Malibu is home to some of the most beautiful views of beaches, hills, and even vineyards. Drive an hour north from the Los Angeles area to Saddlerock Ranch to experience the Malibu Bike Tours. This 2-hour tour is a fun ride that you will love to experience with anyone who loves wine and outdoor activities. Come to Malibu’s most wanted wine and check out our experience at this unique Bike Tour.
Driving to the Malibu Bike Tour vineyard at Saddlerock Ranch was an adventure before the tour even began. Take the scenic drive up the Malibu hills with views of rock formations and farms in every direction. Once you get to the winery, you’ll know it, because the sweet smell of grape is in the air. Right from the start, the staff was hospitable and offered complimentary water for the tour. While waiting for the safari truck to pick up our group of 8, there is an open field with art to take photos in. The open space includes giant letters spelling wine, beautiful trees with hanging lights, and other decor that are great for photos. Right on schedule, the safari truck arrived. They cleaned and sanitized the seats from the last group and welcomed us on.
The drive in the safari truck was a bumpy uphill route that took us around the vineyard. Looking around, we saw the Malibu skyline, a lake, and vineyards. A few minutes later, with some informative commentary, we arrived at the destination. At the bottom of the other side of the hill was a line of electric bikes waiting for us. The bikes being electric took out pedaling difficulty and made it as easy as pushing a button. We adjusted the bikes for ourselves and turned them on. The tour guide was a friendly man wearing a pumpkin t-shirt, appropriately so, because it was Halloween.
We got the run-down on how to use the electric bikes and pushed the button to go. We arrived at a famous cliff area for the giant yellow frame that created a photo for itself. We took pictures and stared off at the cliff’s edge in awe of the daylight skyline. Getting back onto the bikes, we rode to an open garden with everything from cornhole, giant Jenga, and an acre of different kinds of flowers. The oversized swing chair was a great scenic photo with lavender in the background.
Once more, we rode away on the bikes. Going up the final hill leads to one of the best surprises. We could see a stable full of horses, donkeys, and even a very famous giraffe in the distance. This 17-foot tall giraffe is known as Stanley. He has since retired from his work in Hollywood for being too tall to transport. After waving goodbye to Stanley, we went for our last stretch on the bikes. Our guide got off his bike and took action-photos of everyone riding with their groups. The photos came out great, and they make for the perfect gift to share from the bike tour.
We returned to the safari truck that took us further up the vineyard hills where portable tasting rooms were waiting for us. We were able to sample four different kinds of wine that each tasted amazing. On the next hill, we were able to see a wedding taking place, giving us a drink and a show. It was a beautiful sight that made our drinks even better. With each tasting, we received local information about the vineyard and the wine-making process.
The first wine we drank was a Rosé of Grenache – pink, sweet, and a great choice to start. The second wine we tasted was a Chardonnay. This white wine, in my personal opinion, is my favorite of the selection. We changed pace with going with a Cabernet Sauvignons that tasted perfect with a perfect balance of sweet, oaky, and dry. The final tasting was of a more dry Sangiovese and paired wonderfully with the piece of dark chocolate given to us. We were happy to hear that every tour has a different wine selection, in case we want to come back and try more. The wine, the conversation, and skyline views, was the perfect finale for this wine tour.
After our tastings, the safari truck took us back to the first open field we parked in.
Wine tastings are always glamorous and exciting because of the wine. The once Malibu Safari Tour is now the Malibu Bike Tour, and we really enjoyed it. Adding bike riding to the tour has become a whole new memorable experience full of fun. We were told that every tour is different, with new routes through the ranch to take. With the season changing to cooler weather, now is the best time to visit. We would recommend the Malibu Bike Tour to anyone who loves wine, the outdoors, and experiencing new exciting adventures.
See the original article on OC Register HERE
