Photo by Connor Bush | iPhone 6 | Rosenthal Winery – Malibu, CA
On March 6, 2015 we embarked on a short trip to Malibu. It was my friend, Justine’s 24th birthday and little did she know, her boyfriend, Connor was going to propose! It was a beautiful day in Malibu, as it usually is and I could barely contain my excitement for the day.
We met at Justine’s house that morning and were picked up by a limousine from Wings Limousine Service. Our first stop was Malibu Family Wines. First, this place was absolutely 
beautiful! We got there around 11:00 AM on that Friday and we basically had the place to ourselves. We didn’t need to reserve a table or any kind of tasting, we just had a beautiful space to enjoy each other’s company and the delicious wine. The tasting was fairly priced with two options of wines. There was one tasting of non-local wines, called Saddlerock for $12.00 and another tasting of locally grown wines, called Semlar, for $15.00. The space included a lower level surrounded by the higher mountains which was nice in the wind and a good area to taste and hang out give. It is important to know that the tasting area is completely outdoors, so it was important to have a nice day outside. Malibu Family Wines offers a variety of events and ways to taste so make sure to check out their website and especially make reservations for the high season and weekends. I would highly recommend heading over early on Friday though because it was nice to have the place to ourselves!
I went to university up north in Wine Country, so it is important to note that although Malibu has wonderful wine tasting, you have to be aware that tasting is just that, the tasting. You are not going to get to roam the vineyards because most wines are imported. That being said, our next stop was Cornell Winery & Tasting Room. Cornell Winery was solely a tasting room, but a spacious and beautiful one at that. The winery sold all types of wine paraphernalia as well as random miscellaneous items, including jewelry. Some of the items were very pricey, but cute. This tasting room had a really personal feel and we got to learn about the area and the story behind each bottle of wine.
Our last stop was Rosenthal. Rosenthal was quite a drive away, but it was worth it. This winery was across the road from the beach. They had a beautiful patio, which was unfortunately behind the building. I wish it would have been on the beach side and not the mountain side, but they had plenty of tables and comfortable couches available. The staff were incredibly sweet and helpful in tastings. Once out front, it was an easy walk beneath the road and to the beach. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time here because of time constraints, but I would have loved to see what more they have to offer and I’d love to head back there again.
Malibu beach is beautiful and there are so many different places you can explore. The beach 
we went to was scattered with people and had plenty of lifeguard towers as well as beach space. This is where Connor proposed to Justine and she said YES! It the most beautiful experience and my first engaged friends! They are absolutely the perfect, most in-love couple and I could not be happier for them!
Make sure to check out the YouTube video to witness their beautiful moment and check out all that Malibu Wineries have to offer!
sincerelysamanthab.com 