SOLEDAD - The wine industry pours in a lot of money to Monterey County, but what if it could bring in even more?
Right now, Monterey County's wine industry has a $654 million impact on the county.
In areas, like Soledad, the primary varietals in the region are pinot noir and chardonnay, but syrah and riesling also play a big part.
In the last year, the Monterey wine country experienced a 40 percent boost in member tasting rooms open to the public.
Down south in Paso Robles, the city is looking to take its wine industry a step forward with a new proposed one-stop-shop wine resort.
The 225-bed resort with a vineyard would have everything wine-related in one place.
More people are coming to Monterey County for wine indulgence, at least that's what a study by the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association showed last year.
That's up 50 percent compared to 2009.
Now, the county is trying get people to stay here with more hotels and restaurants to make a one-stop-shop wine destination.
"The quality of Monterey County, getting the right varietals now," said Andy Mitchell, director of Viticulture for Hahn Family Wines. "We have ideal conditions for growing chardonnay. Having a place to come and enjoy the wines, you get a much different feel."
The River Road Wine Rrail alone, has ten tasting rooms attracting visitors.
It parallels highway 101 at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountains, setting what Mitchell calls a perfect atmosphere to stay and taste longer.
"Quality," he said. "Because we are a cooler climate, we have real complexity of the wines. It's very very strong, exceptional quality and great people."
Hahn is currently working on building a culinary center to add to the winery.
Now that tourists are coming, the county is working on ways to get them to stay, hoping to bring in hotels in south Monterey County especially.
