Wrath.

Sunday, August 26th, 2017

Monterey, CA

It’s 9am and we are waking up for our first full day in Monterey. We quickly get dressed for breakfast and find an adorable café that serves us a delicious brunch. The food is wonderful, but I secretly wish that the coffee was a little bit stronger.

Eventually we pile back into the car and head over to 17-mile drive. I make an executive decision to stop at Starbucks on the way (being the driver has its perks!). When we arrive at the entrance of 17-mile drive it becomes clear that we need cash to pay an entrance fee. Ugh. Who carries cash? 

I make a u-turn and head back to the Starbucks. Sarah’s bank is close by so she hops out to go to the ATM. Once we are settled, I drive back to the park entrance. A new, longer line has formed in our absence. 

17-mile drive is a famous drive along the coast of Monterey and through Pebble Beach. The weather is super spooky and we pull over a few times to marvel at the ocean and feel the freezing cold fog on our faces. When all is said is done the drive ends up being pretty short. It’s still mid-morning, so we decide to go check out Carmel-by-the-Sea.

When we arrive the streets are filled with pedestrians. We make a quick drive through downtown and luck into an amazing parking space. The town is filled with local stores selling gifts and clothing. None of us are interested in these things, however, so we end up in a quaint cheese shop. They are giving away free samples, so we take one of each. There is also a wine tasting bar at the end. I wander over to look at the tasting menu and am immediately cornered by the owner of the store. He launches into a very long explanation about their wines and tasting procedures. I know that the longer he talks the more obligated we will be to purchase a tasting, but once he finishes, we stand our ground and refuse. We are up for wine tasting, but can only survive so many in one day.

From here, we pick a few tasting rooms to visit. We start out at Silvestri. The wine is good and the service is great. They even sell wine in a can, which they let us try. Next, we go to the Wrath tasting room, which also proves to be very good. Despite my current obsession with Steinbeck it will still take me nearly all day to realize this is a reference to Grapes of Wrath. Just as we are starting to decide to head out of town to some of the vineyards we are convinced to go check out Caraccioli Cellars, which makes high end sparkling wines. The tasting here is fun, but I have to admit that I don’t really know much about sparkling wine.

Eventually we head back to the car. I grab some snacks from the back and start the drive out to a highly recommended vineyard called Boekenoogen. We think this is a strange name, but are not deterred. When we arrive, we are all simultaneously underwhelmed by the tasting room; Sarah renames it Badonkadonk. I pick 5 wines from the tasting list and am only impressed by 1; Laura and Sarah have similar experiences. We make a unanimous decision to brave one more winery.

When we arrive at Folktale vineyards we are immediately charmed. First of all, there is a hostess who provides us each with a small glass of Rosé while she shows us to our seats. They bring us a tasting menu but we are tired of tastings and each take a chance on purchasing a single glass. I choose the Grenache, Laura chooses a sparkling wine and Sarah opts for a Pinot Nior. We are all very happy with our choices. I ask the server if we can eat our own snacks and he explains they do not allow picnicking since they sell their own food. In an effort to be a good sport I take a look at their menu but it’s all pizza. Since I’m pretty sure this is not the kind of place that would kick us out for sneaking bites of cheese out of my bag, we decide to eat our own food anyways. We all make a small scene of sharing snacks out of my canvas “picnic” bag. We are not sneaky at all, but as predicted, no one tries to stop us. At one point there is some live music and, as the sunsets, we can not stop talking about how happy we are.

Around 5pm we start the drive back to our house in Monterey. The fog is rolling in and the climate changes from summer to winter within the blink of an eye. We still have a few snacks left and a small bottle of Rose; we make a snap decision to toast the sunset. We walk down to the beach and it's incredibly picturesque. I am definitely wine buzzed and can not stop taking pictures of all the pretty seagulls.

Only a few minutes after the sun sets the temperature drops almost 20 degrees. Our beautiful beach is now uninhabitable. Luckily, Sarah is ready with a few options for dinner. We unanimously choose Passionfish, which looks both tasty and close. I order the smoked pork shoulder, which is absolutely amazing; Sarah and Laura are equally amazed by their meals. Eventually we wander back home and set up our dining room table for a rematch of Clue. 

We are all asleep before midnight.