Dos Rios wines are grown on river canyon terraced vineyards at 1200 feet elevation in poor, fast draining soil. Here, cool nights and warm afternoons are accompanied by persistent wind. Hand picked fruit and ferment in 250-gallon open top tanks before barrel aging Vin De Tevis wines upwards of 39 months.
Our 17,000 square foot facility was designed by Jon Lail, principal of Lail Design Group, LLC, to reflect the marriage of Chuck’s tech background, and Philippe’s Old World winemaking philosophy. Completed in 2002, the winery is built of stone materials and terraced with landscape plantings to fit beautifully within the natural landscape of the vineyards that surround it. The winery design is gravity flow in nature, increasing the quality of the wine produced and substantially reducing undesirable aeration by pumps and winemaking machinery.
Designed to make the least environmental impact, the facility generates its own electricity using microturbines. As a byproduct, this system “co-generates” all the winery’s hot and chilled water and cools the winery’s 13,000 square feet of caves.
In 1999, this family bonded their winery called Vino Con Brio, meaning “Wine with Passion” in Italian. Matzin was their other label for their Old Vine Zinfandel Wines. Vino Con Brio specialized in Rhone, Italian and out of the ordinary varietals, such as Pinotage, that are so well-suited to Lodi's climate.
Vino Con Brio is now closed.
The Matson Family has retired and the property is now owned by Mettler Family Vineyards.
Vino Vargas is nestled in the rolling hills of the Northwest Paso Robles region. Our modern winery is both an efficient example of winemaking and a warm place for you, your friends and family to discover some truly unique wines. Your tasting appointment will be personal, educational and fun. This means that you get to interact with the winemaker Pedro or the other member of this husband and wife team. sommelier Vicky. You will really talk about the wines, winemaking philosophy or just sit back and enjoy the magnificent view as you sip from you glass and enjoy a taste of Vino Vargas.
Viszlay Vineyards is a family owned and operated boutique winery located in the Russian River Valley. You can find this little gem just a few miles south of downtown Healdsburg, CA. Viszlay's estate wines are grown on their own 10 acre vineyard. Currently they are pouring their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Caberbet & Merlot blendm Zinfandel and a Petite Sirah wines. In addition to a traditional wine tasting you can also enjoy a Cheese & Wine paring. We just made recent contact with John Viszlay at the winery and we look forward to experiencing his wines and the winery story soon. We will keep you posted!
Great job by the owners creating a feeling of Tuscany! Beautiful place... locals call this a "one stop shopping" tasting experience! Wood fired pizzas, a KILLER gelateria, Italian varietals in the tasting room; a deli with various panini and cheeses,salads, etc...a must stop when touring the Kenwood area!
Volcan Mountain Winery is nestled at the base of the picturesque Volcan Mountain. Our tasting room, winery, vineyard and orchard area only a mere 2 mile scenic drive from the historic town center of Julian, which began it’s roots in the 1870’s gold rush. Get away from the hectic rush of city life…discover the charms of Julian.
Currently offer a Sangiovese, Zin, Vin Santo dessert wine (from Malvasia Bianca) and Sauvignon Blanc. We also grow and make Chardonnay, Barbera, Syrah, Cab, Cab/Sangio blend, Vernacia, Pinot Gris, Nebbiolo, Primitivo.
The rustic cave setting certainly took our tasting to the next level, but the Cabernet's stood on their own. Each had a distinct character, and some were liked more than others, but we honestly enjoyed EVERY wine that we tasted. The pairing of delicious cheeses enhanced the many attributes of the grapes. Von Strasser is a small, cozy winery tucked into Spring Mountain, just 5 minutes up the hill from Calistoga. They have beautiful, rich Cabs and it's a great experience.
Waterstone Winery makes a very pleasant, reasonably priced 2008 Merlot at $18 and a really nice 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon at only $24, with all of their other wines being quite decent for the money and most coming from vineyards in Napa Valley (The Pinot Noir is from the Sonoma side of Carneros.) Waterstone has no vineyards, but sources all of their grapes. Waterstone Wines are available for tasting at the new Taste at Oxbow. Taste at Oxbow wine tasting salon offers a complete downtown Napa experience, featuring Waterstone Wines, along with gourmet food and boutique retail items.