DeRose Winery and Wines(Alejandro is an excellent vintner)are always a celebration. Nicholas elevated our DeRose experience as the amazing host. Nicholas made us feel welcome and valued as long time club members. It was wonderful to taste inside. Loved the DeRose History - Nicholas is knowledgeable and very personable. DeRose is a Cienega Valley Gem! read more

The legendary DeRose Winery... It's all about the Cab Franc! I believe the Cab Franc is what they are known for... and for good reason. The Cab Franc is one of the best I had! The only other local domestic rival I know off that is near as good hails from 3 Steves Winery in Livermore, and they get the grapes form DeRose! So, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of the Cab Franc. You won't regret it. The Cab Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc, not blended. The Vines are pruned in the winter, the Grapes are exposed to sunlight with careful leaf removal and the Clusters are thinned after veraison. Common tasting notes are Berries , dark Stone Fruit, a dash of pepper a subtle hint of roses. Can you tell I like is wine? The vineyard is located on both sides of the San Andreas Fault and wines are part of the old Vaché planting method. DeRose wines are also organically farmed, just not not certified. Oh, can't forget the dry farming as well. The Winery is in the middle of nowhere... It's a journey onto itself to get here. There isn't much else around. There is another winery down the road, but that's about it. Don't be scared to make the trip. They recently opened a Tasting room in San Martin. Can't wait to stop by and do some wine tasting there... read more

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Dropped by recently (9-30-2025) and really liked the wines a lot. I started with the Viognier and it was nice and dry the way I prefer and did three of the reds. I had never tasted Negrete (French varietal) and absolutely loved it. The other two were good too. My friend and I each bought two bottles to waive the very reasonable $15.00 tasting fee. I will definitely visit again when I am visiting Hollister. I highly recommend you to give De Rose Vineyard, a visit. I am certain you will be glad you did. read more

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Driving along Cienega Road, we saw a DeRose Vineyards Tasting Room sandwich board on the side of the road with "OPEN" in all caps. So we stopped. We walked to the front entrance with sign above saying "DeRose TASTING ROOM". The door is locked with sign saying, go around the corner. So we enter at the side door, into a dark cavernous warehouse with a tasting counter along the right side. The entire place was empty. We rang, yelled out, and made a big stink. Nothing. Crickets. So we left. Some other people could have entered and just left with free bottles of wine, and maybe even a t-shirt, too. read more

DeRose Vineyards - Outside - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

We visited on Monday Feb 16 and just want to say we very much enjoyed the wines with Nick, our host - we commend him for giving us a great experience! One of our party is deaf and he was so accommodating. He poured with focused attention to our interests, and based on our preferences, suggested some great choices in a case purchase offering. Lots of authentic "in warehouse" atmosphere! Great visit. read more

Yes Great Wine . No Fabulous wine ... Spectacular Reds both dry and fruit forward Good service , peaceful and charming seating area in hills above Hollister read more

The ambiance was really nice and very relaxing. The service was really great too! Next time we'll take our own charcuterie snacks while enjoying the wine and ambiance. I mentioned seeing their wine at the Antipasto Restaurant in San Jose and found out they are related! Would love to return soon. read more

We had a great experience. The service was amazing the outdoor seating was very inviting and relaxing. My husband loves the Hollywood Red wine. Thank you for the great experience Jim and Tracy! read more

Great atmosphere and great wine! This is usually our first stop when my friends and I hit the SBC wine trail. The people that work there are so friendly and knowledgeable. But let's be real us average Joe's will drink anything. And every time we go we don't feel wine snub'd. read more

Fantastic wine selection, excellent service and the outdoor seating area is wonderful on a nice sunny day! If you're in the area I highly recommend taking a drive up to DeRose for a wine flight or even a bottle to take outside and enjoy the sunshine and view of the oldest vines in California. read more

DeRose Vineyards - rows of bottles of wine on display - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

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Family owned great winery if you're in San Jose be sure to check it out absolutely love the red varieties. Cheers.

Friendly service; delicious wines. No sweet wines which are usually my jam, but delicious nonetheless! Took home a bottle of Chardonnay. Outside seating area had good views, but tables and surface they sat on could use an upgrade but this didn't take much away from the overall experience. read more

The best winery in town, hands down! Great wines, laid back atmosphere. Super friendly, knowledgeable staff. Love to sit out on the patio with friends, sipping wines. Also love that outside snacks are allowed. Huge bonus! read more

I traveled to Hollister and stayed with one of my friends who lives here. This is her favorite winery and I have to say I agree. They have a large selection of wines and own vineyards in south America. If I'm being honest, this was our final stop in Hollister and I already had that wine buzz, thankfully the guy serving us was super chill and fun (not judgemental in any way)! There's not much to see, but if you are in it for the wine you should not miss this place. The tasting fee is $10 for 5 wines, but they will waive that fee and give you 30% off bottles if you are in the wine industry with a business card. read more

DeRose Vineyards - January 2017 - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

It is highly unlikely you will ever find these wines in BevMo. This is a small winery. There are very few locations that even carry their wines and they are in the remote areas nearby their winery. There are a few exceptions, but go to their website if you are curious. The only reason we even knew of them was because we heard of their greatness from another wine connoisseur on our last tour of Paso Robles wineries. To taste the wines, you need to make an appointment, unless you come on a Saturday or Sunday. And driving there is an adventure in itself, winding through the golden hills of Hollister/San Juan Bautista area. A great drive, by the way. Make sure to include a stop at the beautiful old mission nearby. Don't expect to find a architechturally gorgeous building and finely manicured gardens. This is a working man's winery. No frills and volumes of manuscript containing the names of all their loyal customers. Their vines are dry-farmed. Some of the vines are older than 100 years. According to Mr. B. the wines were unique and very special. Sheer happiness. Loved them all. He spent considerable time tasting and smoozing, and tasting some more. Bought a whole mixed case of wine and left. Feeling particularly benevolent, I asked as we were driving away," Why, if you loved it so much, didn't you join this wine club.?" He was speechless, couldn't come up with an answer. So he flipped the car around, and went back. Yep. He is now a wine club member. I am the Good Wife. Like I said, he loved all of the wines, but this is what he came home with.. merlot zin port and a red, the name of which I forget. There were many more, it was all extraordinary, and happily, Mr. B benefitted. read more

If you love Antipasto's in San Jose, Al's family owns this joint. I have been meaning to come here with extended family (aka sister in law's boyfriend) since he knows the family. I finally got a chance to come here and this place does not disappoint. For 25 bucks we got an amazing wine tasting spread and some tasty goodies to accompany the wines. Note: I do not consume alcohol but I do go on wine tasting adventures.. The food was stellar and everything was done in house 1. The smoked turkey with B and R apricot spread was a great start 2. The pulled pork sandwiches were my second course 3. The pasta with mushrooms and meat sauce was the third course 4. LAMB WONTONS with a blueberry negrette (negrette= wine!) reduction was my favorite 5. pork belly... two words that always go good together If you like ports/sweet wines this is a place to go I did end up getting some bottles for family and coworkers... Beautiful location 1. Once a month they do open up their old school car museum 2. They support other local businesses (aka B and R apricots) 3. SUPER FRIENDLY family (the winery has been in the family for 3 generations) 4. It is a landmark.. the fault line runs through their warehouse 5. At one time they held the Guiness World record for largest underground cellar read more

DeRose Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

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This is one of my favorite wineries in the area. All the wines are delicious and the staff is knowledgeable. Perfect place to enjoy an afternoon. read more

DeRose Vineyards - Outdoor patio area - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

Was there on a Tuesday so we were not able to do a full tasting but were able to buy a nice "Hollywood Red". They opened the wine, brought it and a couple glasses over to their outdoor patio and turned on the heaters for us. Wine was excellent and reasonably priced, the guy working there was super friendly. Will come back again next time we are in the area! (Oh, and they had wifi which was super helpful since cell service super sketchy in that area) read more

DeRose Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

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If you only have one release party to attend, I strongly recommend the De Rose release party in Hollister's Cienaga Valley. The pour offerings favor red wine and the selections are varied and delicious. They claim to have the oldest vines in California and their old vine wine is simply superb! This is a family operation with the father and son on the premises. Both are there to meet and greet and listen to your comments and engage you in conversation. Delightful! The tasting takes place in the fermenting room among all the lovely accouterments of wine making. You cannot beat that for atmosphere! If you are there at the release day party, the food parings are spectacular and some are unique. Unfortunately, though, the release party entry cost goes up every year and does not include the glass. This year we paid $40.00 per person. I have to withhold the fifth star but it has nothing to do with the wine. The bathroom facility absolutely needs upgrading. read more

Amazing wines from old vines. Great hospitality and a fun time! I'll definitely be back

This was my least favorite of the three wineries I stopped at last weekend while I was in this area - which is not to say I didn't enjoy the tasting. I absolutely did enjoy it - none of the 6 wines I tried (5 on the list, plus a late harvest) were by any means bad, I was just a little disappointed because a couple of them were imported rather than being made by the winery (they sell a number of wines they produce, and also a number of wines they *don't* produce, a couple of the latter having made it onto their tasting list), and also disappointed because there were a handful I would have been most interested to try, but you could only try the exact bottles they picked for people to try. I absolutely do understand they can't have everything open at once, especially in such a little-trafficked area, but it would have been really nice to have at least a *little* say in what we got to try. Still, their wines are indeed quality wines - I especially liked the Carmenere (made in Chile, but by the same winemaker) and the Cab, as well as the Cabernet Pfeffer that I thankfully got to try because someone in our campsite just happened to have a bottle of it the previous night, or I wouldn't have gotten to, which would have been a serious shame. read more

Took an unexpected detour from Hollister Hills SVRA because they were full due to COVID capacity and enjoyed our picnic here instead while wine tasting. Friendly staff and they even called HH SVRA for us to check on status. Relaxed in their outdoor seating while sipping on delicious wines. Definitely coming back here after off road adventure next time. read more

DeRose Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

My wife and I spent a delightful couple hours here recently. They have a great selection of wine - much from very old growth, dry farmed vineyards. The staff was knowledgeable and we were not hurried at all. For a small fee, there is a flight of wine but we had a couple additional tastes. They have a great tasting area outside where we also had a picnic after tasting and they were very welcoming. We left with several bottles of their estate wines as well as an unfiltered Sauvignon Blanc that they imported from Chile. Most bottles did not make it home from our short road trip! read more

We came here about 2 months ago for their event. I am telling you, do NOT miss any of their events, they are insanely awesome. This was the first one we went to. They entry fee was $30 a person. They recommended RSVP which we did, but they can definitely accommodate you even without reservation. For this event they set up food stations with wine paring. You bring your glass to each stations and they will pour you a library wine, the food is either a great paring for the wine or made with that wine. We were able to try all of the food and wine. We were even able to try the 2006 zinfandel, it was amazing! read more

My first time ever wine tasting! The staff was so friendly and informative! The wine was SO DELICIOUS.. we just HAD to get a few bottles. Glad we decided to make memories here !! read more

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Great wine and cool place to hang out for some wine tasting. The drive is gorgeous and so is the peace and tranquility.

Loved this winery! So much to tell.... my husband and I were very impressed about their wine, the education we received on how to drink the wine and get the best flavors and experience, the antique cars they have, the building's structure of being on an earthquake fault line, the company and so much more. Larry was awesome! We learned so much from him in the short time we were there compared to the several of visits we had in Napa. The pleasant surprise was learning that this is the same family that owns Antipastos in San Jose, Alum Rock Area -One of our favorite places! Definitely a place to stop at, taste some wine, and meet fabulous people. You won't be disappointed! read more

I love most of their wine! You need to try the Negrette! Old school Italian, these people still put their heart into every bottle, well worth a visit if you are in the SF Bay Area. read more

Great place to stop with great wines. Pat DeRose was pouring today and he was an awesome host and answered all my questions about the wines and the many 100+ year old vines. A must stop and I will be back as I joined the wine club..... 5 Star! read more

One of my favorites wineries of all time. Yes it's way out in the woods but I will happily drive the hour plus for a special occasion to go wine tasting and bring home a few bottles. Or in this trip's case, an entire case. Protip: if you plan to taste here, make a bit of a trip out of it and book a camping trip or b&b nearby. There are lots of activities in the area. Anyway, onto the tasting room. The staff are always friendly and love talking about wine. Very low pressure and laid back which is my ideal winery as I don't consider myself an expert or know much about wine, just know what I like. I also hate going to places where they push the wine club on you but that was not the case here. We came in with a Groupon but unfortunately didn't have the foresight to download it first. There's no reception here! WiFi is spotty so if you come with a Groupon make sure you have it pulled up or printed. I was told they honor it regardless is expiration date which is nice. I loved nearly all the wines I tasted and we ended up getting a few bottles of each. Highly recommend the zin. The staff were also kind enough to help me find a wine I've been searching for as I was there for a tasting years ago when I was a poor grad with no job and couldn't buy anything at the time. But I'm pretty sure I found what I was looking for. There's been a nice crowd here when I've gone and I know the winery hosts events so keep an eye out as they serve delicious food along with tastings. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

"Roses and thorns are parts of the same plant. Somehow though, some people are concerned mainly about the roses. The rose is not on the plant for more than a week, but the thorns are there forever. Roses are teaching that the beauty of life will bloom, once you have taught yourself the lessons given by living with the thorns." Grigoris Deoudis Sidney Gets Caught Up On Winery Reviews Part VIIII DeRose Vineyards, located on the Hollister wine trail about a mile from Calera and almost adjacent to Pietra Santa, has certainly had a colorful history and they have learned from the thorns. Consider this: *The land has been a source of winemaking since 1854, when French immigrant Theophile Vaché begin crafting wine from the vineyards in the area. *The property has survived several changes in ownership, a few major earthquakes and the age of prohibition. *The vineyards have survived several stages of corporate ownership by the likes of Almaden and Heublein The current ownership, comprised of the DeRose and Cedolini families who have 10 generations of winemaking behind them, purchased the winery in 1988 and since then have focused on creating wines from zinfandel, negrette, cabernet franc and viognier grapes while also importing wines from France, Chile, Argentina, Italy and Spain. I stopped in after tasting at Calera and had no idea what to expect. This was an impromptu wine tasting day. DeRose is open on weekends and they have a car museum that is open first Saturday of the month (missed that one). I walked into their winemaking/tasting room facility (also available to rent for events) as the sole customer. I tasted with I believe Alphonso who is the winemaker along with his father. I tasted a variety of wines from both DeRose and the imported wines. The wines were all solid with decent price points (however the Syrah and Merlot at $40.00+ is too expensive) but my favorite, and the one I purchased, was from their Car Series Continental Cabernet Red. This was a bold, peppery/spicy, hearty red that would stand up to most meats. What was even better was that it was made predominately with the rare Cabernet Pfeffer grape which is a hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Trosseau (by some accounts). Why buy your usual Blah Blah Blah Merlot, Syrah, Pinot when you can have something unique and, actually very good? The visit was quick...I was on my way soon enough to my final stuff. But good wines here with a very interesting history and backstory. It is rare you find that in a California winery and that's one of the reasons why this is a recommended stop. read more

Just when you think you finally have figured out California wine, the DeRoses have to come along and mess entirely with that equation. They kick down your wine tasting sand castle and offer something better instead. How many different ways are there to make great wine, anyway? Are there rigid rules that one can follow, or is it all pure work-in-progress? Is it possible that the DeRose way is merely a single, unique expression of the one True Path leading from vine to glass? I've heard of in vino veritas, but this is one mind bender too many. Back up a bit. Let's start with what DeRose does to flout the Rules of Rational Wine Tasting. 1. There isn't really a parking area to speak of, or elaborate signage, or fancy entrance road leading through well-landscaped grounds past pergolas and water fountains and birds chirping in the trees. No frogs in the pond, no ducks or cellar kittens or cute wine dogs or anything remotely cozy. You could miss the swinging door to the tasting room entirely, and even then, you aren't quite sure where you are. 2. The tasting room makes a Costco warehouse look like a chateaux. It's cold enough to light up a propane heating element in winter, the kind one finds in outdoor patios to make "year round" alfresco eating possible. There are concrete floors and wine-making equipment and a redwood tasting bar that is covered in cloth to protect it from getting dented by careless drinkers. Like that episode in Everyone Loves Raymond about the couch covered permanently in plastic to keep it looking eternally new. 3. I don't think that there is a tasting room flight containing elegant descriptions of the wines being poured. There is no pastel chalkboard sign indicating the day's offerings. I don't think they even know what they will pour next until the bottles are empty. 4. No music. Almost no artwork to speak of, save for one amazing old cash register that apparently still works. No framed reviews. No guided tours, not much in the way of intimate seating, no room for "reserve" or "private" tastings. No candles. No open flames, period (except from that indoor/outdoor heater). If you've ever been to Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, think the exact opposite (except for the good wines). 5. No one has heard of these wines. Cabernet Pfeffer. Negrette. Carménère. A red wine blend with Alicante Bouschet. Old vine Viognier ... is that even real? 6. Those mustaches! Enough said. Now, let's review what DeRose does right. 1. Everything. That lack of infrastructure? The gravel shoulder on the side of the road will do just fine. Saves costs. Makes life simpler. That sign with the big red arrow? Take it in when you're not open. Put it out when you are. Simple. Saves money. No central heating inside the tasting room? Wines don't need it. They prefer temperatures in the perpetual 50s to age gracefully in bottle for years; plus, there's a wine cave, too - a big one. As for all the rest? Needless overhead. What matters is the wine: keeping prices fair while reducing your losses when the dry farmed vines don't yield tonnage the way that other crops with pricey drip irrigation systems do. That lack of a tasting room wine flight, the absence of printed tasting notes and wine trade rankings? Just ask Pat. He. Knows. It. All. When it's time to open a new bottle, they just do it. An old vine Syrah. Outstanding. That Cachapoal Valley Carménère . Pure artisan elegance, bursting with raspberry, violet, and wild herb aromatics. A bottle of the Hollywood Red. Oscar-worthy. A crisp, Meyer lemon zested Chardonnay made from 25-year old vines. Curious about Cabernet Pfeffer? About $25 gets you a bottle. Same for the exquisite, old vine Viognier. And that's even before we get to the Old World imports from France, Italy, and Spain. These wines are unfiltered? Don't have be Kermit Lynch to know that wines taste better that way. Old vine reds all dry farmed? They should be on the list of California state landmarks. Al, your winemaker, is in Chile to harvest the latest vintage? They *hand* destem EACH Carménère grape cluster before fermentation? And Al makes killer batches of paella for the Taste of Spain annual event in February? Don't tell me that your assistant winemaker loves to surf, too. Of course he does. Those vintage Graham-Paige automobiles in the museum are really rare, huh? The Carneros Moon vineyard Merlot that was so fantastic, that's from "some guy" you happen to know in Napa. 3 Steves in Livermore are making medal winning wines from your grapes? The vineyards were planted by European migrants named Vaché and Palmtag in the 19th century? I'll bet this little valley tucked away behind the Hollister Hills even made claret jug wine for Almaden back in the day. Why does none of this surprise me? Nothing does anymore after that initial visit to DeRose. If you want to widen your wine tasting world, make a weekend trip to the Cienega Valley to see what you will discover. read more

DeRose Vineyards - Entrance sign, Cienega Road. - Wineries Near Me - Hollister, California

The owners are great and wine is wonderful. They have great imported wines too. Try out their Deli Antipasto's in San Jose.

Love this place and their pairings are the stuff I dream about. Love the selection of wines.

5 stars for the wines, 4 for the facility. I joined the wine club. 2 bottles every 3 months for a flat $35. Can't wait to go back. It'll be the first Saturday of a month when the car museum is open too. read more

My favorite winery in the state! Always a friendly staff. Events, wine tasting and the car museum tour are all worth doing. The building where the tasting area is located is also the wine cellar. It can be a little chilly if you are sensitive to the cold so dress warm. They usually have a patio heater going in the winter time. My wife and I visit DeRose almost every month and we never get tired of it. They have estate wines and tons of imports. You really can't go wrong with any of the estate wines which are mostly reds. The Negrette is my favorite. Join the wine club, you won't regret it! read more

Single best Negrette I have ever had. Their Zin is what got me into mouthy wines. Pat not only has one of the coolest moustaches on the planet, but he and Al (his son) are wine purists... not in the "wine spectator" crowd... but old world wine makers that do it for one reason... they love wine. One of the oldest operated wineries in the US, it has only been owned by a couple different families since 1854. They don't give a damn about anything other than wine... nada. They don't care about wine spectator's points, they don't care about who endorsed what, what is on what wine list, and what restaurant is the hippest right now. And I love it. Their style is very much like provencal France, you know? It is the people of the community getting together.. the winemakers, the farmers, the butcher.... living together, drinking together, eating together.... in celebration of life. To eat and drink with friends is life! AND.... Not to be seen at a hip new restaurant with an over-marketed, overvalued bottle of shite wine. To DeRose!!!! Thanks guys! read more

I've been going to DeRose since I moved to Hollister and love the wine and appreciate the laid back attitude of the whole crew. The Negrette is excellent and I really appreciate the wine events because the wine and food just keep flowing! I bring visitors in all the time and no one ever walks out empty handed. I also commend Al and Pat for their support of the local community. San Benito county is under appreciated as a wine region-come on down and enjoy our wines, you will be glad you did!! read more

Outstanding family winery in Cienega Valley. Right on the road in an old barn. Open for tasting daily. Owner often pours wine himself and has great stories to tell. Reds are of exceptional quality and reasonably priced. Dryfarmed Zinfandel and Negrette are world class. Perfect for tasting tours and just down the road from Pietra Santa. read more

A refreshing place to do some wine tasting. Very friendly and down to earth staff who were more than happy to tell us about the history of their vines and wines and the building we were in. Really interesting stuff. Lots of pours for only $5 per person. Their zinfandel was awesome! Also have a old car collection museum on site. It was closed for the day but my husband is a huge car enthusiast and they offered to take him back and show him a few of their cars. He was in heaven. We left with a few bottles and they waived our tasting fees. If we lived closer, we'd probably be members. If you're in the area, it's a must! read more