Coastview Vineyard Tour

On Saturday Paul and I drove my brother Hans and his wife Richa to visit Ian at Coastview Vineyards before driving into Monterey Bay for lunch and to visit the aquarium.

Left San Jose at 9:38, heavy morning fog, getting thicker and colder as we head south to Salinas. Exit the freeway at 10:40, turn east and drive to the base of the foothills.

Ian Brand met us at the lower gate and we followed him up the hill…past cows lazying away the morning on the road, a couple of jack rabbits, and a lot of quail.

He wasn’t kidding when he told Paul to put the Jeep in 4-wheel drive once we started the incline. Awesome ride up, and we were east enough to be out of the fog and enjoying a warm, sun-exposed hilltop – complete with wine and snacks!

Looking north-west toward the Monterey Bay, under a heavy blanket of fog.

Richa and Hans taking a break from sipping wine to listen to Ian tell us about the terrain, soil, terraces, and overall geology of the vineyard.


I keep telling Paul I want to live on a hill, surrounded by vines…something like this would be awesome.

Laura Ness wrote this blog about Coastview:
http://myvinespace.com/2010/04/25/high-above-steinbeck-country-coastview-vineyard-reigns/

She captured in prose our exact experience, save for trudging up the hill because of the mud…we were able to drive to the top 🙂