Despite the fact that this winery is owned by behemoth wine and spirits company, Brown Forman, we could not have picked a better winery to have a midday tasting. The three ladies that were manning the tasting room could not have been more charming as they set us up with a flight of pourings outside on the beautiful patio. We were surprised at the many offerings that Sonoma-Cutrer only provides from the winery or to wine club members.
Veris Cellars was originally founded in 1990 as JanKris Winery and helped establish Paso Robles as one of California’s most dynamic wine regions. In early 2008, JanKris Winery was acquired by local entrepreneur and wine enthusiast Matthew Talbert, who immediately launched a new era under the new name of Veris Cellars. -
Husch Vineyards is a small, family owned and operated winery. It is the oldest winery in the Anderson Valley appellation, located in Mendocino County (Northern California) just 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco. The tasting room is in a hobbit cottage straight out of the Shire. Worth stopping just to see it.
People were friendly. The wines were very earthy and herby, almost gamey. Definitely distinctive.
The tasting is free, which is rare even in Anderson Valley, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time and room in your stomach for something else.
If ever you decide to meander the wineries of Dry Creek Road, this place is a must! Landscape architects have touched every inch of the estate with their magic wand blending color, textures, and aromas that match the bouquet of their family owned wines.
Their 2010 Chardonnay Reserve is beautiful with hints of vanilla & pear with a slight buttery finish; very smooth. The 2009 Sky High Pinot Noir from the Alexander Valley is bright & crisp with a beautiful color; it is a limited production so get them while you can. This family basically carved an opulent French estate out of the hills of Dry Creek, and it has to be seen to be believed.
Soquel Bargetto has th prettiest tasting room and patio overlooking a creek and wilderness. Getting to th 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.
David Macrae founded this winery to develop limited production wines that reflect the top growers including Bacigaluipi Vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Stagecoach Vineyards in Napa Valley.
The winemaker is Kerry Damskey, a University of California at Davis graduate. The wines are sold on the website and available for tasting through the Family Wineries Tasting Room in Kenwood.
9380 Highway 12, Kenwood, CA
Mietz is a small producer of exceptional quality wines available to taste at Family Wineries of Dry Creek tasting room at 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Restrained style of winemaking makes these wines particularly food friendly.
Napa Valley isn't quite like Hollywood (yet), where the stars get by on a first-name basis. Even so, what serious wine collector doesn't know who Helen and Heidi are? While the name Philippe may not register so quickly, Philippe Melka is definitely a Napa winemaker to watch, a man many believe is poised to become one of the valley's hottest consultants since Helen Turley and Heidi Barrett.
Donelan Wines is a journey of quality and passion: for wine, for people, for terroir expressed in a series of Rhone- and Burgundy-inspired Cuvees and Sonoma County single vineyard wines. The Donelan Family of Wines strives to produce pure unadulterated wines that are a pleasure to drink on release and will reward your patience as they age gracefully in your cellar.
Miramonte Winery has a nice relaxed vibe during the day, but the night life is what really makes the place special. They stay open till 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights and always have live music. If you want to hang out in wine country on Friday or Saturday night, drink some good wine or sangria, and do a little dancing, this is by far the best place to go in wine country. If you are on the fence about taking the wine tour ....not need to be ..they have a very informative & entertaining wine tour that warrants the time. The bite size hors d' oeuvres at the end of the tour with the wine paring was PERFECT!!! I was expecting bland lil bites...NOT AT ALL!...everyone inquired if they can purchase the pesto & the spicy hummus. he winery is located just 1.25 miles east of Temecula, and a large majority of Wine Country visitors pass through Temecula on the way to Wine Country. This makes Bel Vino the third winery on the right as visitors drive through Wine Country. The winery sits atop one of the highest points in Wine Country and this elevation provides a sweeping 360 degree view of the surrounding valleys, vineyards and mountains, offering the best views in the area. Temecula Wine Country. The winery is located within a two hour drive of the 20+ million people living in Southern California, and this population makes both Wine Country and Bel Vino highly popular tourist destinations.
