Pelio Estate — Attraction in Monterey

We have been members going on 2 years - pretty much since they opened the tasting room in the village. We stumbled upon the tasting room during a weekend at Bernardus and were pleasantly surprised to find a decent winery within reasonable driving distance and enjoy little day trips from San Jose. We have brought friends & family and just really enjoyed our time at Pelio. We loved the atmosphere, service, wine and felt that it was an approachable place that very much was not pretentious (we are members of wineries down in Los Olivos for these same reasons).

We made the 2 hour trip down with our 8mo old baby to celebrate my mom's birthday and, as always, picked up lunch at Jerome's (10/10 sandwiches - if you're in the area, you must give them a try!). We have brought in food every.single.time. My parents were running late due to traffic, our baby's nap time was approaching, we got settled and spread out lunch... when our server (not sure his name but he has definitely served us before) came over to tell us that we aren't allowed to bring in outside food. I'm sorry, what? It wasn't a problem the last time we visited and you served us, it wasn't a problem the previous time when your manager Morgan served us... not his fault, he was simply the messenger and I can't hold that against him. The hostess made a snide comment about how it's on the website. It's not, I looked:) it does say no outside food on their Tock but we never make reservations on Tock and simply email. We cancelled our wine club on the spot because of the way the entire situation was handled and how we were treated. The staff showed zero empathy and didn’t care at all. They were cold and rude. We packed everything up and headed out to find a much more accommodating place... thankfully Twisted Roots right across the street showed us unmatched hospitality and salvaged our day before we had to get on the road for the little one's nap. We ended up having a lovely time despite the experience at Pelio.

What was once a non pretentious place with decent Pinots, fun interiors and a vibey playlist has gotten a little too high and mighty (just a reminder, you're not Napa) and has lost a loyal member in the process.

Don't go to Pelio. Go to Twisted Roots instead - it's a much better experience and the wines (Petite Sirah, I'm looking at you) are good.

PS: they say their kid friendly but we definitely felt a shift in attitude towards us after we started bringing our baby (who is an exceptionally happy, adorable baby and does not cry or fuss, btw). I'm pretty sure we would have been treated differently if we didn't have our baby with us,...

I loved everything about this place! When we first arrived, we were greeted by the friendliest and most hospitable staff. We were in awe of the charming set up of the tasting room and outdoor space. It was difficult to decide whether to sit outside or inside because both are beautifully and artistically designed. If you want some eye-catching photos, Pelio Estate is the place. The wine was incredible! I loved every selection they had to offer, so joining the wine club was a no-brainer. Every shipment I receive is remarkably packaged and tastes just as lovely as it did when I was sitting by the fire pit enjoying the views of the 200 year old olive trees. I would highly recommend this place. Be sure to pick up a candle too because it...

We visited this winery on Memorial Day weekend (today). Beautiful day, and the place was half empty with plenty of tables available. There was no one at the reception, and the bartender walked right past us without acknowledging us.

After waiting a while, we went to the bar, only to be redirected to the receptionist. The receptionist asked if we had a reservation. I explained we just wanted a glass of wine, we don't even need a table and we can just walk around. We had a toddler who doesn't like to sit.

She replied that it was a sit-down kinda place (whatever that means). When I asked if they only did tastings, she ignored my question, and said they were only serving prior reservations.

It was a strange, weird, and...