PISMO BEACH

CENTRAL COAST WINES OF CALIFORNIA: Pismo Beach

Beginning along the historic Highway 101 in Santa Barbara and continuing for 300 km. north to the San Francisco Bay Area is California’s Central Coast.

Known for its fertile valleys and awe-inspiring views of the Pacific Ocean, the Highway 101 winds around mountains and sheer cliffs to the beaches below. One of the lesser known attractions of the Central Coast are its diverse wines and wineries. The region claims some of the oldest grapes in California.

In the late 1700s, Franciscan monks introduced their mission grapes to California as they travelled north along El Camino Real (“The Royal Road”), now known as the Highway 101. Mission grapes were planted at the site of each of the Catholic missions built by the Franciscan monks. The grapes naturally adopted this moniker as their origin was unknown. While mission grapes were the original variety introduced to California, and specifically the Central Coast, today the region is primarily known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah wines. This is due to a cooler climate and reduced sun exposure than is typically experienced to the south. These conditions combine for frequently foggy, cool days that are prime for growing grape varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

In the fall of 2016, while working in California between San Diego and San Francisco, I stopped in Pismo Beach after seeing a billboard along the Highway 101 imploring motorists to “Discover California’s Southern Wine Country”. I had four days to kill between my work event in Palm Springs and the next in San Francisco. After a seafood lunch in Santa Barbara, sampling some wine by the beach would be a great cap to the afternoon.

I turned off the 101 and easily navigated to Price street, Pismo Beach’s main drag. Tastes of the Valleys Wine Bar was waiting with an inviting street view and large clusters of brightly colored plants and flowers arranged outside. It was a quiet Monday and the owner and bartender was quietly rearranging the nearly empty store as I stepped inside, jingling the bell on the door as I entered. She greeted me with a warm smile and invited me to sit at the bar. We chatted for a few minutes before she asked what she could help me with, what had brought me in that day. I responded that I wasn’t quite sure; I’d seen the sign along the highway and decided to stop in to see what Pismo Beach had to offer for local wines.

After explaining several varieties, we decided on several crisp chardonnays to start with.

I had gone in thinking I would choose a wine to bring back to Michigan as a gift for my mother I hadn’t seen in several months. I wasn’t disappointed with what I found. Many of the bottles produced in the Central Coast region, particularly around Pismo Beach rarely make it out of the area due to the high demand and limited supply produced each growing season.

A great personal touch to my afternoon at Tastes of the Valleys came after choosing a bottle to bring home to Michigan. The owner gestured behind me to a table in the corner where the proprietor of that respective winery was talking with another customer. A few minutes later I had a unique gift to bring back to Michigan signed with a jolly “Cheers from Pismo Beach!” by the man who made it.