Cactus Star Vineyard crafts its wine from grapes grown on the vineyard premises and occasionally from grapes obtained from other Ramona Valley vineyards within the RVA appellation. On-premise grape varieties are: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Pour a glass of wine, kick back and read about our exciting adventure that is Flying Goat Cellars. A “Mission of Merriment,” which seeks to produce great wine that is reasonably priced and ready to drink upon release.
Al Scheid set his roots in Monterey County in 1972. Al has said if he had every planned to build a family winery it never would have happened. Instead, by his entrepreneurial spirit, skills at building relationships and a lot of hard work today it has become just that. Enjoy the passion and heart in this wineries wines.
E. & J. Gallo Winery is a family-owned winery with fifteen family members, spanning three generations of the Gallo family, actively working in the business. • Established in 1933 and headquartered in Modesto, California, E. & J. Gallo Winery remains a privately held and ever-growing company that employs more than 7,000 people worldwide. • E. & J. Gallo Winery offers a broad array of products that total more than 100 brands and include table, sparkling and luxury wines, beverage products, dessert wines and distilled spirits. • With products available in more than 100 countries, E. & J. Gallo Winery is an exporter of California wine, and imports wines from Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain. Additionally, Gallo imports spirits from Australia, the Caribbean, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Pull up the impressive drive and you will have left Sonoma behind for a little piece of France. The winery is owned by Tattinger and the owners hold this visitor center up to the same standards as their famed winery in Champagne. Pull up the impressive drive and you will have left Sonoma behind for a little piece of France. The winery is owned by Tattinger and the owners hold this visitor center up to the same standards as their famed winery in Champagne.
Gold Hill Vineyard was founded in 1980 by Hank Battjes. Hank worked for 27 years as an electrical engineer at GTE. During those years, Hank increased his knowledge of home wine making, applying it to his hobby and passion. Pursuing his dream he searched for suitable land and when a friend, Bruce, suggested 5 acres of vineyard on an 80 acre parcel near Coloma, California, he bought it.
Palmina is more than a winery. It is a philosophy, a passion and a strongly held belief that wine is an extension of the plate, a component of a meal and a means to bring people together. Formed by winemaker Steve Clifton in 1995, Palmina is named in honor of Steve’s great friend Paula. Like a grandmother to him, she taught Steve to love cooking, wine and the Italian lifestyle and was a spark in his life. After Paula succumbed to breast cancer, Steve found that her given name on her Italian birth certificate was Palmina, and the winery was thus fittingly named.
Roche is a great spot for a glass of wine or a tasting in Sonoma. I've brought nearly every visitor/friend I've had, here, because of its proximity to the square and its fantastic outdoor tasting bar. Very quaint and dainty! For $5.00 you can taste all the wines. You can sit outside, and for the brisk afternoons they have fire pits at the tables. The estate chardonay was crisp and slightly sweet. The cab was nice. The Syrah was robust and peppery. Late harvest chardonay close to amazing.
Jacuzzi is a unique place for sure. Yes, there are a lot of wineries that combine both vino and olive oil, but I think Jacuzzi "owns it" as good as anyone. They've got a huge facility with a very generous, separate area devoted completely to the olive oil, so you've really got two completely different tasting experiences in one stop. Both the wine and the olive oil tastings are free; another pleasant surprise since even Sonoma county is running low on the complimentary tastings.
Anthony Faustini has been a wine collector for many years. Looking to make the jump from serious collector to wine maker he began his research on Long Island in New York, visiting wineries and trying a number of wines. Looking to expand his palate and wanting to make a California wine he came to the Napa Valley where he was introduced to Crushpad in San Francisco. Faustini's first commercial vintage was small - merely 50 cases in 2005 from the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard in St. Helena. This vintage was a teaser for Anthony and made him realize how much he wanted to be in the business. He started taking remote courses through UC Davis and because of his work for Cisco frequently found himself in California. While here for work - he also started nurturing vineyard and wine making connections. Today he lives in New York and commutes to Napa a number of times each year. Faustini currently focus on two labels, Play Date and Faustini with plans to expand. Each one of their wines involves a unique story.
