On my most recent trip to Napa, I had the pleasure of experiencing a private wine tasting at Gustavo Wine with winemaker, Gustavo Brambila and the tasting room manager/sommelier, Victor. From the start, they were both very friendly and welcoming. I had so many questions for the both of them and they answered each one very patiently and completely. Gustavo and Victor both possess vast knowledge regarding wine making, the wine industry and wines in general. They shared this knowledge in a very understandable and unpretentious way. The actual tasting part of the experience was another highlight. With each sampling, Gustavo and Victor educated me about the wine including where the grapes came from, how the wine was produced and what they felt made a particular wine special. Thanks to both Gustavo and Victor for such a memorable experience and wonderful afternoon. read more

Gustavo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

Unbelievable hospitality by Victor! This Somm is something else... You need to go just to meet and learn a few things from him! Such a kind, friendly, and knowledgeable man. Not pretentious at all...just a good down to Earth kind of guy! He's also quite an artist, so make sure you ask him about his cork boards...they are absolutely beautiful! We were also blown away by the wine! We've been here before, and don't remember it being that good... Just delicious! Thank you so much, Victor...we will be back! read more

Gustavo Wine - The tasting room...cute, classy and cozy! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

Wow! This place was a blast. I've been involved with wine for a long time, but I was truly impressed by Victor's knowledge and excellent customer service. The tasting room is very cute and inviting. My friends and I stayed for about an hour as Victor guided us through their nice selection of wines. Note: They seem to be offering a different selection of wines than they have in the past few months (from what I heard), so it's worth giving them another try if you have not been recently. When we're back in the area, we'd love to visit Gustavo Wines again. read more

The wine tasting is phenomenal. The service is outstanding and we learned it about wine tasting! I recommend this place.

I've been going to wine country for 21 years and this is the worst wine ever! I wanted to support a small business in the region but was gravely disappointed! The so-called sommalier didn't even know what a spittoon was. He was rude & inept in describing the wines he poured! All the wine we tasted were horrible. In an effort to buy @ least a dessert wine to give as a gift, he wouldn't compensate the exorbitant wine tasting that we paid! He said we had to buy a number of bottles before he will forfeit the tasting fee! All this he said in a very loud voice where 3 other tasters in the entire store heard! If you want an absolutely horrible wine & very bad reception by Victor, go to Gustavo winery! WORST WINE EVER!!! read more

Thank you to victor! Came here for a quick wine tasting he went beyond our expectations learned so much and such sweet customer service. Bless him! read more

Good service but didn't find the wine price quality attractive. The tasting of this Mexican owned winery is inside Napa downtown, a small tasting room. The service is good, each flight comes with a small complementary cheese and fruit plate. We learned that the wine maker's favorite is Diamond Mountain, which is 2012 cab. It's original smell wasn't good but after some airing, it tasted fine. A glass is $35, a bottle is $180, a bit pricey for that quality. read more

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Gustavo, Gustavo....you make wonderful wine. The history of your wine making is a revered one. You can taste the years of your winemaking craftsmanship in each taste. read more

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Stopped in with about 1/2 of our trolley tour bus group just before closing. Gustavs daughter proudly told us the family history and delivered our bottles and tastings with a smile. It was pleasurable experience with lots of laughter. Enjoy! read more

Gustavo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

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Love visiting this wine room. Saw Gustavo and had a wonderful visit with him. Just wish we liked the wines better :-/

It's rare that I leave a review that is this low, but unfortunately, we were left standing outside of the tasting room when Gustavo did not show up for our tasting appointment. This was after receiving reminders and confirming repeatedly. We waited outside for quite some time, and even stayed in the immediate area for about an hour and a half in case he was just late. We called every number on the website and could not get through to anyone. I had really wanted to meet Gustavo, hear his story, experience a tasting with him, and bring back some of his wine. I am very supportive of Latinx Business, and especially wanted to do this since Gustavo is from Jalisco which is where my family is from. I felt this would be one extraordinary opportunity to support Latinx endeavors in Napa. This was also our last day in Napa, and the Last tasting my boyfriend had scheduled for us. That means we lost an opportunity for another experience we could have had. The worst part, was the lack of response afterward. I believe my friend did get a response a few days later but with no explanation. Simply an offer for Gustavo to meet us if we were still in Napa. :( read more

I don't even like reviewing but this I had to. Not impressed with the wine. Customer service was okay. The tasting room looks nice. I wouldn't come back. Additionally, the prices were exorbitant for the quality of the wine and the experience provided. I've had far better experiences at other Napa wineries for much less money. It's clear that Gustavo Winery is not focused on providing a memorable or enjoyable experience for its visitors. Overall, I would not recommend Gustavo Winery to anyone looking for a pleasant wine-tasting experience in Napa. There are many other wineries in the area that offer superior wines, better service, and a more inviting atmosphere. read more

Laura was truly an amazing host for the evening. It was my first wine tasting ever and she made us feel at home. Let's talk about the wines...so delicious. The Brovelli Bettini is probably my favorite Cabernet of all time. Should've bought a bottle while I was there. Thank you again for the experience! read more

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I'm sad I wasn't more impressed with the wine here, because I certainly wanted and expected to be. I liked the homey, not-pretentious feel of their tasting room, even being right near Oxbow, and they were certainly very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful - a tasting is normally $15, but with the Priority Wine Pass, it was supposed to be BOGO... they let us share a half-off tasting, and let us mix between their two flights, too. I just wasn't that impressed with the *wine* when we were there (a few weeks ago), which is, after all, the whole point. I'd say the couple whites we tried were not very good at all (too bitter). The couple reds we tried (a $50 zin, and a $65 merlot), were much better, but still, having now had a decent number of fantastic Napa wines at those price points over the course of the weekend we were there tasting... they did not taste like $50+ wines. I've had plenty of cheaper wines I liked way more. Not sure whether they've started riding too much on that movie, or if it was just an off-season or something. I didn't think the wine was *bad*, but it was probably the only winery that weekend where I didn't love any of the wine I tried. read more

Gustavo Wine started with an immigrants story and building his roots in wine country working at Chateau Montelena Winery when they were awarded the top prize at the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind wine tasting, and later opened his own tasting room, producing top quality old world style Napa Valley Wines. This is the story of Gustavo Brambila, my visit, plus the tasting of his wines. Visit the Wine Dine and Play website to read the full wine review article and tasting notes... read more

Gustavo Wine - logo - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

We had such a wonderful time tasting wines and learning more about Gustavo Winery and some of the history of Napa Valley. We were especially excited that it was Gustavo, himself, that served us. What a cool guy! Incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and humble. Of course, the best part was that the wines were delicious and so it was an obvious next step to become a member of the winery. Yum. Yum. Yum. read more

What an amazing place. Started with one of the California original people that put it on the map. Good location to the market. No fancy views but good wine, nice service and had a touch of history. A+++ read more

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit at Gustavo Wines Tasting room. Daniela greeted us. She was friendly and knowledgeable and it was apparent that she has thoroughly enjoyed learning about wines. Sat down for a private tasting with Gustavo. He's a very nice, humble man. He's extremely knowledgeable about wine and it is clearly his passion. It was interesting hearing about his personal background as well as the history of the area and the different varieties of grapes. He 'designs' his wines in advance- in essence, knowing which varieties he wants in it to concoct different aromas and flavors. He was super interesting to listen to. He mentioned his desire to come out with a reserve wine. We'd love to see that & will keep our eye out for it. A well worth trip! Left with several bottles of our favorite. read more

This is the place that has a movie about them! Bottle Shock! It made me want to watch this movie! We got two free tastings of the bottle the lady had open so one red and one white. Lots of art pieces and some fun things to look at but didn't seem like a place to just lounge around at. read more

Gustavo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

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I went on a good day because I was able to chat with and take a photo with the man himself Gustavo (the wine maker). He is such a humble man. Also the staff there were extremely nice. Not sure because the owner was there or not. But it was a moment to remember. Purchased the wine flight and wow they wines are perfect. Loved every one of them. I like this place because it's a small business and I love supporting them. Highly recommend this place. And please do try to Chardonnay. read more

This was our first stop when we got to Napa. Victor was super awesome in his presentation and explanation of the wines we were tasting. He took his time to help us understand the process of each wine and was a pleasure to talk to. He took all the time we needed to answer our questions and share personal stories. He was incredible knowledgeable about all thing wine and was eager to share his personal and professional experiences. He was so warm and charismatic that it felt like I was talking to an old friend. I would definitely recommend that you spend a little bit of time in this wonderful tasting room and get to know Victor. read more

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Went for a weekend wine tasting, and it was delicious. Also, the couple serving the wine are warm and inviting.

Gustavo's wines are great and at a reasonable price from a legendary Napa winemaker. Love the Barbera. The tasting room was nice but the tasting room manager, Chad really made the experience memorable with his in depth knowledge of wine and the area. read more

Had an amazing time on Christmas Eve with Victor at Gustavo's! He was so knowledgeable, Nice, and fun! The store was supposed to close at 5 pm but we were all having so much fun talking about wine it stayed open until at least 6! Of course, the wine was amazing! It's the best wine I've ever had... hands down. The store is unassuming so stop by and give it a try- I promise you won't regret it. read more

A group of 7 of us went to Gustavo's on a random whim. We had no reservation and was hoping for a walk-in tasting. A group of 7 is not a small party and the attendant could not fit us in right away - which was okay. upon being seated she was super apologetic about the wait. Which we replied, " it was no big deal." From there we got nothing but grade A service. the women who help us (I wish I had gotten her card so I can name her personally) was awesome. Part of the reason why wanted to go to Gustavo's was the fact my friend (who also was her birthday) was a fan of the movie that featured the owner. The women who help us was super knowledgable of the wines we were drinking and gave us some fun fax about the family and the movie. I would highly recommend this place! read more

Nice staff and a pretty little tasting room. Our server was really amazing which is why they get three stars. The wines were nothing special or maybe I am just a VintNerd and my tastes are too specific. It was worth the tasting just to hear some of the story and find out that only about 5% of the bottle shock story was true! There are so many GREAT wine places to visit with GREAT wine so unless you are a big Bottle Shock fan I would give this place a pass. read more

Gustavo Wine - Last stop! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

We staggered off of the Wine Train and came here. Having just watched Bottle Shock prior to our trip (funny movie), we decided to check it out. Yes the wine is VERY, VERY good!! Charming inside and the owner, lovely Thrace was there with a friend who also owns a winery. I am giving them five stars because Thrace was cool and was very friendly. Lady KNOWS her wine quality also. She was so candid and open about the movie too, I really loved hearing stories. Hell, both of those ladies there were nice enough to laugh at my husband's lame jokes.... Anyhow, don't miss this one, just get in there. I am off to order two bottles on line...rather order them pants-less, you can't do that in stores these days...:P! read more

Yep. Bottle Shock's Gustavo. I don't even like most Cab profiles, but Gustavo's was truly very good. Recommend the bottle pictured. HNY, everybody! read more

We were lucky enough to be hosted by Thrace herself. She is a wealth of knowledge and a joy to chat with. Gustavo? This man knows how to make wine. It was tough to decide on a purchase. The Syrah was sublime. Thrace told us that when Gustavo first stuck his nose in the Rutherford Cabernet, it reminded him of riding his bike through the vineyards as a kid. There is no mistaking, he was born to be a winemaker. The tasting room is bright, clean and inviting. It's conveniently located across the street from the Oxbow market. read more

Encantos has some amazing wine with beautiful labeling!!! I recommend coming here! Enrique is a great host!! Gustavos background is amazing! 10 out of 10 experience read more

Gustavo and Thrace were both here when I came and they were so welcoming. I told Thrace that I found a coupon online for complimentary tasting, but that I couldn't print it out and she said it was fine. Therefore our tasting = free! Yaay! We tried 5 wines and they also had chocolate truffles and pretzels (more exciting than the crackers that every other place has!). I'm no wine drinker, but I would have to say of all the 8 places I did wine tastings on my trip to napa, I enjoyed these wines the best! On my wine tasting experiences I learned that my favorite was sauvignon blanc.. and i LOVED it here! Dang, I should've bought myself a bottle. I even enjoyed the red wines (which I usually dont..). Usually the tasting is $10, and I think you get to keep the glass if you pay for the tasting. I WOULD pay the $10 to come back here again if I didn't have a coupon. It's worth it. read more

(See pics) Review #1038. After eating at Fatted Calf across the street, we were ready to try some wines as lovely Yelper Julie K has suggested. Such a neat cool wine tasting room with an enthusiastic lady describing wines and a fun wall of Bottleshock history, a pinball machine. Eclectic setting. Wines were fun to taste and very decent prices. It feels almost like someone's home game room. read more

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We have fallen in love! This tasting room had been on our list for a while, and we decided to finally go when we arrived in Napa close to closing time for most wineries and tasting rooms, but this tasting room is open until 6pm. The tasting room was being run by Mrs. Brambila herself, and we really enjoyed chatting with her as she poured our flights. The wines were delicious and we took home the chardonnay and the syrah from the "Gustavo" flight. Wine tastes better with great company and we really wanted to emphasize how Mrs. Brambila elevated the wines with her charm. She was so genuine and friendly and told us funny stories about her family, the winery, and how she met Gustavo. We're fans of the Bottle Shock movie and she had no problem answering our questions and telling us about the process. We stayed past closing time without realizing it because we were enjoying ourselves so much, and our hostess was so kind about it. She admittedly is not a wine drinker, but she exuded a Napa hospitality -- not the snooty kind you can expect from fancy-pants wineries, but the home-grown kind only found at wineries that were started by people who grew up in the Napa Valley. Icing on the cake - we left our ATM card at the tasting room and we offered to come back the next day, but she offered to bring the card to us at our hotel on her way home. Visit Gustavo's tasting room, it's a great place with great wine! read more

I was told about this place by the people at Twenty Rows as one of the paces in the area and, we decided to give it a try. The wines were ordinary and, Gustavo's wife has no clue about the wines, nor does she drink them. And to have to pay $15 per person to taste ordinary wine, is the nail in the coffin for me. Of all the wines we tried here, the only one that I liked was the very last one and, it was their Cab Sav. They also did not inform us that there was a charge for tasting and just started pouring. I only wanted to try one or two as I was driving but, ended up trying 5 and spitting out 4. My friend who collects wine and imports them into Germany had the exact same reaction. I have tasted a lot of wine over the last 25 years and, collected wine for over 20. This was one of the most ordinary wine experiences I have ever had. There are tons of other fabulous places in Napa and I won't ever come back here again. I was hoping for a nice experience and ended up being disappointed and $30 poorer ;-) read more

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Absolutly amazing wine tasting experience. I took my daughter for a barrel tasting with Gustavo himself. The knowledge of wines is fantastic but the cheese pairing really sent it over the top. I will be going back to take friends. read more

Gustavo Wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Napa, California

A hidden gem to visit right behind Oxbow Market. Great wines and super friendly staff. Love the history on the movie Bottle Shock. We ended up with 3 bottles. read more

I LOVE this tasting room!! Great location right in Downtown Napa. The wines are delicious and the owners are super nice!! Fun fact, Gustavo Brambila, the owner and winemaker, is featured in the movie Bottle Shock. Great film!! read more

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Essentially hole-in-the-wall, added to my Napa for Beginner's List for a number of reasons: 1) It's conveniently located across the street from Ox Fam market, which is a lovely stop to buy handmade Napa chocolates, fresh bread, and cheeses (see review). 2) It's in downtown Napa, which has the Napa Welcome Center (maps, publications, magazines etc). Though a stop by the Welcome Center isn't necessary. At Gustavo Thrace, we were given a thick Napa Valley guide / manual (a wonderful keepsake in itself) that listed EVERY winery in the valley, along with address, number, and hours. It was by far the most referenced resource of the day. 3) Gustavo Thrace is mentioned in the movie Bottle Shock (which my father says is really "essential viewing" for a Napa - newb). They have a whole wall dedicated to the film, as well as some promotional freebies. 4) This is the only location you can buy Gustavo Thrace wine. It is boutique - exclusive. So if you want a bottle, you must stop by. The Third Bottle red and whites are particularly outstanding for a table wine. 5) Having downloaded the Wine.com application, and after mentioning the complimentary tasting promotion, our group of three was treated to a very large variety of wines. Including the new Toolbox wines, a Thrace venture. I believe we tasted seven varieties, the largest tasting of the day. Especially generous since it was complimentary. 6) One of the owners may be on site. Thrace was there and she was lovely. She gave us some background on how she met Gustavo, and her personal thoughts on wine. We took pictures, we joked, she was very welcoming and not at all a pushy saleswoman. I appreciated how she let the wines speak for themselves and only spoke about them to answer our questions. ----- As noted, this is a downtown location with little curb appeal. The interior is not minimal like most, or plushly decorated like some. It presents like a storefront with a tasting bar in the back. This is a great way to start off the day in Napa as it poses such a contrast to the estates you will most likely be visiting. Getting a variety of experiences is as essential as getting a variety of tastes. read more

We walked in here like mist people because we saw bottle shock and had a fantastic time with Gustavo's wife. She was kind enough to give us a free tasting, even though we didn't buy any bottles at the time (we told her we were coming back to buy bottles and did). Despite not being a wine drinker, she was very knowledgeable about the wines. She was also extremely fun to be around. She talked to us about her family and the movie and break story vs. The movie. Just to note, she was not the basis of the female character in bottle shock that was in a love triangle.... that character was based off of a male friend (not involved in a live triangle at all) that needless to say was surprised by the casting choice. The wines are a bit expensive, but some were very good. Overall, Gustavo wines can be quite strong and forward. It may not be for everyone, but definitely recommend stopping in for a tasting read more

I wasn't sure how Gustavo would compare to the other wineries I had been to earlier in the day. The storefront did not create the same type of atmosphere as the estate houses I had already been to. However, this by far was the best wine tasting I had out of the entire day in the Napa area. My friend was on a mission to snag much wine from this place and we almost missed them, but the gal working on Sunday was nice enough to stay open for us. She was funny, friendly and made sure we got to taste all of the wines. She even brought out chocolate truffles when the subject of truffles came up. I really liked all the wines I tried here and we even got dragged into a game. My friend had a glass of the Gustavo Cab and I had a glass of the Toolbox (their more economical line of wines) Cab and our tasting guide marked them and we had to blind taste to see which was the expensive vs. the cheaper Cab. My friend and I both got it wrong, but it was really fun to try and use our palates. All in all, Gustavo Thrace has great wine and even better customer service. The entire process rejuvenated me as it was our fifth winery of the day. Additionally, they had chairs! That made me tremendously happy. If you are going to wine country, don't miss this place. read more