Jim and Debbie Van Haun founded Cedar View Winery in 1999 with an emphasis on producing rare, eclectic, hard-to-find varietals. The winery's estate “flagship” grape, Alicante Bouschet, is made as a very popular award-winning red wine as well as a very rare Rosé and Port style wine.
This place doesn't have boutique winery hipster appeal so if you're looking for that, go elsewhere. The pourer we talked to works in the field with the winemaker; she said that they all wear many hats. The people behind the tasting counter are just wonderful. Last time it was the wine maker himself! Though he said it's rare to find him doing the tasting.
Beautiful vineyard and land. Frey produces organic and biodynamic wines- and is the oldest organic winery in the country. The Frey family, 10 out of 12 children run the vineyard and live on the 90 acres. The wine was tasty. I haven't had a lot of organic wines but I liked the organic Zin and biodynamic Petite Syrah.
Painting by Agata Zaborowski women enjoying wine
The Heringer Family has always believed in hard work, innovation and resourcefulness. We have always utilized whatever land, crop, or agricultural business opportunities were available to us such that our presence in the industry, the integrity of our family name, and the continuity of the family farm were assured for future generations.This has been accomplished through the generations while maintaining relationships of integrity with venders, customers, employees, and family members.
Mount Palomar Winery, located in the Temecula Valley wine appellation, is a fine wine estate dedicated to making wines of distinctive taste and high quality. Located among rolling hills and mesa lands at 1400 feet elevation, Mount Palomar is a working wine estate with 45 acres of producing vineyards overlooked by the Palomar Mountain range. John H. Poole established the original Mount Palomar vineyards, and was Mount Palomar Winery's first winemaker in 1975. He created a place where people could immerse themselves in the world of fine wine in a pleasant and relaxed Wine Country atmosphere. Today, Mount Palomar’s winemaker James Rutherford is a Northern California transplant who received his degree from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. He gained most of his experience on the Central Coast in both the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo wine regions.
I sat on the Patio listening to some awesome music. Three very nice ladies were sketching while the music played! I had the best lunch, Chicken, Artichoke- sun dried tomatoes-feta cheese and roasted garlic flatbread! Glass of Dry Riesling! Delicious! The perfect outdoor day! If you have never been there, I suggest you go and relax on the patio for some great food and delicious wine tasting!
Louis M. Martini is one of the old wineries known for their Cabernets. They have a nice patio area where you can bring a picnic while doing your wine tasting. When we walked in the tasting room, we walked up to the counter and selected the $15 tasting of three cabernets. We were give the first pour at the counter and were told we could go into large patio area and sit at one of the tables where our tasting could continue. Meanwhile, we setup our picnic and enjoyed our tastings with our picnic. The sever was very informative and came back with the next pour on our tasting menu when we were ready. The pours were generous and we were also given pours of the Meritage and Monte Rosso in the $20 tasting menu as well. It great place to bring a picnic to have your wine tasting in their nice patio area. Would definitely recommend.
The views, 1800 era house, warm extended family conducting the tastings, the farm animals welcoming visitors, the fabulous zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon.... sitting in a hammock, with a glass of excellent wine, peacefully taking in the view, serenity, and ambiance of Howell Mountain... what more could you ask for?
This is way off the beaten path, but it is worth a stop if you're exploring the East valley or coming in from the 41. We stopped here on a whim after blowing through our wine budget at another winery down the road. I live to regret that. It's easy to miss and the road up to the tasting room makes you initially feel like you're in the wrong place, but the views are great at the top from the dinky building. It's remote, so you'll most likely be alone with your party, anyway. That's good because max capacity feels like it would be around six. The lady working the tasting counter is super cool. This is a no frills place, but that's what I love about the wine culture of Paso. They don't have a big selection of pours here, but what they offer is great. Half of the wines were cuvees, which I enjoy because there is something intimate about them, like enjoying the food of a chef you are a fan of. You submit to their palate. That being said, the Twisted wines are very good, especially the older of the two that were out for sampling. Hands down the best, though, is the cab. Artwork by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery Gallery | Agata Art Gallery
Andrew and Laurel Quady left crowded southern California and their jobs in pyrotechnics and merchandising to pursue their dream: a non-urban way of life making wine. Andrew graduated with a Masters in Food Science-Enology from UC Davis and Laurel became a licensed CPA. In 1975, at the urging of friend Darrell Corti, they made their first port from Amador County Zinfandel in Lodi. Today you can experience the passion of this couple that started with their first Amador County Zinfandel Port. Quady Winey is located in the Central Valley of California in Madera along the Madera Wine Trail. Joining the team in 1984 as winemaker Michael Blaylock to manage the growth in the winemaking operations that Essensia Orange Muscat and Elysium Black Muscat Dessert Wines. Now after more than 3 decades later Michael has a lot of award-winning sweet wines to smile about and put a smile on your face as well. Please to have Quady Wines among the wineries listed on California Corks Winery Directory*
Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:00 to 4:30pm
Sat & Sun 12:00 to 4:30pm
Confessions of a Winemaker Chef - I always considered winemaking to be “cooking”. Through my entire time as a chef, I wanted to work with the flavors, textures, and aromas of grapes from the California coast. Finally I took the plunge and moved to Napa Valley.
