Giddy Right On Up to Cowgirl Winery

If you find yourself wanting to play bocce ball, while sipping a perfectly chilled glass of wine, then Cowgirl Winery in Carmel Valley, is your place. While Carmel-By-The-Sea gets blanketed in fog during summer, a few miles inland, Carmel Valley stays hot, but has plenty of options to cool you down.

Whether you want to get chauffeured around on the back of an old tractor, while wine tasting or just leisurely check out the various boutiques and restaurants, Cowgirl Winery will be the place you’ll want to put your boots up and escape the heat for a few hours. Walk into the converted barn and grab a flight, anywhere from $15-$30, ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon to Malbec to Albarino, with bottle prices at a reasonable $24 and up.

Cowgirl Winery offers tractor rides while you sip wine and enjoy the scenery.

Feel free to relax in the cool shade of the barn, where you can check out the rustic boutique, filled with locally made goodies. Outside, there is plenty of seating, just watch out for the resident chickens that call this place home. You can pop a quarter in an old-school candy machine and feed them in between sips. If feeding the chickens starts to make you hungry, Cowgirl offers fresh-out-of-the-wood-fired oven pizzas, delivered from their sister restaurant down the street, Corkscrew Cafe.

While sipping on wine you can feed some of the resident chickens.

Behind the tiny vineyard in the courtyard, you’ll find two bocce ball courts, if you’re feeling fired up from the wine and in the mood for some friendly competition. This is a dog and child-friendly place and perfect for large parties, although with eight or more, you will need to make a reservation. If you feel like this will be the perfect place for a wedding or event, they can make it happen in style, for a reasonable site fee. If it’s just a day trip you need, then giddy-up to this winery to enjoy a glass or three. Open daily 11:30 am-5:30 pm, there is ample parking available up and down the street.