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wine

towards the most stunning section of the

Paci c Coast Highway. If you have time,

take a detour to explore Santa Cruz and

the Monterey Peninsula, stopping for lunch

at one of the taco trucks en route. The

iconoclastic Bonny Doon winery is here,

where winemaker Randall Grahm has been

marching to the beat of a di� erent drum for

his entire career (bonnydoonvineyard.com).

Much of California is only just starting to

catch up with his interest in an eclectic range

of grapes from the Rhône, Italy and Spain.

If things piscine ‡ oat your boat (so to

speak), the other place that's worth a visit

while you're in the area is the Monterey

Aquarium, where you can get up close and

personal with all manner of  sh and other

marine life in their watery habitats.

Magic moments

As you continue south, you'll hit the best

part of the Paci c Coast Highway. The drive

between Monterey and Morro Bay is truly

magical, so it's no wonder many people

choose to prolong the pleasure by staying

around Big Sur for a couple of days. If you're

in the area between December and February,

HOW TO GET THERE

British Airways ‡ ies from

London Heathrow to San Francisco

and Los Angeles several times a day.

Return ‡ ights from London Heathrow

to San Francisco, returning from

Los Angeles, start at £807. Flight

time is approximately 11 hours.

britishairways.com

HOW TO GET AROUND

Rhino Car Hire o� ers a handy

price comparison service with links

to most major car hire companies.

rhinocarhire.com

WHEN TO GO

The best times to visit are either

in spring/early summer (April-June)

or autumn (September-October).

Bear in mind that if you're there

during harvest, the smaller wineries

may not be open for visits.

WHERE TO STAY

Anderson Inn, doubles from

£185, andersoninnmorrobay.com

Duchamp Hotel, doubles from £255,

duchamphotel.com

WHERE TO EAT

Barndiva, barndiva.com

The Fremont Diner, thefremontdiner.com

Ichi Sushi, ichisushi.com

Nopa, nopasf.com

State Bird Provisions, statebirdsf.com

Zuni Café, zunicafe.com

FIND OUT MORE

centralcoast-tourism.com

sonomacounty.com

visitcalifornia.co.uk

or July to September, the odds of catching a

glimpse of migrating whales are high.

The working town of Morro Bay is a good

place to break the drive, especially if you book

a seafront room at the charming Anderson

Inn, where you'll be serenaded by the colony

of elephant seals that live on the bay.

The last leg of your journey runs down

past the Santa Rita Hills and through the

Santa Barbara American Viticultual Area,

where there's a growing

appreciation of the

potential to make re ned,

cool-climate Syrah as

well as silky Pinot Noir

and precisely balanced

Chardonnay. There are

a number of tasting

rooms that line the route to Los Angeles,

including Qupé in Los Olivos (qupe.com) and

Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara (aubonclimat.

com). It's also worth making a detour to the

unprepossessing town of Lompoc, where a

number of boutique wineries o� er tasting

facilities in an industrial park known as the

Lompoc Wine Ghetto on the outskirts of

town. The stars of the show are Domaine de

la Côte (domainedelacote.com), a specialist in

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Piedrasassi

(piedrasassi.com), which focuses on Syrah.

From there on in, seasoned road trippers

will  nd it an easy cruise down to the City

of Angels - and its gastronomic delights -

a more than  tting destination for any

four-wheeled American dream.

IN THE SANTA BARBARA AREA THERE'S A

GROWING APPRECIATION OF THE POTENTIAL

TO MAKE REFINED, COOL�CLIMATE SYRAH