San Mateo County

San Mateo County tucks wine country into the coastal mountains. La Honda Creek and the Pescadero ridges hold pinot noir and cabernet above the Pacific, 1,000 to 2,000 feet up, fog sitting on the trees most mornings. Tasting is small and often appointment-only; patios look straight at redwood trunks. Pescadero State Beach opens leashed sand; Pigeon Point lighthouse trail runs above the surf with a view. Wunderlich County Park opens leashed forest trails fifteen minutes off I-280. Pair a Santa Cruz Mountains pinot with a beach walk at Pescadero. The county pours quiet wine at the edge of a peninsula.