NORTH COAST
Handcrafted Cabernet Sauvignon at Old Growth Cellars
Old Growth Cellars is a boutique winery in Eureka handcrafting varietals in small batches. Their featured wine is the Old Growth 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon that has notes of cherry, vanilla, spice and berry pie. Experience a more local feel and rustic, laid back atmosphere in their tasting room, which often has live entertainment and food trucks on site.
Red Varietals in Downtown Napa
In Downtown Napa, visitors can find over 55 tasting rooms within walking distance that offer a robust selection of red wines to try. At JaM Cellars Wine & Music Studio, enjoy live performances, fun events, and unique experiences while sipping JaM wines. Every Thursday-Saturday they have free JaMSessions featuring performances from local musicians. Chateau Buena Vista has a Cabernet Sauvignon from four distinct appellations within Napa Valley. Alpha Omega Collective showcases Bordeaux from Alpha Omega, Burgundian varietals Pinot Noir from Tolosa on the San Luis Obispo Coast, and Mediterranean reds from Perinet in Spain’s Priorat. Benevolent Neglect offers Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and more. Known for the reds, Bazan Cellars has a refined portfolio of Cabernet Sauvignon wine. BRAND produces a small selection of highly sought-after wines, including BRAND Cabernet Sauvignon, BRAND Proprietary Blend and BRAND Vineyard N°95.
Silver Oak Winery: California’s Most Eco-Conscious Winery
Sonoma County’s Silver Oak Winery is consistently one of America's most requested Cabernet Sauvignons. Sustainability is the winery’s long-term strategy for leading a healthy and thriving business without compromising the next generation’s ability to use and enjoy the natural resources. Silver Oak Winery’s environmental stewardship and social responsibility extends from their vineyards and winery to its tasting room.
Lightpost Winery’s Ultra-Premium Red Wines
Celebrated French winemaker Christian Roguenant and winemaker Sofia Fedotova work in unison to coax and polish the unique flavors that characterize the story of the Lightpost Winery in Morgan Hill. Their ultra-premium wines include Rhone and Bordeaux style blends in addition to single varietals.
Explore the Mid-Peninsula Wine Trail
Explore the vibrant Mid-Peninsula Wine Trail in San Carlos. Immerse yourself in a collection of wineries, conveniently nestled within walking distance. Domenico Winery specializes in Italian varietals. Cuvee Wine Cellars started with a passionate home winemaker, and after a run of successes in amateur- winemaking contests across California, Cuvee is now a bonded winery. Flying Suitcase Wines is family-owned with unique tasting rooms. Russian Ridge Winery, also family-owned and operated, produces wines with fruit sourced from Northern California single vineyards.
Iron Hub Winery in Amador County
Founded in 2016, Iron Hub Winery is owned and operated by Tom and Beth Jones. The Jones family loves Amador County’s preservation of its agrarian roots and rural character. Father-son winemakers Tom and Spencer handcraft each wine, carefully tending each vintage from vine to bottle. The winemaking duo produces wines that reflect the unique terroir. Iron Hub’s signature red varietals are Zinfandel, Barbera, Sangiovese, Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Aglianico.
Century Old Grapevines at Besson Family Vineyards
Gilroy is home to several historical, family-run wineries with grapevines over a century old. Besson Family Vineyards has grapevines from the 1800s as well as Grenache and Zinfandel from when French immigrant farmer Jean Auguste Besson bought the land in 1925. Red wine grapes flourish in the valley, producing wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and old-vine Grenache and Zinfandel. Grapes from Besson Family Vineyards have also been used by many other larger-scale wineries, winning multiple awards.
Ficklin Vineyards Award-Winning Old Vine Tinta Port
Tucked away on the back roads of Madera, Ficklin Vineyards is America's oldest Port winery, producing award-winning Port wines since 1946. The Old Vine Tinta Port has a spicy and full mouthfeel accompanied by rich dark cherry, plum and fig notes.
Burnsini Vineyards: Leading Sustainability in Shasta County
Burnsini Vineyards in Cottonwood sets itself apart by focusing on ever-improving sustainability in its vineyard and inside the winery. The Burnsini family encourages consumers and club members to return bottles for reuse, providing information about their biodynamic compost tea program in the vines, and introducing new offerings like their natural sparkling wine, Petillant Naturel.
Get MO Wine! The Largest Family-Owned Winery in Modesto
E & J Gallo Winery is the world’s largest family-owned wine brand and the largest exporter of California wines. From the popular Apothic Red to Barefoot to Dark Horse, Gallo is the global wine industry leader proud to call Modesto home. Gallo Winery headquarters open their grounds once a year for the “Picnic in the Pops” event which attracts thousands of guests to enjoy the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, dancing under the stars and Gallo Wine. This year’s event will take place on Sept. 9 with a tribute to Aretha Franklin.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Wine Walk
Carmel-by-the-Sea is home to an array of locally owned wine-tasting rooms, each showcasing the best of Monterey County Wines. Visitors can delve into the rich history of the local vineyards while discovering their favorite red varietals. To help guide visitors on their wine journey, Carmel-by-the-Sea Wine Walk is a complimentary mobile guide featuring a range of wine-tasting rooms. The Wine Walk guide offers exclusive experiences and specials upon checking in at each stop.
SIERRA FOOTHILLS
Placer County’s Rhone and Tempranillo Blends
With a Mediterranean climate in the Sierra Foothills, the Placer County Region is ideal for growing premium wine grape varietals of the great wine producing regions of Italy, Southern France and Spain. Casque Wines is a prominent producer of Rhone blends. Tempranillo is an up-and-comer in the Sierra Foothills and showcased well by both Vina Castellano and Lone Buffalo Vineyards.
CENTRAL COAST
Unique Coastal Wines in Cambria
Located a few miles from the water’s edge and just over the coastal mountains from the Westside Paso Robles wine region, Cutruzzola Vineyards’ estate vineyard grows Riesling and Pinot Noir on hillsides in Cambria’s cool microclimate, creating a coastal flavor that is unlike any other. Include a stop at boutique winery, Black Hand Cellars, named after a family legend about the Black Hand Mafia and their special liking for great-grandfather’s wine. Visit the prohibition-themed tasting room to sample their red varietals, which are estate-grown on Torie Ranch Vineyard. The farmhouse and old dairy barn at Stolo Family Vineyards dates back to the late 1800s. Less than three miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyards thrive in Cambria’s unique microclimate, producing unmatched coastal style Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
San Luis Obispo County's Stunning Wineries
San Luis Obispo County features over 300 wineries, from light whites and reds on the coast to robust reds in Paso Robles Wine Country. Daou Vineyards offers exclusive ATV tours of their manufacturing facility featuring world-class Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux-style wines. Niner Wine Estate is known for its estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, as well as their flagship blend Fog Catcher. Halter Ranch is committed to organic practices by proudly cultivating 100% organic grapes. Experience Land Rover excursions in the ranch’s back country and sip on their specialties of Bordeaux and Rhône wines. Notably, Center of Effort offers wonderful Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay) blends.
SOUTH COAST
Vibes and Views at Reyes Winery
Originating in 2004, Santa Clarita-based Reyes Winery created its first commercial bottling of its 2009 vintage in 2011 with three of the winery’s most sought-after premium wines - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. After quickly becoming a popular wine destination for locals and tourists, owner Robert Reyes opened Reyes Winery on Main, a restaurant and rooftop tasting room for visitors to enjoy great food and the beautiful scenery.
California Reds in Temecula Valley
With over 50 wineries in Temecula Valley, there is no better place to celebrate National Red Wine Day. Fazeli Cellars’ award-winning red wines are crafted with a touch of the family’s Persian heritage. Avensole Winery is committed to sustainable practices and produces a diverse range of red blends ranging from Cabernets to Tempranillo and more. Tuscan inspired winery Lorimar Vineyards and Winery, approaches their winemaking process with a fruit forward style that combines old world techniques with advanced technology to create exciting blends and varietals.
A Hidden Ranch Turned Winery in Catalina
Nestled in a small valley nearly 12 miles outside of Avalon is El Rancho Escondido, or “the hidden ranch.” Still a working ranch, it was originally started as the Wrigley family's Arabian Horse Ranch. Although the horses are gone, the intent of El Rancho Escondido remains: to share Catalina's interior with visitors. The Ranch is now home to Rusack Vineyards, where the classic, cool-climate conditions and clay loam soils that exist make it a world-class site for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It also features a Zinfandel originating from a few hardy vines still alive on Catalina’s sister island of Santa Cruz.