In the heart of Monterey Valley, not far from Big Sur, is the stunning Carmel Valley. Most people come to this region to play golf at the famous Pebble Beach or to spend the day on the pristine beaches with white sand and coves. But fewer visitors know about the wine scene booming here. The steep terraces and cool nights make this a perfect place for growing grapes. So while the wine is just as good as what you find in Napa or Sonoma, the casualness of the place means cheaper bottles and more laid-back, fun tasting rooms. One couple who lives in the Carmel Valley now says the scene feels like what Sonoma did a decade ago.
One group that knows the gems of Carmel Valley well is Relais & Chateaux, a collection of top-notch hotels and restaurants all over the world. It’s hard to become a member of this prestigious group. There is no application process; the only way to join is to be tapped. While their standards are the highest of any collection, their taste is eccentric. It's important for them that a place has charm, personality, and a sense of place.
So it's fitting that this year at their annual food and wine festival named GourmetFest that is held in Carmel, they chose to bring their discerning clientele to Georis Winery for a boozy lunch. “We like to feature one of our wineries we are proud of,” said David Fink, the festival’s proprietor. “There are so many great places to see now.”
From the start of the event, it was obvious that Georis is different from other wineries. Instead of showcasing their Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines famous in this region, the head winemaker, Damien Georis, greeted guests with a refreshing glass of rose. Attendees were taken into the event space where there were sculptures made out of bicycles, empty wine bottles, and barn doors. There were fairy lights and colors everywhere.
Throughout the lunch, the owner of the winery, Walter Georis, told his story. He explained that he grew up in Europe with a Belgian father and a German mother. They instilled in him two loves: farm living and creative arts. When he moved to the United States when he was eleven he pursued the latter first. He moved to Carmel (back then it was a haven for creatives) and fine tuned his painting. Once he sold enough works to make a living, he turned back to the former and opened up a winery. He wanted to blend his passions so he created a winery that is both beautiful and creative. The event space, he said, was meant to mirror the Belgian farm he grew up working on.
Georis has since launched other brands of wine, all with their own tasting room. The main brand, Georis, is located inside his painting studio. As visitors sip his wine, they can watch him hard at work at his easel. They can peak in at the half-completed portraits or the landscapes that sell for thousands of dollars. Just across the street is the tasting room for a more casual brand, Cowgirl. Here roosters run free and young people spend all day playing corn hole. There is even a tractor that has been converted into a seating area. This little village is a place you can stay all day and not be bored. It's about drinking real wine, not sipping delicate treasures and communicating which smells and tastes you discern.
He's also opened up three restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea, all of which have their own quirky touches. Everything in Georis’s spaces have meaning to him. In one of his restaurants, Casanova, is a small table that Van Gogh dined at the final 70 days of his life. He was given it as a gift after he met the owner of the hotel where Van Gogh lived and worked. In another restaurant, La Bicyclette, a more casual cafe, there are stories his friends, family, and acquaintances shared about when they first road a bike.
At the end of the event Georis revealed that he has another talent; he has his own record label. It's all about making art for him.
