Discover the Grapeness of
Santa Lucia Highlands
The Skinny
The Groovy Grape Escape is your fun and unique choice for wine tasting tours in the Santa Lucia Highlands of California. River Road Wine Trail tours include two complimentary tastings for 4 to 12 people, spending about 1.5hrs at each winery. Our groovy bus takes you on an adventure through the beautiful Santa Lucia Highlands where you will imbibe in a truly lovely wine tasting experience. Carmel Valley tours include transportation only to this charming village where you can walk to and from any tasting room at your leisure. This tour is intended to take the scenic route making for an unforgettable coastal experience throughout the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula.
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Your far out tour guide, Amanda, first moved to Monterey from the Bay Area to attend CSU Monterey Bay. Subsequent to graduating, she fell in love with the area and decided to start something hip and fun for the community. After a slough of ideas, it came down to her finding a super “groovy” couch on craigslist and the idea transcended from there. Piece by piece the Groovy Grape Escape was born and 6 months later - it’s ready to boogie!
The grooviest part about the bus coming into fruition is 80% of the materials were up-cycled. Think fallen over old growth redwood fence turns into rustic 70s wainscoting. Leftover trim from a spec house project was sanded and stained into ornate crown molding. And an old headboard along with leftover plywood becomes two far out bench seats! Labor of love, Baby!
Hop aboard and join us on a totally tubular tour!
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*60's/70’s threads welcome ;)
The Groovy Ride
Grape Reviews
About the Wineries
The vineyards of Santa Lucia Highlands are recognized for their high scoring Pinots and Chardonnays. It is the home to famous vineyards such as Pisoni, Gary’s and Rosella’s. Although its first vines were grown in the 1790s by the Spanish missionaries and conquistadors, it was the initial vines planted in the 1970s by the Smiths at Paraiso, McFarlands at Sleepy Hollow, Phil Johnson at La Estancia and Nicky Hahn at Smith & Hook that has transformed these beautiful hillsides. With the help of the local farming families, the Pisonis, Franscionis, Manzonis, and Boekenoogens the vintners developed the area into the renowned wine-growing region it is today. And in 1991, the federal government approved the Santa Lucia Highlands as an official American Viticultural Area (AVA).
It now has roughly 6,400 wine grape acres, much of which is dedicated to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals, but the Rhone grape types such as Syrah have also found a place to thrive in the slightly warmer, more wind protected canyons and slopes. The Santa Lucia Highlands has some of the most innovative winegrowers with almost every vineyard having an experimental system with new clones, trellising systems and farming regimens that are being continuously explored.
