After comparing the top wine tour companies in Napa Valley, my husband and I discovered what may be…read moreNapa's best-kept secret: Wine by Appointment. The owner and concierge, Theresa, worked with us to customize a full day experience that exceeded all our expectations. As the name implies, they specialize in booking private, customized tours and tastings at Napa's most exclusive boutique and family owned wineries. Theresa's knowledge of wine is prolific. We told her what we like and she planned a perfect day! We started with an exclusive tour at one of Napa's top Cabernet producers where our tour guide provided access to every step of the winemaking process. We ended with a tasting of four magnificent Napa Cabernets, complete with cheese pairings. Next, we picked up a gourmet boxed picnic lunch customized by Theresa, and a beautiful bottle of Pinot to enjoy with our picnic. After a delicious lunch, we headed to our second tasting where, once again, we were treated like royalty: greeted with sparkling wine and given a grand tour by a superb guide, ending with a private library tasting of their best wines. From mid-morning to late afternoon, every phase of our day was perfectly timed. Although we chose to drive ourselves, Wine by Appointment also offers private cars, limos and expert guide. If you want to bypass the noisy crowds and busy tasting rooms for a truly exclusive experience, look no further than Wine by Appointment -- they are in a class by themselves!

Orion is the best red I've ever had. Granted I was influenced or primed to love it thanks to the GQ…read morearticle. But you literally drink this and sit back in awe.

We need more winemakers like Sean Thackrey -- and we certainly need more people like him as well…read more People often like to pose the question -- if you could invite anyone from any point in history to dinner, but could only invite so many people, who would you invite? Sean Thackery is one of my people. Considered by many to be a maverick, a rebel and an eccentric -- but also one of the most philosophical, intelligent, soulful and gifted people in the wine industry. Thackery did not get degree in viticulture or enology, he studied art history. His wines are made with his intuition, what his palate tells him and tips from his collection of ancient oenological texts (the world's largest such collection in his opinion). He has been making wine in a Bolinas eucalyptus grove for more than 20 years. The first wine he produced was a Cabernet Sauvignon, but quickly moved to other varietals. Today, Thackrey says he hasn't bought a Bordeaux or a Napa Cabernet in 25 years. "They're just too damn polite for me," he says. "Why drink a wine that you wouldn't like if it were a person? It's like sitting next to someone and everything they say has to be so proper." Tastings of his wines reveal consistently powerful, intense flavors and rugged tannins -- and there is a signature minty, eucalyptussy component as well. His wines are thought provoking and complex. Unlike almost every wine in the world, Thackrey believes his taste better the day after they are opened -- and I actually might agree. "My wines are like a person," he says. "They talk, they change, they tell you something different every sip. They taste different from one day to the next, from one hour to the next. That kind of complexity is what makes wine interesting." Thackrey certainly has his followers and his critics. There are those that love his wines and others who do not -- and many of his thoughts do not find a lot of acceptance from some in the industry. His operation is quite small (3,000-5,000 cases annually), only recently adding a forklift and a bottling line. He didn't learn how to make wine by going to UC Davis -- and has both feet firmly planted in the art, only sticking his toe into the science (but understands it does have its place in the process). Thackrey often notes that there is no word for "wine-maker" in French, adding that if "chefs were trained the way wine-makers are, you would rarely eat out." Thackrey says that each time he gets back from harvest, he turns off the engine, opens the cab, and looks back at the truckbed stacked with grapes, tons of them, in hundreds of boxes. He just looks; and after a very particular moment of silence, says to myself, "OK, Sean, there it is. Do something." The first thing he does first is very interesting. After the grapes are picked, he lets them sit and "rest" at least 24 hours outside his home, a technique that one UC Davis professor says nobody else does today. Thackrey says the idea goes back at least to the Greek poet Hesiod's book "Works and Days" (circa 700 B.C.). "(Letting the grapes rest) is commonplace in wine literature until the middle of the 19th century," Thackrey says. "That's what impressed me about it. It's a lot of work to do this, so they must have thought it was accomplishing some sort of useful purpose." Thackrey does use a machine to crush the grapes, but he pours the juice into open-top vats to ferment beneath the stars and eucalyptus trees -- a technique that fell out of fashion more than 200 years ago. Thackrey reads 7 languages. In addition to making wine, he is also creating an online archive of original texts that document the history of wine and wine making. He has personally transcribed all of these documents and the library currently contains about 100 transcriptions. He hopes this will be one of his huge contributions to the wine world, but his contributions go well beyond -- and he is so deserving of more attention, respect and adoration.

Came upon Maldonado Tasting room in Calistoga. What a gem. Mexican American owned. As soon as you…read morewalk in you feel the cultura. A Family winery with excellent flavor profiles. Maldonado has a wine for every pallet. Friendly, professional, personable and affordable. Anne the tastings room manager made sure we were taken care of and that the wines she served were explained and discussed. There is a lot of history here that is amazing. Knowing that and tasting the wine from which that history was born is priceless. Maldonado Tasting Room is modest and there are items for sale by local artisans. Take the time to give Maldonado a visit.

My sister and I came in on a Thursday evening and had a wonderful experience at this charming…read morefamily owned winery. The prices are reasonable- $10 for a generous tasting- and the tasting host, Anne, was knowledgeable and friendly. (Ask her about her horse and mule rescues- she has videos on her phone and they're adorable.) As for the wine- try the 2013 cab, it's one of the best in the area. Also, just want to address the reviews below- anne was actually upset that she couldn't help the people who came in at 5, when closing time is 5:30. She had an aggressively inebriated woman in the tasting room and was concerned both for her welfare and for the comfort of the tasters, so she closed early. Just heads up. Come on in, you'll be happy you did!

Beautiful wines from a small, family owned winery. We really enjoyed their Chardonnay and Pinot…read moreNoir wines and personalized service.

Make reservations for wine tasting with Katy! She is the brains behind the wine and it's such a…read moretreat learning about the wines directly from her. The venue adds a special touch to the experience. We opted for the cheese pairing and it is definitely worth it. If you're a pinot noir lover, you can't miss LaRue! Writing this review is making my mouth water. Needless to say, I joined the club.

Such a great location in Larkspur!!! It opened December 2025 (~4 months ago). I visited 4/2/26…read morearound 5:30p. I found so many affordable options and the staff were very helpful and friendly. I also loved how much natural light flowed into the store. But what I love to do most of all is look at all the art on the wine bottles, so cool! I found this rosé at a really good price ($12+ tax)! Some restaurants offer glasses at this price lolol. The checkout process was really fast and easy, I opted for the email receipt option (better for the environment). I would check out more of their selection another time- maybe after I finish my first bottle :)

Kermit Lynch's new Marin Country Mart outpost is a beautiful, boogie little addition to the North…read moreBay wine scene. The space feels old world and elegant, like a European wine shop. I read it's his first expansion beyond his Berkeley HQ in 50 years, a milestone for a man who helped define Bay Area wine tastes. Since 1972, Lynch championed wines with authenticity, character, and a sense of place, focusing on smaller European growers. His shop in Berkeley, considered one of the best wine shops in the U.S., has a particular bent towards Burgundies, Rhone reds, Loire Valley wines, Provencal roses, and small Italian wines, and that seems to be true here as well. One thing worth mentioning, my service experience in the Berkeley location has been a more friendly one. I wasn't greeted or acknowledged during my Marin visit. My love of AppleTV's Drops of God (well, definitely Season 1) has only added to the mystique of a place like this for me. I grabbed their brochure and the reverence for the artistry, history, and human stories behind smaller production wines stands out. This new shop feels extra fancy, but that's probably part of the charm. Despite appearances (and yes, many bottles are expensive) we found a few bottles at a lower ($13-$25) price point that encourages dabbling with new styles, without that cavernous, "left to your own devices" atmosphere at many of those corporate big box wine shops. Check it out!

Truly spectacular views on the back deck of a unique, charming home. We were welcomed and…read moreimmediately felt the comfort of being in someone's beautiful living room. With so much potential to be a wonderful wine experience, it fell short after the two very scant tastings. We lingered...confused, expecting more wine or to at least revisit one, yet were not offered any more. This tasting really had the recipe to be very special with its surroundings and home atmosphere, yet it left me feeling like I was at someone's beautiful home, but they weren't quite the hostess with the mostess. I so wanted to want to go back with my husband, but for $20 a tasting, I'd rather just purchase one of their bottles and look out at the hillsides of Petaluma

The word gem comes to mind when I think of Stubbs. For years I'd biked up Wilson road not ever…read moreknowing what was at the end of the beautiful tree-lines driveway. I felt like we stumbled upon Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory because everything was so magical... From the African long horns to the hog to the barn, etc. The wine, too, is incredible. We all left with several bottles. Mary hosts the tasting in her dining room so it's an intimate and cozy experience. I highly recommend checking this place out!

Completely a 5 star experience. We had the pleasure to talk with many team members of the vineyards…read moreand they were so very accommodating and kind. We learned a ton about the wines, wine club and the beautiful properties. Everything we tasted was spectacular and we can't wait to visit again.

This place was absolutely amazing! Hank and Melissa were absolutely fabulous and were extremely…read moreknowledgeable of wine and Star Wars. The experience was beyond compare to several wineries I have visited. We were treated so authentically amazing and got to taste some amazing wine! Can't wait to go back!

Organically grown Rye Based vodka Snake River Water…read more That's what's in Square One Organic Vodka. Female founded in 2006 this is one of many artisanal vodkas that have popped up over the past 20 years. Its "twist" is the organic. Not all vodkas are. Same alcohol content though. Same impact. I have had their cucumber and regular vodkas, and the regular is quite nice compared to others. The cucumber is not my fav cucumber out there, the flavor is not quite "there" enough for me. So its not our first choice bottle in the store. The basil, which I had once in a cocktail, has potential and I plan to try that straight up sometime soon to be better able to evaluate it. The Botanical, which I just saw for the first time in a store, sounds interesting and Ill be sure to try that sometime soon as well. Hope they have a sale soon as these are pricy bottles. I can only give three stars here for the cucumber vodka itself, because it just does not measure up for us the way some other cucumbers do. But I'm, happy to drink it, so its A-OK. I would not turn it down. However - a 4th star because of the following: It is one of the few vodkas that can "get away with" only one distilling. Since they start with such a pure product, they don't need to distill it over and over to remove impurities. That's always a good thing. AND, they use their waste product as feed at a local farm. So they are not leaving a huge amount behind. And their distillery is getting 25% of its power from wind generators. All those things add a star here. Thinking ahead to keep waste down, use renewable resources etc. is great. I wish more places were doing this. 525F