Discover Cache Creek Vineyards & Winery and the Land Bill “Poppo” Van Pelt, our father and grandfather. Bill vowed to keep the land as a sanctuary for the elk. Several ponds around the property serve as water sources for waterfowl, otters, beaver, wild turkeys, deer, and elk. Owl boxes placed throughout the vineyard provide a natural method of gopher control.
Hours: Daily | 10:30 am - 5:00 pm
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
Founded in 1978 by Gary Andrus, Pine Ridge Vineyards is located in the renowned Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, celebrated for its exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Our mission is to craft some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in the region.
Currently, Pine Ridge Vineyards boasts estate vineyards across five of Napa Valley’s premier appellations: Stags Leap District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Carneros. Our dedicated team, from vineyard to cellar, is committed to producing wines that reflect their exceptional origins with distinctive character and depth.
Story Winery
Since its founding in 1973, Story Winery has been dedicated to producing small-lot, vineyard-designate wines that authentically express the land from which they originate. Primarily utilizing estate-grown grapes, the winery strives to create wines that not only represent their terroir but also cellar well while being enjoyable in their youth.
The winery’s tasting room and picnic grounds are open daily, offering visitors a chance to experience great wine, find the perfect picnic spot, or simply enjoy a peaceful moment in nature. Guests are invited to discover the renowned estate vineyards, which include 130-year-old Zinfandel and Mission vines, as well as award-winning Italian and Georgian varietals. The friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to guide visitors through various tasting options while sharing stories about the wines, vineyards, and the events that have shaped the winery’s 120-year history.
The Team
Winemaking
Rob Campbell & Thomas Allan
Winemaker Rob Campbell, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, grew up in San Francisco and nearby Daly City. He ventured just 30 miles away to attend San Jose State University, where he studied Jazz. Rob earned a BA in Jazz Studies and a master’s degree in saxophone performance. Realizing that a musician’s income would struggle to sustain him in San Francisco, he leveraged his computer skills while completing his studies. Rob worked at Hewlett-Packard, Apple, and later at Digidesign (now part of Avid Technologies) during the early 1990s. Over a decade, he climbed the ranks to become Hardware Product Manager of digital audio workstations. He then transitioned into a consulting role for Avid’s worldwide training organization as an author, lecturer, and Master Trainer. After extensive global travel, Rob chose to settle back in San Francisco to manage One Union Recording, a premier post-production audio facility. It was during this period that he took over management and operations at Story Winery.
WinemakerThomas Allan, originally from Santa Barbara, has built a diverse career in the restaurant industry, serving as an owner, server, and sommelier. He also worked in high-end retail bottle shops in Santa Barbara before relocating to Amador County in 2000. Thomas was the original Sommelier at Taste Restaurant before moving to Bray Vineyards. In 2016, he established his own label, Fate Wines, which he continues to manage alongside his work at Story Winery, where he joined the winemaking team in 2018.
Image courtesy photographer Randy Caparosos
The seeds for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard were planted when a young man by the name of Ken Burnap took a prom date out to one of the finest restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. Ken ordered a bottle of wine and mangled the pronunciation of the French variety. The very snobby and pretentious wine steward humiliated Ken with his reaction and in the manner of most of us when barely out of our teens, Ken vowed to learn as much as he could about wine and go back to show that wine steward a thing or two.
Margerum Wine Company is committed to creating handcrafted wines using only the highest quality grapes so that we can make wines that are indicative of the place where they are grown. We strive to make wines naturally, to make wines that have individual characteristics and to make wines with personality. The scale of production is kept at a level where we can touch and know the wine as it is raised to the bottle – the antithesis of mass production. Margerum Wine Company make wines they personally enjoy – some to drink young, all for the table, and others for long aging in cool cellars for later enjoyment.
All of the wines are delicious. They off certain wines to try with chocolates and crackers for your pleasure. They educate you on what you tasting and give you time to make up your mind if your satisfied or not. They recommended other wineries we should try, as well as great nearby foods places. The "Napa Valley AmerItal Red Wine" (750ml) Goosecross Wines is truly one of my favorites. 1. First of all, Make a reservation! Make a RESERVATION! or else! The place is hidden, small, and worth visiting but dropping by isn't going to work. 2. The place is family run, which makes it personal and incredible.
The Foxen Boys (aka Bill Wathen and Dick Doré) have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic on Foxen Canyon Road.
LaRocca Vineyards was born in 1984 when Philip and Judy began farming 110 acres of unkept Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wine grapes, on Doe Mill Ridge in Forest Ranch, California. Philip and Judy transformed the vineyard to a thriving, successful certified organic operation. LaRocca Vineyards is located at 2600 feet elevation on the lower southern slopes of Mount Lassen.
At Rhys Vineyards we aspire to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from some of California’s most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has led us to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone. Over the last 15 years, we have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil-driven wine.
