*once a week, every week, I embark on a new adventure to check off one of my many LA bucket list items. Follow along my journey being a tourist in my own town and get in on the action!*
Los Angeles is known for many wonderful things, but unfortunately wineries are not one of them. Off the top of my head I can think of just two local wineries I actually know by name, I realize there’s an excellent chance I have much to learn and discover when it comes to LA wineries but the fact of the matter is today I know very little. With relatively low competition LA’s most popular wineries like San Antonio Winery and Malibu Wines have held the highest influential presence within the local market.
Malibu Wines in particular has become a favorite local hangout and weekend day-trip destination where Angelenos and travelers head to taste Malibu’s finest. Packaged right along side the opportunity to taste the wine is the rare opportunity to go on a safari in Los Angeles where one may witness wildlife such as zebras, a giraffe, and of course the ever elusive llamas. But should you choose to stay at the winery itself don’t feel left out; seven days a week you’ll find plenty of outdoor tables and picnic areas for you to sit and enjoy the sunny weather, movie screenings and trivia on Thursdays, food trucks and live musical entertainment on weekends and so much more. [full events calendar here]
I grew up in a family of wine lovers and wine has been a part of my everyday life for quite sometime now. It makes me happy, I’m sad when it’s not around, and lucky me – when I go home to see my parents these days, I head to Napa. I’d like to think that my personal motto is “save water drink wine” so an activity such as visiting Malibu Wines never seemed more pertinent to my necessary life experiences.
Despite being genuinely confused by what one does with this wine/wildlife situation and not receiving a response back via email from said wine/wildlife place (passive aggressive much?) I decided to say screw it, I’ll figure it out when I get there. Once I’d arrived and realized that all you really have to do at Malibu Wines is hang out with your friends under a shady tree and enjoy your picnic paired with their wines, my worries began to disappear. Drink wine, deep breath, relax, repeat. I’m not entirely sure I could do the commute to this little oasis regularly (it takes about an hour to get there from Culver City), but I’m content knowing it will always be there when I need a place to escape.
What: Malibu Wines
Where: 31740 Mulholland Hwy Malibu, CA 90265
When: 7 days a week | Summer Hours (through Halloween) – M – Thurs: 11am – 7pm | Fri – Sat: 10am – 9pm | Sun: 10 am – 7pm
(wine tasting flights end at 6:30 pm everyday, but during longer days bottles will be available until 8:30 pm)
Tip(s): bring a picnic // bring water // bring a blanket if you’d rather sit on the grass // get there before 12pm on weekends if you want a place to sit // get there before 11am if you want a place to park // take an Uber
Bonus Tip: Start with a wine flight ($12 – $16) then purchase and crack open a bottle of your favorite! Save the rest for later. Or don’t!
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