We had a great time last night . Very busy, and yet everything was handled smoothly . Ed was extremely nice and helpful . Our pizza was delayed , and he brought over free hummus and chips , which was so nice. There was another very nice and efficient waitress, but I didn't catch her name. read more

My husband and I were having a really bad day. Went to Verizon in Camarillo, got treated terribly... decided to go to the Verizon in T.O. and things worked out much better. I told hubbie that a glass of wine would really take the edge off my bad mood. Considering the many options out there of wine bars, I had the hardest time finding one that was open at 1 PM on a Saturday (including Bellavino was closed - they opened at 5). So we took Potrero Rd. back out to Camarillo and headed towards our other spots. We walked into the open door at Bella Victorian and were told by other patrons that it was closed for a private party. Nice, Bella. How bout a sign on the front door so we don't waste our time parking and walking in? I remembered seeing Cantara by accident when avoiding the freeway leaving Target going North. We decided to give that place a try. We walk in, and the nice man behind the counter poured before we could even ask anything. It was like he was in my head. So we sat down & ordered a cheese plate to begin decompressing from our crappy day. The wine was wonderful - still can't stop thinking about that Petit Syrah. Should have bought a bottle before leaving. It went great with that herb bread. We got to take a tour of the winery, and saw the grapes being squished!! The smell when you walk in is a bit overwhelming (yeast) but you get use to it fairly quickly. Everybody was just so darn nice. We were actually sad to leave. Total for the day: $7.50 tasting x 2 $12.00 glass of petit syrah $15.00 cheese plate The wine is excellent, and fresh. We'll be back again soon. read more

Chris Brown, the owner,started this winery in their "cellar," ergo the name. Because of their love of wine, they started wine tastings that became so popular, they needed to move to a location where they could store their wine barrels and bottles. They have tastings, including barrel tastings, every weekend Sat and Sun 12-5pm. Meet with the winemakers and get the inside scoop on how these award winning wines are made. Once a year a bottling truck comes to the winery and if you are lucky enough you can be there. In addition, the owners also pour at the Magical Kitchen in Simi Valley. See my review for more information. read more

We went here because of a Living Social deal and loved the place so much we signed up to be members. We loved their chardonnay and their reds. My favorite was the Intrepid, and their X dessert wine! We also shared a meat and cheese plate. Yum! What a deal! But be careful - most of their wines have an ABV of around 15%. read more

Stopped in at Cantara Cellars. Owner Chris Brown was there to great us, the first customers of the day. The unassuming tasting room, located in an office park just off the highway, is welcoming and friendly. Chris explains that her and her husband first started making wines in their garage from their family's grapes sourced from Lodi. She took us around the back so we could get a look at their facility and even gave us a taste of their 2008 futures right out of the barrel. Their wines end up being the best of the day, but I think tasting out of a barrel does it for me every time. They have a 2008 bottling event on March 20-21 at the winery and it'll be a great event and fun time to check them out. Favorite wines: Cantara 2007 Zinfandel and Tempranillo. read more

Cantara Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Camarillo, California

In love with the one on one attention given by the owner Chris. She is absolutely one of a kind and her exceptional attention to detail can't be beat. It's a must try in your area, you will feel like home. Wines are exquisite and the beer selection are phenomenal. read more

Cantara Cellars started the newest destination for wine tasting in Ventura County. Now there is over a dozen wineries to visit, but Cantara still remains at the top. Mike and Chris are what the wine industry is all about. Sourcing great fruit from some of the iconic Lodi vineyards, and bringing the passion and expertise from the couples love for wine into each bottle they produce. My personal goto is the Chardonnay which is sourced from Mike's family vineyard in Lodi. Cheers to Cantara Cellars and keep up the good work! read more

Solid effort in wine making but I thought that the tasting fee and the bottle price on the wine was a little high. Had the wine been priced in the $20-25 range instead of $25-40 then I might have thought the $10 tasting fee waived for purchase was worth it. Very friendly staff and loved that there was a seating area with games and it seemed very kid and pet friendly as there was a dog there with some of the customers who had arrived before us. read more

We love Cantara Cellars wine so much we take it with us when we travel. Seriously. It doesn't like to be left alone at home. Lol we are celebrate our wedding Anniversary at Santa Ynez after winetasting after 4 different wineries we were not impressed, we keep Cantara! Thank you Mike and Chris read more

Cantara Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Camarillo, California

I've been here twice already, and I enjoyed both times. The first time I went, it was with two of my girlfriends for a birthday, and this was our third and most likely our last stop of the day. The previous place we were at (San Vicente) recommended us coming by and checking the place out and we were glad we did. The place is a quaint little place. There is a couch and a few tables to wine and dine. They also serve cheese and crackers that go perfectly good when you're doing the wine tasting. My friends and I had a great time. I forgot the gentleman's name who worked there, but he was also funny and talked with us. He even gave the birthday girl a free glass of wine. Always a plus! Glad to say that she was done after she finished that glass. The second visit was a little less enjoyable, but still good. We had arrived a little passed 3:30, and thought we'd have plenty of time to taste since I knew they closed at 6PM. Based off my experience from the first visit, I was fairly excited to come back. However, there was a private party going on at 4, and our time there was a little short, and I felt like the lady at the front counter was kind of rushing us, which I understand, but it made it less enjoyable. Overall this place is cute and would definitely come here again wen bringing in new wine drinkers to get a little taste. read more

Fantastic wines! Wait, that's an understatement! Unbelievable wines! Thank you Sue for making our experience memorable. Your wine knowledge was extensive! read more

Cantara Cellars - Wineries Near Me - Camarillo, California

There's a lab puppy here while I drink wine.. Winning.com Of all the wineries I went to on this wine tasting trip of a day, this one was the best. We even got to do some barrel tasting after making friends with a few regulars! read more

I haven't really reached my age of enjoying red wines yet, but for some reason...I enjoyed most of the red wine offerings I had during my visit here. Their chardonnay was the only white I sampled for the day and it was wonderfully crisp. I definitely enjoyed it and ended up having a glass of it after my tasting that came with my LivingSocial deal. Their Project X, a dessert wine, was PHENOMENAL. You definitely can't have a full glass of that and be okay afterwards with a 171 proof alcohol in it. Their red blends were great and I would consider getting a bottle to see how it pairs with food. Great service, and a fun yet relaxing atmosphere. read more

I really wanted to like this place, craft wine and beer in my backyard ... but, I'm sorry to say, I cannot recommend. In fact, I warn my neighbors and visitors to stay away -- we found the customer service to be very chilly and felt we wasted our money on everything we tasted. The owners are trying to do both wine (Cantara) and beer (Flat Fish), but they do not know what they're doing in either arena. Grapes are from Lodi and the wines are flat, zero complexity in flavor, with high alcohol trying to cover for lack of wine making skill. When I wanted to know more about the wines, I was treated with ice-cold responses, like I was asking for some secret recipe. The beer was no better than mass-produced crap you can buy in the grocery store, huge disappointments on all counts. And, they refused to honor our Ventura Axxess discount. We will not be back! read more

Love this place. Family owned and family run. Great wines. Always greeted with a smile and never leave empty handed. You won't be disappointed. read more

This place is one of the most unexpected pleasures when I go to ventura. I always take a pit stop for a tasting, snack and stock up on wine.

Loved all of the reds that I tasted here. Owner, Chris was very pleasant, fun, and informative and the other "regulars" that were in there picking up their shipment and tasting were also fun and helpful. I definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area. read more

Love this place! Great service & great wine. It is a wonderful TGIF place. They have cheese platters & amazing wine. I am a wine club member & can't wait for my shipments. I love all of their reds. Chris & Mike are amazing. Their dogs are super cute too! I would highly recommend this winery- it is the best in Ventura county. read more

THE. BEST. PLACE. Such a fun and quaint place. The atmosphere is so much fun and when you go while there's a food truck it makes it that much more fun! They have live music and the owners are extremely friendly and visit the floor while you're enjoying your drinks. Pricing is great and the amount of options of beer and wine are great! read more

Stop here, esp with yelp deal. Delish and family owned, so, as the coaster says, drink up bitches!

My wife and I are both winemakers and we recently celebrated our wedding anniversary this past weekend at the Cliff House Inn and restaurant in Ventura. "Amazing Ocean Views" For our sunset, alfresco dining we chose to pair Cantara Cellars "The Bride" with the chefs special...Rack of lamb prepared in a raspberry and red wine reduction sauce. WOW! What a wonderful wine and food experience, the Brides red fruit characteristics, raspberry and red currant flavors with herbal and floral notes married perfectly with the rack of lamb. Mike and Chris are expertly - crafting wines that are food friendly, well balanced with complexity and personality. Here are a few of our favorites from Cantara Cellars, The Bride, Intrepid, Franknvine and the Mourvedre. Mike is one of the great winemakers on the growing Ventura County wine scene and Cantara Cellars is a must visit on your next trip to Ventura County "No disappointments here" Live Happy! Jerry & Kimberly Winemakers read more

Been here three times now. They make some pretty good wine and the family that runs it are nice people. On the down side, the $10 tasting fee is one of if not the highest in the area, the bottle prices are a touch on the high side, and the tasting pours are REALLY stingy compared to most of the other wineries in the area. The pouring spouts they use gives you about two small sips is you're careful, just barely enough for the ol' swirl and taste. Buy a bottle and they'll waive the fee, so that helps. If you ask nice and they've got some time, they'll take you on a tour of the facility which is pretty cool. I'd give them 3.5 stars if I could, but I'll throw in the other .5 to support another in southern Ventura Counties growing wine ghetto, but there's a lot of new ones in the area I'm going to check out before coming back. read more

Favorite place to go wine tasting in Camarillo. Very casual and relaxing atmosphere and I love every thing that I try there. We are members and their wine pick parties are so fun! read more

Such a fun experience! The owners are wonderful, their pets are adorable, and the wine is delicious. Need anything else?

I went in tonight and checked out the lounge at Cantara Cellars - so cool! I have been a fan of Cantara wine for a long time now, but that atmosphere makes it even better! There are couches and cute little tables - candles lit when the sun started going down. Great wine and yummy cheese plates. You can do a tasting or get wine by the glass. And let me tell you, Mike is a master wine maker, truly. I did a barrel tasting tonight - it has never been so fun to learn so much. And Chris is a wonderful hostess. The best. She makes everyone feel so welcome; her smile is contagious. I felt at home instantly and can't wait to get back there. If you like great wine, nice people, and pleasant ambiance - you will love it, too. Check it out! read more

I love Cantara Cellars. All of the wines were fantastic plus the tasting room is very nice with tables and places to sit. Highly recommended. read more

This place is super cute and has excellent service. The wine was really good and they have a little kids play area which is perfect if you have kids and want to enjoy a glass of wine. Definitely would come back again! read more

Went here for wine tasting and we tried one white and 5 reds. The reds are all great, and very diverse from light to complex and bold. We loved the tempranillo and the franknvine. We heard other people talking about groupon and we were going to buy one right there but the nice lady working there said we don't need to but she would honor the same deal which made the tasting come out to $4 per person. We enjoyed the cozy, relaxing atmosphere without the crowds of a winery. read more

My wife and I recently visited Cantara Cellers and had a very enjoyable time. Chris, the owner, was very nice and her wines were very good! When we arrived there was only one other couple enjoying the wines, but that soon changed (for the better) -- shortly thereafter, the place was packed! Standing room only! Great atmosphere and a great time! Looking forward to visiting again very soon. read more

First time here and I'll be back. I've known of their wine club for some time, but a wine dinner finally brought us. The tasting room was nice and I found a few to take home...Grenache and Frankenvine for me. read more

This place started as a simple small wine tasting "closet" with wine production in the back. Each time I come here, it keeps expanding. Now there is a full on tasting room. They have caught on to the craft beer craze and offer their own craft beer selection as well (catering to Millennials - Smart!). That said, they have always had pretty good wines. Stopped in here after not being here for a while and low and behold they have expanded again. We did some wine tasting and noticed that the Tempranillo that put them on the map is no longer available. The chardonnay and zin we tried were excellent. Stopped in about 5 and the place is bumping. The craft beer business is booming and its obvious who stops in for beer and who does for wine. Despite the new craft beer product line, it's good to see that they haven't sacrificed on the quality of the wine. This would be a good place to take that "one beer buddy" who only drinks wine when his wife forces him to. The next time I stop in, I'm going to try the beers (although I'm not a huge beer fan). If you're in C-town and looking for wine tasting (and beer for your one buddy who doesn't drink wine), this is still a great place to go. read more

We were on the Valentine and Wine tour which brought us to Cantara Cellars. After tasting of "The Bride" which was our favorite but we loved everything we tasted ande decided this was the one to join in Ventura County. read more

Stopped in here on a Sunday after a wedding and because we had a Group On voucher. Although the staff was really nice, the wine was not to my liking. We did a tasting and we were suppose to get 5 glasses but we were offered a 6th and even after 6 glasses I did not find one that I would buy. The wine they did have that I kind of liked was their Shiraz. The voucher was a good deal but I left not buying a bottle. read more

Really fun spot to come in for a glass of wine. The owners are really cool, and laid back. They aren't super wine snobs that know every detail of viticulture, they just love making wine and drinking it. They can set you up with a nice cheese plate if you ask nicely, and its delicious. I also like the fact that they have a couple board games stashed in the tasting room, just in case you want to see how good you are at Spongebob Memory when you are working on your second or third glass. read more

I absolutely adore the Old Vine Zinfindel

The employees here are wonderful. They are really friendly and go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable. I really enjoyed having a glass of wine while relaxing on their couches. They never rushed us out or made us feel like we were a bother. The staff get an A+. However, neither my boyfriend or I were fans of their wines. We really wanted to like them, but no variety was worth purchasing a bottle. The flavors fell a bit flat. read more

I went to Cantara Cellars with a big group of 9 people. They were so friendly and accommodating, and their bar was large enough to accommodate all of us. We tasted 6 wines along with one bonus wine for $10. Most of us ended up purchasing a bottle, and the tasting fee was waived. We loved the 2009 Grenache, and their signature Franknvine blend. They also gave us a tour of the back room where all of the wine barrels are aged. We even got to do a taste comparison between an aged Syrah (I think it was Syrah?!) and a newer Syrah so we could understand the differences imparted in the wine by aging. The owners were very friendly and knowledgeable. And they have two ADORABLE lil' dogs. Highly recommended! read more

What a great experience we had! The owners were very friendly and the wine was woionderful... and I must say....I loved the Franknvine & the Bride! A must stop when you are in the area.... read more

Sorry not a wine drinker. Stopped by for a gift for a friend. The staff was amazing and very helpful. When I went there I fell in love with the painitings on the wall. Does anyone know the name of the artist of the paintings or website of his/her work? read more

Mike, Chris, and Jesse, Our first experience with this local winery was a winner (we have been to most in LA area). We have been to hundreds of wineries over the years and with good, great wines and good and great tasting rooms. Mike Brown winemaker/owner does an awesome job with his wines. A Chardonnay (wife Chris' input on this one wine) you think is aged in New Oak- has Characteristics of Stainless steel Chardonnays too. Best Chardonnay in SOCAL area that can satisfy most palates- I normally like them real buttery. Underpriced for quality- A value in many ways. After being members a few years- buy plenty early- it always sells out. Reds- awesome blends- you have to go taste- You will know what I am trying to say. Too complicated to describe and limited on space. Best part for me is the barrel tasting- even before we joined! That sealed the deal for Us. Everyone at the winery is awesome- the addition to tasting room and food plates just makes it better. Best day trip to winery and to be home for dinner with a great bottle of wine. Thank you Cantara! J & C read more