the following five top places in which to do just that.

MalibuFamilyWines
(credit: Malibu Family Wines)

Malibu Family Wines
31740 Mulholland Hwy.
Malibu, CA 90265
(818) 865-0605
www.malibuwines.com

Malibu Family Wines embraces their fine products in a number of ways and way beyond just enjoying some tasting room treats. This makes for a memorable activity in and of itself. Through October, this grape driven enterprise features movie night on the premises where the only admission fee is that of a bottle of wine purchased at this bountiful facility. The same holds true for karaoke night, held on Thursdays. But, come on a weekend during the day if you want to soak in the sun, throw back some cold glasses of wine and have a party with tons of others on the great lawn.

Weins Family wine Cellar
(credit: Jennifer H./yelp)

Weins Family Cellar
35055 Via Del Ponte 
Temecula, CA 92592
(951) 694-9892
www.wienscellars.com

Temecula Wine Country is full of top wines and favorable tasting rooms in a rural setting that takes you far away from the hustle of the big city while only taking about 90 minutes to get there. One of the best area wineries to offer award-winning fruits of the vine, Weins Family Cellar is known for such varieitals as Refugio Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Grand Rouge, both known as the ever popular Big Reds. This thriving enterprise is also a great source for both memorable White Port and Amour de L'Orange, available in both the Tasting Room and the Barrel Room, the latter of which offers sit down sips of limited production wines as well as rare types held in reserve. Couples love to come here to celebrate special events such as weddings as well, and the large property makes for a perfect setting.

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(credit: Alexander Tihonov/shutterstock)

Tercero Wines
2445 Alamo Pintado Ave., Suite 5
Los Olivos, CA 00000
(805) 245-9584
www.tercerowines.com

The tiny town of Los Olvios, located about three hours north of Los Angeles, is ripe with highly regarded wineries. One of the best of the lot, Tercero Wines is particularly popular thanks to its red and white Rhone varietals. The grapes that make them happen are local, produced at nearby vineyards such as Thompson and Lamer, and then created courtesy of divine winemaker Larry Schaffer. Tasting room fees are taken away as long as you take away a few purchased bottles to enjoy when you get back home.

Related: Best Wine Bars in Los Angeles

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Anglim
740 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 227-6813
www.anglimwinery.com

Paso Robles Wine Country claims more than 200 wineries, so that's a lot of ground to cover. To assist, downtown Paso Robles, a compact area perfect for wandering, is home to a number of celebrated tasting rooms, including one called Anglim which focuses on Rhone and Pinot Noir varietals. This fine establishments works with nearby west Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County grape growers to come up with their much favored, full flavored product.

Carr Winery Tasting Room
(credit: Steve M/yelp)

Carr Winery Tasting Room
414 N Salsipuedes St,
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
(805) 965-7985
www.carrwinery.com

If you settle in at the Simpson House, the Four Seasons, the Bacara Resort, or the Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara for a mini retreat, you're bound to receive a complimentary bottle of Carr wine. However, even if you don't end up staying over night in Santa Barbara at any of these top properties, don't worry. A tasting at the actual winery -- housed in a genuine 1940s Quonset Hut downtown -- is bound to be a highlight of any visit to this storied area of Southern California. Carr is actually a working winery, with the resulting environment augmenting any stop as a memorable place where, if you so desire, you can forgo a tasting to instead sit at the barrel top bar and down a glass or two (or three) of your favorite varietals from this top producing region. Or, you can both sip and savor, an idea for which we most definitely applaud.

Related: Best Wine Stores in Los Angeles

Freelance travel writer Jane Lasky, contributes to publications such as Travel + Leisure, Vogue and Esquire. Her weekly sojourning column ran in 40 newspapers for 20 years. Jane is anything but an accidental tourist and always travels with her pillow. Check out her articles on Examiner.com.

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