Where Adventure Meets Wine

Venture beyond the tasting room with Ancient Peaks’s immersive visitor experiences

Gone are the days when wine tasting simply meant posting up at a bar counter to quickly sip through a few. Today’s wine enthusiasts are craving something more enriching, and rightly so. With so many wineries to choose from, those offering unique, place-driven, immersive experiences naturally stand out. Ancient Peaks is one such winery.

Located in the southernmost part of the Paso Robles AVA, Ancient Peaks is part of Santa Margarita Ranch, a historic property that surrounds the quaint town of Santa Margarita. Owned by three local ranching families — the Filipponis, Rossis, and Wittstroms — with three generations working together, the ranch spans 14,000 acres and includes nearly 1,000 acres of SIP-Certified vineyards. Defined by an impressive range of soil types, elevations, and microclimates, it’s this diversity that gives the wines their distinct character, such as in their Oyster Ridge wines, sourced from vines growing on ancient seabeds dotted with fossilized oysters.

Preservation is a core passion for the families behind Ancient Peaks, and a respect for the land is evident in their ongoing sustainability efforts, from using solar power to providing wildlife corridors. However, rather than keep the ranch their private treasure for generations, the team invites visitors to come and experience it firsthand.

While Ancient Peaks does have a traditional tasting room with a full dining menu, the winery truly shines in its immersive experiences that bring the land to life. Guests can saddle up for guided horseback rides, see the ranch on E-bikes, or partake in foraging tours to explore its natural bounty. Adrenaline seekers will surely enjoy the zip-lining experience, which soars over the vines for a literal bird’s eye view of the ranch. Seasonal offerings like spring wildflower tours and eagle tours, as well as on-site vacation rentals, provide even more ways to connect with the land.

Anything but routine, Ancient Peaks offers a refreshingly different take on the average winery visit — more of a choose-your-own-adventure experience. After all, the best way to understand what’s in your glass is to experience its origins firsthand, and Ancient Peaks makes it both fun and memorable to do so.

by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

Ancient Peaks is located at 22720 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita, CA.
www.ancientpeaks.com

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