The Top Ten Wineries where you can taste for free
It would seem these days that there are but few wineries that won’t take a dime from you in order for you to taste their wines. Sure, it’s often a supply vs. demand thing – the popular and just-off-the-highway wineries pour a lot of wine, and many wine tourists taste but don’t buy. Even if it is ostensibly to keep the riff-raff out, a winery’s decision to charge for tastings seems prudent as a practical business decision.
Isn’t it delightful, then, when you can visit a winery and discover that your tasting is free? Well, it still happens, even in the heart of the California wine country. The list that follows highlights some of the better wineries where you can taste wine for free. These are the top ten wineries, inside and outside of California, that offer free wine tastings. Now go and visit them! If you like what you taste, take a bottle home with you.
1. Calistoga, Napa Valley
August Briggs Wines, 333 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, California. Phone: 707.942.4912
August Briggs Winery may be Napa Valley’s new kid on the block, but owner-winemaker Joe Briggs has been around! After nearly ten vintages of roaming, Joe and his wines now have a permanent home in Calistoga; Focus is Artisan Cabernets, Syrah and Chardonnays.
2. Santa Cruz Mountains
Bargetto Winery, 3535 North Main Street, Soquel, California 95073. Phone: 800.4-BARGETTO
Bargetto Winery represents the oldest continuous-operation winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, producing handcrafted, award-winning wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains since 1933. It is situated on the banks of Soquel Creek in California. Specializes in estate-grown and Italian red varietals.
3. Salinas Valley, Monterey
Paraiso Vineyards, 38060 Paraiso Springs Road, Soledad, California 93960. Phone: 831.678.0300
Paraiso Vineyards Tasting Room is perched high on the Santa Lucia Bench, above the Salinas River Valley of Monterey County; Focus on Pinot Noirs, Syrah, and great white varietals such as dry Riesling.
4. Healdsburg, Sonoma County
Simi Winery, 16275 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg, California 95448. Phone: 800.746.4880
Simi is proud to have a hospitality center on the site where their original tasting room once stood. The Simi Winery Visitor Center is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm for wine tasting and winery tours. Specializes in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Cabernets.
5. Willamette Valley, Oregon:
Van Duzer Vineyards, 11975 Smithfield Road, Dallas, Oregon 97338. Phone: 800.884.1927
Located on a hillside in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, these vineyards benefit uniquely from the blessings of the gentle west wind which blows through the Van Duzer Corridor to the interior Willamette Valley. Specializes in Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
6. Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia
King Family Vineyards,6550 Roseland Farm, Crozet, Virginia. Phone: 434-823-7800
King Family Vineyards is just fifteen minutes west of Charlottesville and two minutes off the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Enjoy a picnic on their outdoor terrace. Focus is on Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, and Meritage Blends.
7. Ukiah, Mendocino County
Parducci Wine Cellars, 501 Parducci Road, Ukiah, California 95482. Phone: 888.362.9463
Located in Ukiah in Mendocino County, at the northern edge of what most people consider to be the California wine country. Specializes in Zinfandels, as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlots, Cabernets, and Syrahs.
8. Kenwood, Sonoma County
St. Francis Winery, 100 Pythian Road, Kenwood, California 95409. Phone: 800.543.7713
Located just about 10 miles north of the Sonoma Square in the beautiful Valley of the Moon. Wine lovers can enjoy a selection of four tastes from a list of Reserve Vineyards Series wines, many of which are available only at the winery.
9. Paso Robles
Midlife Crisis Winery, 1244 Pine Street, Suite A, Paso Robles, California 93446. Phone: 805.237.0109
The Midlife Crisis Winery was founded in 2004 as the fulfillment of the crazy dream of Kevin and Jill Mittan to become winemakers in Paso Robles while working day jobs in Los Angeles. The Midlife Crisis Winery offers an eclectic mix of Italian, Rhone, and Bordeaux varietals, as well as sparkling wines.
10. Santa Rita Appellation, Santa Barbara
Lafond Winery and Vineyard, 6855 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton California 93427. Phone: 805.688.7921
Located near the Santa Ynez River, Santa Barbara County. As vineyard-designated wines (100% from one vineyard) and as Santa Rita Hills wines (100% from the Santa Rita Hills appellation), Lafond produces three varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. A free tasting at Lafond requires a complimentary wine tasting coupon, available on their website. [Editor's note, April 2009: Sadly, this coupon is no longer available on the Lafond website.]
Source: WineCountry.com
Related posts:
March 22nd, 2007 11:08
The Top Ten Wineries where you can taste for free…
Isnt it delightful when you can visit a winery and discover that your tasting is free? This article lists the top ten wineries, inside and outside of California, that offer free wine tastings….
March 22nd, 2007 15:24
Thanks for the tips Winehiker! It is always nice to find out you don’t have to pay to taste…or at least that the cost is refunded if you purchase!
March 22nd, 2007 15:39
Sonadora, I like wineries who apply the tasting fee toward the cost of a purchase. I almost got into that issue here, but felt it would detract from the main point of the post.
But you know, it’s those wineries that charge a tasting fee but don’t apply it toward a purchase that, unless I really LOVE their wine, I don’t feel obligated to return to. Funny, but they’re often also the wineries that tend to have a higher Snob Quotient. I’d name names. Maybe I will! Yeah, I’ll title that post “The Top Ten Wineries Who Don’t Want Your Business.”
March 23rd, 2007 11:55
It’s an eternal struggle for wineries to deal with the inevitable “sport tasters” that cruise thru. Fortunately that hasn’t become a huge problem for us – yet. And I can’t imagine not kicking back the cost of tasting for a purchase.
Just BTW, there are 19 wineries in Calaveras County that do not charge for tasting (that would be all of them), and 11 of them are on Main Street in Murphys within easy crawling distance of each other…:)
March 23rd, 2007 12:21
That’s excellent feedback, Jefe. It would be fun (and exhaustive, no doubt) to regionalize and do a Top Ten (or a Top Nineteen) for each major AVA. I’m sure Calaveras County would come out on top for Most Wineries Offering Free Tastings. Oh, the foot traffic!
(Just remember, folks: if you like it, buy it! Why else would you go wine tasting?)
March 13th, 2009 15:18
[...] The Top Ten Wineries where you can taste for free Winehiker featured on Feedster [...]