Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Barterra Wines

glass of wine

We found the Barterra winery, located in Half Moon Bay, to be a delightful place. A husband and wife team run this winery. The staff is friendly and they know their stuff when it comes to wine.

Barterra offers premium wines from the finest vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma, Carneros, Lodi, Amador, Alexander Valley, Mendocino, Lodi, Paso Robles, Russian River Valley and Madera.  All of Barterra Wines is sold directly to the public.

Their quaint tasting room is located on the main street and the pours are generous.  Their standard wine tasting allows you to sample three wines, but the owner let me try an additional port (and it was excellent!).  We enjoyed tasty white wines and their Ruby Cabernet and chocolatey dessert wine were very good. ~

Hours:

Tues-Weds   Closed
Thur     12:00pm to 6:00pm
Fri        12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sat       12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sun      12:00pm to 6:00pm
Mon     12:00pm to 6:00pm

Kissed By An Angel Wines

Winery's Logo

Larry Olivo, a third-generation winemaker with over thirty years of experience, has honed his craft alongside his grandfather and father. For the past eight years, he has served as an apprentice winemaker under the guidance of John Marion at The Big White House Winery in Livermore, California. His mission is to create fine, premium wines at affordable prices, sourcing grapes from both the family estate and the renowned Santa Cruz Mountains. Larry's passion for winemaking prioritizes quality over quantity, and the winery's Wine Club offers enthusiasts the best way to access their latest releases.

Together with his wife Lisa, Larry has dedicated his work to honoring their daughter, Amanda, who passed away at the age of 22 in January 2007. Diagnosed with kidney disease at just four years old, Amanda underwent a kidney transplant at the age of eight. Despite the return of her autoimmune disease following the transplant, she was treated for twelve years with an experimental regimen that helped maintain her kidney's health. During this time, Amanda developed a deep admiration for angels, amassing a collection and finding great comfort in her prayers to them.

In memory of Amanda, Larry and Lisa created the "Kissed By An Angel" wine brand, celebrating her life and spirit.

 

Poetic Cellars

couple embrassing

Poetic Cellars was established in 2005 with one thought in mind; that of combining the passionate excellence of their winesand with exquisite and original poetry on each varietal. This interesting Santa Cruz Mountains winery is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains on 33 Redwood studded acres. Just minutes from Highway 17, it is only about 40 minutes from San Jose and 15 minutes from Santa Cruz. Bring a picnic Lunch to enjoy the views along with a bottle of Poetic Cellars wine.

Pelican Ranch

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Pelican Ranch Winery is a small, family owned and operated winery specializing in Rhone and Burgundy style wines from the best vineyards in California. Established in 1997, the winery is located a short distance from Monterey Bay which provides the constant, cool, coastal influence that allows for controlled, slow fermentation. The result is rich, full-flavored, complex wines.

Chaucer's Cellars

people enjoying wine - by wine artist Agata

CHAUCER’S CELLARS, a division of BARGETTO WINERY, has been producing premium, award-winning meads for over 50 years.

Chaucer’s Mead is crafted from 100% natural honey. Their Raspberry Mead and Pomegranate Mead are blends of mead and a small portion of fruit wine. The Sparkling Mead is made from 100% organic honey, infused with orange and ginger essences.

This mead can be enjoyed chilled, as an accompaniment to various entrées and desserts, served with dried fruit, nuts, and cheeses, or used as an ingredient in mixed drinks. Visit the recipes and pairings page for ideas. Mead can be served chilled or mulled with the included spice packs, making it an excellent gift option.

Cinnabar Vineyards & Winery

glasses of wine in front of fireplace - Pixabay

Cinnabar Winery is a family-owned establishment that embraces winemaking as a harmonious blend of science and nature's magic. Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, their vibrant Saratoga and Gilroy Tasting Rooms serve as the heart of the winery, where they collaborate with local growers to transform California's finest grapes into distinctive and approachable wines.

History

Founded in 1983 by the late Tom Mudd, Cinnabar initially planted vineyards and constructed a majestic winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Following Tom's passing, the estate changed hands in 2007, and Cinnabar relocated to its new home in downtown Saratoga.

In 2019, Ron Mosley, the original vineyard manager, took ownership, completing a remarkable full-circle journey. Ron is dedicated to honoring Cinnabar's legacy while steering the business toward an exciting future. Cinnabar's philosophy remains rooted in the joy of creating serious wine with a sense of fun.

Silver Mountain Vineyards

grape cluster

Silver Moutain Vineyards

Hidden high in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies a unique winery and vineyard operated by founder/winemaker Jerold O’Brien. Established in 1979, Silver Mountain Vineyards is located at an elevation of 2,100 feet and enjoys a spectacular view of Monterey Bay and the surrounding redwood forest.

Bargetto Winery

Glass of wine

Soquel Bargetto has the prettiest tasting room and patio overlooking a creek and wilderness. Getting to the wines, the Sauv Blanc and Pinot Grigio are pretty good and well balanced, the Chard not my preference. The reserve reds are quite delicious and the sweet wines are good if you are into the sweeter wines.

The winemaking heritage of Bargetto began with brothers Phillip and John Bargetto, who emigrated from Castelnuovo Don Bosco, a small town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Bringing with them years of winegrowing experience, they established BARGETTO WINERY on the banks of Soquel Creek in California.

Some History 

Phillip was the first to leave Italy in 1891 at the age of seventeen. In 1909, John joined his brother in San Francisco.

The original Bargetto family winery was located in San Francisco from 1910 to 1917, operating under the name South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Company. With Prohibition on the horizon, the winery was closed, and the brothers relocated to Soquel in 1917.

In 1918, Phillip and John purchased the current site of BARGETTO WINERY and began producing wine in an old barn on the property. During Prohibition (1919-1933), the brothers continued to make wine for family and friends while selling produce to local customers and growing apples at their family ranch in Soquel. When Prohibition ended in 1933, they devoted more time to the wine business, expanding into a wholesale operation while maintaining their produce sales.

Phillip Bargetto passed away in 1936, leaving John as the sole owner of the business during the 1940s and 1950s. John continued to produce and sell wine both wholesale and retail, with the support of his sons Ralph and Lawrence during these years.

Big Basin Vineyards

pouring a glass of wine - Pixabay

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 on an historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The old ranch property was first settled in the late 1800s. Wine grape cultivation had been started by French immigrants by the early 1900s and continued until 1965 when the property was sold by Justin Lacau, who had named the property "Frenchy's Ranch", to a timber company. By the 1990s, all that remained of the vineyards were redwood stakes and scattered vines hidden by brush and poison oak bushes. The mission has been to restore this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. The winery building was completed in December 2003 on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure which burned down in the 1970s. It is a 'Monitor'-style barn with a timber frame construction built using redwood selectively harvested from the estate.

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