In 1997, Richard Alfaro bought a 75-acre apple farm in Corralitos and started planting grape vines on it. Now, he farms the estate while Ryan, a breezy, surfer-cool 30-something, handles the winemaking. The wines—Chardonnay, Syrah, Gruner Veltiner, and Cabernet Sauvignon—are loved by locals, while Ryan’s side project, Farm Wines, is gaining notoriety with wine nerds across the country. Sip all of the above on a patio overlooking the vineyards.

In a sunny strip of Santa Cruz, beside an organic grocer and a few breweries, winemaker Cole Thomas is producing some of the region’s most serious and cerebral Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in an urban winery. The California energy is apparent—a chalkboard in the tasting room advertises both surfboard swaps and sips of Chardonnay. Instead of owning vineyards, Thomas cherry picks fruit from the best of the region, including Ascona Vineyard at the summit of the mountain and Peter Martin Reyes, one of the most prestigious vineyards in the region. The result: cool, distinctly California wines—laid-back but intentional, French-inspired but full of sunshine.

In 1976, French wine merchant Stephen Spurrier asked a panel of experts to blind taste bottles from both France and California, then a budding wine region, and pick a winner. In a grand upset, California wines, including Ridge’s 1971 Montebello, were adored. Montebello is still one of the more prized bottles of the wine world. You can try it, plus a range of excellent Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignons, on the winery’s patio, perched high above Silicon Valley.

Beauregard Vineyards’ home base is a redwood cabin, once home to The Lost Weekend, a smoke-filled local haunt specializing in cold beer and beef jerky. When it shut in the ’80s and transformed into a tasting room, the jukebox left, but the redwood interiors were carefully kept. There, winemaker Ryan Beauregard pours carbonic Pinot Noirs that taste of forest freshness.

Where to Eat

As you ascend Skyline Boulevard, drivers, motorcyclists, and horseback riders will pull over to fuel up at Alice’s Restaurant. It was built in the early 1900s as a general store for loggers. In the 1950s, a restaurant opened, focusing on stick-to-your-ribs food for weary travellers. By the ’60s, the hippie movement had drifted in and Joan Baez, Hunter S. Thompson, and Neil Young, who lived up the road, were calling themselves regulars. Wines are local and the menu is still hearty: BLTs and burgers are the move. The latter can, of course, be customized with gluten-free buns or Wagyu patties—this is California.

After the workday, winemakers congregate at Cantine, a self-described wine ‘pub’ in Aptos. There’s always something local open, plus treasures from further afield and craft brews on tap if you need a reprieve from wine. Stop in for a cinq-a-sept and don’t ignore thoughtful plates, like confit tomatoes with grilled focaccia.

Housed in a rosy pink barn, Madrone is Chef David Kinch’s Aptos ode to south-of-Italy cuisines. Flame-kissed pizzas are showered in summer truffles, grilled tripa is served over polenta and pillows of gnocchi are crowned with charred octopus. The wine list is packed with global gems but, when in Santa Cruz, sip on Marty Mathis’ Spanish-accented Albarino or Big Basin’s gripping Pinot Noir.

What to Do

In these ancient forests, gravity can sometimes become a suggestion. At least, that’s the tale that tour guides at the Mystery Spot, a campy, quirky attraction built around a gravitational anomaly first discovered in the 1930s, will tell you. Some visitors say it’s the byproduct of an alien invasion, others think it’s caused by a hole in the ozone. Whether you find it fact or fiction, a stop here is a fun way to round out an afternoon.

Tour Urban Tasting Rooms

If you can’t get up into the mountains, winemakers understand—many of the best have set up tasting rooms in Santa Cruz. Pop into Birichino for a glass or tasting before dinner in the city. Owners Alex Krause and John Locke cherry-pick grapes from their favorite vineyards around the country and turn them into inquisitive, expressive wines.