Travel Tips
Fall Day Trip: Best Kept Secrets of Monterey Wine Country
5 min read
Harvest Season, Beyond the Grapes
Summer belongs to the crowds. Fall belongs to the people who know better.
By October, harvest is wrapping up across the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey wine country. The roads that were busy in August thin out. Tourists are back at home and winemakers have time to talk again. Tables that were booked for months open up. It is the perfect time for a late fall day trip to Monterey.
These are the hidden gems locals keep to themselves: a beekeeper's tour, a tasting room that opens older vintages every Sunday, a harvest lunch with the winemakers, and a few stops that have nothing to do with wine at all. Pick one or pick several. None of these best-kept secrets require a plan more complicated than a reservation.
Tasting by the Tides
For one Saturday in October, the Grand Cypress Meadow at Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove becomes the center of Monterey's wine-and-food community at Tides & Terroir. Tasting by the Tides brings together two dozen wineries, a dozen local chefs and purveyors, and a market of local makers, all a short walk from the dunes.
This is not a convention-hall wine festival. The pours are spread across an open meadow ringed by old cypress trees, so there is room to talk with the people who made what's in your glass. Santa Lucia Highlands anchors like Morgan Winery, Pisoni Family Vineyards, Caraccioli Cellars, and Mer Soleil pour alongside newer producers. The food leans on bay seafood, valley produce, all prepared by local chefs. Between pours, High Flow Gallery artists live-paint surfboards for auction with local crafts people selling their wares and live music.
The setting is its own secret. Asilomar's original buildings were designed by Julia Morgan, the first woman licensed as an architect in California, and the grounds are a National Historic Landmark. Proceeds support the Monterey State Historic Parks Association.
Saturday, October 17, noon to 3 p.m. Get Tickets.
The Secret Life of Bees at Folktale Winery
Most people come to Folktale Winery & Vineyards for the Wine Garden and the live music. Fewer know about the bees. Folktale's beekeeper leads guests into the hives that work the gardens and vines on the property along the Carmel River, showing how a colony runs and why pollinators matter on a working farm. You leave knowing more about bees than you expected, with a glass in hand.
It is one of the best-kept secrets in Carmel Valley. Available weekdays only. Book in advance.
Library Sundays at Taste Morgan
Most wine is opened very young. Morgan Winery fixes that once a week. Every Sunday, Taste Morgan at The Crossroads in Carmel pours a “library” wine: an older vintage pulled from the cellar and handpicked by winemaker Dan Lee.
This is a rare chance to taste what Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir and Chardonnay become with time. Afternoon wind off Monterey Bay funnels up the Salinas Valley and keeps temperatures in the Highlands cool and consistent through the growing season. That gives the wines the acidity and structure to age. Library Sundays show you the result without the wait.
Morgan has been making wine from the Santa Lucia Highlands since 1982 and farms its own Double L Vineyard in the appellation. Every Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reserve a tasting for access.
Harvest Experiences
Harvest in Monterey County includes wine grapes and much more in September and October. Farmstands are open and filled to the brim with produce and pumpkins, and open farm tours let visitors get up close to the action. Some wineries, like Folktale, even offer harvest grape stomp experiences.
Earthbound Farm operates a charming farm stand and produce market in Carmel Valley, and fall is pumpkin season. Pop by for a coffee and a snack in between wine tastings.
The Farm is open in Salinas with a charming bakery, gift store, produce, pumpkins and more May-October. It’s a great way to support local farms and producers. It’s just up the road on Hwy 68, outside of old-town Salinas, and on the way to River Road for wine tasting at Odonata. Next, head a little further down River Road to stop in at Rustiqué. Try the delicious Sparkling wine, Riesling, or Syrah made by owner/winemaker Chad Silacci while you explore their you-pick flower and vegetable gardens.
Wrath La Paulée de Monterey
In Burgundy, the end of harvest is marked with La Paulée, a long lunch where growers, winemakers, and friends share the table and the wine. Wrath brings that tradition to Monterey County every fall.
La Paulée de Monterey is a farm-to-table harvest lunch at Wrath Winery on Foothill and River Road in the Santa Lucia Highlands, served family-style along the vineyard pond. Wrath is joined by neighboring wineries, and the principals from each sit down with guests. Chef Brad Briske of Home restaurant in Soquel cooks. Each winery pours one Chardonnay and one Pinot Noir, the two wines traditionally served at the Paulée in Burgundy.
It is intimate and unhurried, and it is one of the few days a year you can share a meal with the people who grew and made the wine.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1 to 4 p.m. $195 per person, with wine club discounts.
Vineyard Hikes
CRU Winery partners with the Salinas Valley Health Live Well Project to bring guided vineyard hikes followed by wine tasting every quarter. The fall hike, on Sunday, November 8th, 2026, is a great opportunity to get up-close in the vines as the seasons change and harvest has concluded.
The Monarchs of Pacific Grove
Not every hidden gem comes in a glass. Each fall, western monarch butterflies return to the groves of Pacific Grove to wait out the winter, clustering in the trees. The Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary is free, a few minutes from Asilomar, and an easy add-on to Tasting by the Tides. Go on a sunny afternoon, when the clusters warm up and take flight.
Mission Soledad
Most Californians have visited a mission. Few have visited this one. Founded in 1791, Mission Soledad sits among the farm fields of the Salinas Valley, a short drive from Wrath and the wineries at the southern end of River Road. It is small and quiet, and a reminder that farming in this valley goes back centuries. There is even an ancient vineyard in the back. Hours are limited, so check before you go.
Plan Ahead, Then Slow Down
The best-kept secrets in Monterey wine country have a few things in common: small groups, real people, and a reservation. Book early, leave room in the day, and let the late fall light do the rest.
Looking for more hidden gems? Start with [internal link: Plan Your Visit. Watch the events page and sign up for the mailing list to find out about seasonal events across many local wineries.
Choose your wine trail
Same grapes, completely different vibes. Pick a route and we’ll drop you straight onto the map.
