Wine & Spirits

A burgeoning craft drink scene makes it easy to drink local in the Half Moon Bay Coastside. In its early days, the region was a haven for swashbuckling rum runners, prohibition speakeasies, and rollicking saloons.

Today, you’ll find a flourishing community of independent vintners, brewers, and small-batch distillers all dedicated to their craft. When you visit a local producer, the owner will likely be the person pouring you a taste!

Oenophiles will love our small family wineries that offer scenic grounds to sip wine, play a game of bocce ball, and enjoy a picnic. One popular spot allows you to fill and cork your own bottle of wine for well under $10. Hop heads will want to seek out local breweries for their coastal California take on an IPAs, while atmosphere lovers will enjoy clinking pint glasses at a roadside English pub whose rich decor includes an impressive wall of vintage beer cans. At a Pillar Point Harbor distillery, you can sample small-batch vodka and gin produced from a gleaming still imported from the owner’s home country of Austria.

Whatever happened to those rollicking Old West style saloons? Many of them are still around, serving up a taste of history, creaky wood floors and all!