Conviently located right next to the Pincchetti open space preserve, the option for a glass of wine…read moreafter a hike is one I couldn't not pass up. They open at 11am so that gave me plenty of time to hike before hand. Even right at opening there was a good amount of people that run in the second the gate is open to grab a table. You can get wine by the glass, the bottle, or set up a tasting. In this case just a glass was sufficient. I got the Sparking Brut Rosé. It was delicious though I will say, on an empty stomach post hike, it hit harder than it normally wood. They don't have good options that I saw and judging by the other tables, it's being your own everything. It does get kind of loud but overall it was really nice to just sit and sip on some wine with some really pretty scenery. I'd definitely come again to have a picnic on the grass and do a full wine tasting.

Some standouts here, such as their sparkling Zin. Nice picnic area nestled in some impressive…read moretrees.

Our neighborhood gem!!…read more We love the staff! Always the same smiles make it feel like hanging out with friends. The wine is always consistently good and the venue is so quaint and comfortable. There is a little outside seating area perfect for spring/summer. Located close to some very good restaurants... its nice to drop in for a tasting and then walk to one of the nearby restaurants. Reservations are suggested, but they do their best to accommodate walk ins. Once you've been ... you'll know the routine. Would I go back? Yes, every chance I can get!

Disappointing Experience…read more We arrived at J. Lohr Winery 20 minutes before closing and were turned away and refused service, despite three other couples already inside actively eating and drinking. It was frustrating and confusing to be told they could not accommodate us while clearly still serving others. We were polite, respectful, and simply hoping to enjoy a quick glass of wine, but were made to feel unwelcome. If there is a strict cut-off time for service, it should be clearly communicated -- or applied consistently to all guests. Unfortunately, the lack of flexibility and hospitality left a bad impression. We won't be returning and wouldn't recommend this winery based on our experience.

Testarossa is the best winery in downtown LG. As such, it's a must do. It's historic, it's…read morebeautifully set, it is well maintained and cared for, and the tasting room staff is excellent. On top of that, the wines are very good to excellent. You must go if you're wine tasting or having lunch in LG.

If you're looking for a true South Bay gem tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains, this place should…read morebe at the top of your list. They focus primarily on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir--and honestly, that works perfectly for me. It's worth knowing upfront, but what they do, they do very well. The tasting experience is awesome with inviting indoor and outdoor spaces, plus an on-site restaurant that makes it easy to linger and enjoy the food, wine and the setting. The main reason I came back was for their Pinot Noir, which I've loved in the past--and it absolutely delivered again. If you find yourself in the Los Gatos area, make sure to add this winery to your itinerary. They also offer membership with some genuinely nice perks, which makes repeat visits even more alluring and enchanting. Until next time--what are you waiting for?

I have been a member of this winery for a number of years and enjoyed visiting to take advantage of…read morethe beautiful views. When it changed ownership, communication declined. I have been trying to cancel my membership, but there is no way to reach anyone. I have called, left messages, sent emails, and tried to communicate through their website, but I have received no response. I question whether the place is still in business? I regret ever giving them my credit card information since I can't get a hold of them to cancel recurring charges. Overall, this has been an extremely disappointing experience.

We have been wine club members , all 3, since 2012 . Love the wines, atmosphere, the oysters,…read moreespecially the wine servers. We knew the owners , in fact we received an impromptu blending of the soon to be released Bodo. The wine servers became friends and the whole atmosphere was magical and we came often and brought family and friends. We received weekly messages with the weekend happening and when you called with a question the call was answered or returned. With the new owners, there is no way leave a message and emails are not answered. We don't receive any emails and don't even know when there is a release. So we are way behind on pickups. Is this anyway to treat customers? Maybe I'll receive a response this time.

Loved this very small winery atmosphere. We were greeted by the owner/winemaker, Len, and treated…read moreto a tasting outdoors in a shady area with a communal picnic table. Most of the grapes are grown nearby and all of the wine was made by Len. This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience laced with philosophy and stories of the winemaker community in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Not to mention Bruno, the dog, who was eager to play and slightly demanding, but very sweet. Dessert wine (white port) was very unique. Portola holds Jazz concerts on Sunday evenings in the summer. I would recommend trying to buy tickets for these. Looks like a treat!

We come here every year for their jazz in the Grove series. It is such a great event. I highly…read morerecommend taking advantage of this. Where else can you grab a chair, sit out in the woods and listen to some jazz for an hour and a half while sipping wine?

If you find yourself driving up into the Milpitas hills and wondering, "Am I lost or am I about to…read morebecome a wine snob?"--congrats, you've arrived at Big Dog Vineyards! This place is TINY. Like, "if you blink you might accidentally walk into the neighbor's backyard" tiny. But hey, size doesn't matter when the lighting is hitting your face just right, amirite?! The Low-Down: The Vibes: It's basically an outdoor patio with some grapes growing nearby. It's chill, it's quiet, and it feels like you've escaped the Silicon Valley grind for a hot second. The "Instantgramme" Factor: 10/10. 100%. If you need to convince your followers that you're living your best, most sophisticated life while sipping fermented fruit juice, THIS IS THE SPOT. Get that camera out, pose by a barrel, and watch the likes roll in, baby! ;) The Wine: It's good! Is it "forged in the Heavens by burger angels" good? Maybe not, but it gets the job done and helps you forget you're in Milpitas. BUT HERE IS THE KICKER: It's one of those spots where you walk in, take your 400 photos, sip your glass, and then realize... okay, I've seen the whole thing. I've done the quest. I've reached the final boss of "Cute Local Wineries." It's a nice little escape for an hour, but once the camera roll is full and the glass is empty, you're basically ready to elevator your butt back down the hill and never return. Go for the memories, stay for the "I'm a wine person now" aesthetic, and then delete the GPS coordinates from your phone because you've officially checked this box! Delicioso myselfo for the afternoon, but one and done, fam! LuvYou ^______^

I love the location of this winery. It's located up in the Milpitas Hills in the Santa Clara…read morecounty. Beautiful views of the Bay area and they are dog friendly! We did their "All Reds" flight and ordered a cheese and crackers platter. Their wines are pretty good. I liked a couple. The staff were friendly. The only complaint I would probably have and it's more of me being lazy I guess LOL is that they didn't go to your table to pour your next tastings. You had to get up and go to them. They had live music. They were ok. I'd prefer music that made me want to get up and dance or at least sing to. I didn't know a lot of the songs they were singing. I'd totally go back though!

You must come here for Nick's Picks. Best bartender around with all amazing wines!!!read more

A freind and I went to the Ridge Winter Soiree - a member event in February. This was on a Thursday…read moreand even though this event was supposed to be open to all members during the day but because the weather was so bad, members were given slots of time that they could attend. We went in the early evening. The place is in the Cupertino hills and up a steep hill, driving can be tricky and one you get there, there is not much parking, at least for the number for people who were there. And the parking is precarious - you pull right up to the edge of a steep drop. And backing out of the parking spot can be even trickier. Ridge had 5 stations set up with Station 1 starting with their rose, it was quiet good. When you walked into the tasting room, you were greeted, you name checked against the list and you were handed a tasting of the rose. In the outer room, there was only standing room but the adjoining smaller inner room had a couple of tables and chairs. Station 2 was small bites and they were small, which is surprising for a member soiree! There was a choice of a tiny bowl of hummus with a couple of carrot sticks and some pita chips and a small piece of toast with duck pate and a slice of chicken fat. They both tasted good but I have been to other member events at other wineries where there was a reasonable amount of food. Stations 3, 4 and 5 were red wines and quite good. Station 5 was in a separate building and was served with a tiny cup of saved cheese. As our time was up - 4-6pm, we left but barely 2 miles down the road, there was a fallen tree that completely closed off traffic both sides. Everyone who was leaving turned back around because we were told that it would take a couple of hours to move the tree. Even though tastings stopped at 6, Ridge opened up some more bottle and went beyond the 6pm hour to accommodate the people who did not want to be sitting in their cars for 2 hours. Funny enough, almost every one who was struck up in the mountain were the people who were attending the soiree. It dd not take 2 hours but one hour abd the folks at the winery were good natured about it. They kept us updated regularly on the situation. Ridge has great wines but their customer service, from precious experience, could be better.

An absolutely beautiful winery tucked into the hills of Almaden, somewhere you wouldn't expect to…read morefind a vineyard. The outdoor tasting area is surrounded by vines and has a lovely view of the Almaden Reservoir. We came in on a Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a tasting and the picnic we brought. The tasting consisted of 4 wines, though you could pay $5 more and taste the port as well. The pours weren't stingy and did give you enough to really enjoy each wine. More knowledge was shared about the bottles than the actual wines themselves, but we did have a menu we could follow along with. We tasted 2 whites, a rosé, and one red while we were there. I noticed all the syrah grapes while walking into the property, so I did ask for a taste of that since they had it open and was given a small splash. I enjoyed most of the wines we had, but thought they were a little pricey for whites/rosé. They're reservation only and you do have to prepay when making the reservation. Though tastings are $25, with tax and the already included tip, our tasting for 3 came out to $100. It seemed like there was a $5/pp included gratuity, which I thought was odd having to pay for in advance. One tasting is waived with a 3 bottle purchase. Not sure if I would come back for a tasting, but would definitely come back to picnic with a bottle of wine! The view is truly fantastic!

I loved the atmosphere and service. Very attentive. And not pushy. We just enjoyed a lovely…read moreafternoon sipping some fine wines overlooking the reservoir, fog over the hills and beautiful scenery of an backyard oasis. It was far from civilization but not really! A piece of tranquility. We loved the chairs, picnic tables, shades.. vineyards.. small reservations area so we felt so at peace with little crowds. Make a reservation as I'm not sure they take walk ins

We were lucky to able to make an appointment for 3 of us on the day of. We arrived on time for our…read moreSaturday 1pm appointment. It was $10 for tasting 4 wines. 3 cabs and 1 syrah. We liked the 3rd cab on the list. The syrah tasted lighter than other syrahs I've tasted. I'm guessing there can only be at most 2 appointments at once. We were there at 1pm and another group came at 1:30pm. We all got to go on a short tour to the vineyard and the wine cellar basement. One bathroom in the house for guests to use. Driving up to the vineyard was very narrow and scary. There's 4-5 parking spaces. Very intimate and quiet tasting experience. Noelle and Bill were very friendly and welcoming. They only make about 300 wines. About 75 for each wine. Prices of the wines vary from $25-40. Their dog is very friendly. My husband got a nice extra splash for drinking his wine fast haha. Bill didn't want him to have an empty glass during the tour. Thoughtful of him! Definitely check out this vineyard if you like red wines and more intimate setting.

Thank you for hosting us today, after last minute reservations in our day off! Greatly appreciated!…read moreWonderful afternoon with great wine, tour, view, and a friendly and hospitable atmosphere. Will recommend this vineyard to many. Don't forgot to take home a bottle, enjoyed the 2019 Cabernet!

I've been wanting to try this place for a long time. I always passed it on my walk with my dog but…read moreit has always been closed. Their hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Today I planned my visit because I just knew I couldn't keep passing this place without trying it. Upon arrival, there was a food truck there. The food truck was called Fire and Rice. I quickly glanced at the menu and headed inside. They have nice outdoor seating and stand-up tables. There is seating inside and outdoors. We were greeted by one of the owners who told us all we needed to know about Coterie Cellars. We were told about the list of wines and their flavors. We tried 3 of their wines and went with Caries Corner's Pinot Noir. We also bought a bottle of another wine we tried to take home. We grabbed a seat inside the establishment after a lovely conversation with the owners and family. We enjoyed our wine and just had to try something from the food truck. I would definitely return. The vibes were chill, the wine was great, and so was the food truck. It was too crowded although there were a few guests but two tables were available when we were ready to be seated. Please Note: Food trucks are there on Fridays and its a new food truck each time. The menu changes every couple of weeks. Tastings are only on the weekends and not on Fridays.

Stopped in this weekend and had an amazing time! Loved this inviting tasting room, everyone was…read morereally friendly and the wines were fantastic! So much so that I joined the club. Love this local, handmade wine! I'm looking forward to joining some of the events.