Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association
536 Pearl St., Monterey | (831) 375-9400, montereywines.org
It’s impossible to avoid romance in prose describing Monterey County’s wine country: “From the steep slopes of Carmel Valley to the rolling hills of Salinas Valley, Monterey stands alone in crafting wines of exceptional flavor, character and balance,” the Vintners & Growers Association webpage reads. Monterey’s vast and ever-expanding vintner community is dedicated to promoting the region as a top wine-tasting and wine-producing destination in the country. Three key elements make Monterey County-grown grapes distinctive from anywhere else in the world: climate (the cooling coastal winds help), a fusion of traditional and innovative winemaking methods and the terroir of the land they’re grown on.