A few months ago, I was able to travel to Monterey State Beach in Monterey, CA. Of course the beach itself was amazing, but what caught my attention was the little shopping district right alongside the beach called Fisherman'a Wharf. It was full local seafood restaurants, pubs, grills, boutiques, etc.

As I was walking down the street, I noticed a kind of a hole-in-the-wall winery that barely stood out because of a sign, otherwise I think I would have missed it. There were several restaurants holding wine tastings, but I'm one for trying things that are a bit far from ordinary. The hosts of that day's wine tasting was Bargetto Winery, located in Soquel, CA.

Now, I've only been emerged into the wine tasting world for about two and a half years; most recently, this past year, I have been able to travel to some of the best wineries throughout California that I used to dream of going to as a child. The more wine I've tasted, the more I've come to the conclusion that white wines and fruity wines are my absolute favorite! I was able to try their fruity wine list and one red wine, which was rather tasty.

One thing Bargetto Winery is know for is their Chaucer's Mead. Interesting fact about mead is that it's techinically made by bees! It's considered a Honey Wine that is fermented and is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in history! Did you know that?!  I personally have never heard of or had that before, so my eyes lit up with wonder and curiosity as the host poured a glass for me.  In fact, I had several glasses poured for me.  Don't judge. Apparently mead is usually consumed in small amounts, but clearly I didn't get the memo on that.

 I just had to try all of the fruity flavors.  The top three flavors were Peach, Raspberry and Plum. Man oh man did they taste good. After an eventful time at the tasting, my partner and I joined their membership (which is free) and only had to pay a very affordable fee for them to ship our bottles to my home back in SoCal. When you sign up for their membership, you basically get 2 bottles for $12! Pretty good deal in my book, I'd say.

So, if you ever find yourself in Monterey, hit up their beach, walk around Fisherman's Wharf for  a little bit and then go straight to the wine tasting room. The sign will be hard to find but just look for Bubba Gumps Shrimp restaurant and Bargetto Winery wine tasting will be right across from it.  Walk in and enjoy the laid back atmosphere and the friendly hosts who will give you their honest opinion about each and every flavor and can tell you a good bit about the history of Bargetto Winery.

If you'd like to learn a little more about the winery, here is their website: http://bargetto.com