Anyone have any favorites?
John
We didn’t buy any while there, as we drove and brought our own, but if you can, see if you can meet up with Mark Pisoni in Gonzales - it’s a hike, but would be worth it!
The restaurants in town have decent wine lists, and Kurt’s Carmel Chop House had a great wine special (by the bottle) the night we were there.
Carmel Cheese Shop and Rancho Cellars - neither have particularly aggressive pricing, but they do have some interesting bottles.
If you want interesting bottles at a good price, have dinner at Passion Fish in Pacific Grove.
Wow…that was quick. I’ve been to Carmel many times and always went to Rancho but the last time we were in there it looked awful and had very little inventory.
The Cheese Shop is great (Kent the owner is a great guy, too) but didn’t know if I was missing any bigger places.
Keep 'em coming.
John
John, PLEASE go to Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove, particularly for breakfast. It’s insane!
After that, there isn’t much - I have family in the area and when the ladies go shopping, I go wine hunting. I’m actually quite amazed that the area doesn’t have a more aggressive retailer/importer like K&L… I think the locals are members of local winery clubs and/or can afford the standard mark-up of the local shops.
If you feel like driving an hour and an half north, there are some great shops in the San Jose/Silicon valley area.
There are also some decent local wineries with tasting rooms - Morgan (in Carmel), Talbot (Carmel Valley Village) and De Tierra by appointment.
The limited selection here has been pretty well covered. Cheese Shop in Carmel Plaza, Rancho Cellars at the Crossroads are probably the two best. Another one is attached to Bouchee restaurant off Ocean. I’ve lived here for over four years and have probably spent less than $500 in local wine shops.
There is no K&L equivalent in Carmel.
avoid Passion Fish on weekend nights as locals do. especially in the summer as the place becomes a sauna!