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?

My friend and I came across this winery at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival and we had to try…read moretheir varietals. Renee our server was friendly, informative, and a delight to engage with, during our afternoon tasting. We had an assortment of two Pinot's, 2023 Pinot Noir that was spicy and a deep rich color -Mindego Ridge Vineyard, and the 2024 has a blend of three Pinots. This varietal was light not as flavorful as the 2023 Pinot and slightly tannic. Their Chardonnay is barreled in French oak and has a fruit forward taste. The Nebbiolo was spicy, with a hint of sweetness and kinda sat on my palette. This is a thin skinned grape like the Pinot. The only white blend the 2023 Petraza from the Siletto Family Vineyard has a blend of 65% Falanghina, and 35% Greco Bianco. This varietal is more sweet and acidic. We were in their tasting room a few steps from their original one, that has magnificent views of the area. It was a clear day and I was able to see San Francisco. They offer outdoor and inside tasting, and the tasting fee is $45 for 5 wines.

Likely a beautiful winery, extremely disappointing experience…read more We chose Thomas Fogarty Winery as part of a special 70th birthday celebration and were really looking forward to enjoying the property and views that the winery is known for. Unfortunately, when we arrived we learned that the property had been rented out for a private event. We were never informed of the full buyout when we made our reservation. As a result, instead of being able to enjoy the grounds, we were seated in the front area next to the parking lot and essentially excluded from the part of the property that was a major reason we chose Thomas Fogarty in the first place. I completely understand hosting private events. What I don't understand is continuing to accept tasting reservations without clearly telling guests in advance that their experience will be significantly restricted. Had we been told, we simply would have chosen another winery for such an important occasion. The wine wasn't the issue. The problem was paying for and planning around a Thomas Fogarty winery experience and then arriving to discover that the experience we reasonably expected wasn't available and the service staff was rude and dismissive. For a normal afternoon this would have been disappointing. For a milestone 70th birthday that we specifically planned in advance, it was extremely frustrating. If the property is substantially unavailable because of a private buyout, customers holding tasting reservations deserve to know before they arrive.

Unbelievably excellent Pinot Noir. Quite Burgundian in style, offering a silky texture and…read moresurprising concentration of black rasberries. I loved the weight of the wine and how it was extracted with beautiful crushed cherry and black currents. Supple and juicy, with a restrained sweetness to the red fruit and spice flavors. The flavors do not cease as you drink it; but evolve in your palette as you go. Finishes fresh, with a dusting of tannins and good length. I was a bit sceptical at first as it is a young winery, however I will definately buy it again.

I had the privilege to attend the soft opening at Madsen, I got a chance to meet the local artist…read moreOleg Lobykin himself! All the art displays are placed artfully along with the lighting in the gallery to capture the story behind each piece. The artwork had a minimalist yet modern feel to them. You can also purchase wine from my personal local favorite wine Byington at this Gallery!. I'm loving this concept for wine and art, as they go hand in hand.

I am very happy to recommend Madsen in downtown Los Altos. The gallery is well curated by Amy with…read morea great selection of art and artists. I selected a perfect piece for my home. Thank you Amy you were a dream to work with.

Beautiful setting on a beautiful property. The wines were all top notch. The pizza, charcuterie,…read morecookies & brownies were also delicious!

This is such a cute spot to grab a glass of wine and a cheese board…read more There's plenty of cozy couches and bar seats to choose from, as well as outdoor tables. My only nit is the amount of TVs in this place - kind of kills the intimate vibe and makes it feel more like a sports bar. Staff don't really come around often at all.

I suppose I should have taken the name more literally. This is truly, a large room with some…read morecouches. Its dimly lit and sort of caverous. I bet its very cozy during the winter. Didnt get around to trying the food but had two glasses of wine and was a little underwhelmed by the selections. Given they ONLY serve wine, I thought they might have flights in addition to glasses. But I didnt see any flights. While the service was fine, I did sort catch them lounging around in on the couches on their phones while on shift. I get its slow but its just not a good look. The location is right at the end of a street so there are constantly cars making u turns and coming in and out of parking. So sitting outside isnt terribly ambient. IDK, it was truly a fine experience but I have no desire to go back.

Great spot for wine tastings! The team was knowledgable and friendly, and the tasting pours were…read morevery generous (2.5 oz). They had a couple tasting flights available, but we were also able to pick and choose a few wines from each to put together our own. If you take your tastings outside, just beware that the trees above the tables litter quite a bit of seeds, so it's best to keep the glasses covered (lol). The payment system didn't offer options for tipping, and when we tried to tip in cash, the team wouldn't accept it! I've never seen that before at a wine bar-especially in this day and age-but it honestly left us wanting to come back. I'd highly recommend Vin Vino if you're in the area; it's a great pre-dinner spot and we left feeling like it was great value for the price.

This is a nice place. I'm zooming in the front but really nice inside knowledgeable staff good…read morewhite wines. I'd be careful with the reds unless you go with the elite class.. I tried the white sampler of champagne and other French white wines and they were superb. Don't be fooled by the tasting. They're actually about a third of a glass of wine quite a bit.

James recommended and delivered a perfect mix of wine and champagne for my 60 person gathering in…read moreSan Jose, only 5 days prior to the party date. Highly professional and a joy to work with him.

This is one of the few great wine stores that actually has an extensive collections of wines, and…read moreolder vintages that you will never get from Total Wine, BevMo, Draeger or even K&L! They also conduct Master Classes, inviting wine makers from all over the Old and New worlds. These classes are fun and they also pair food with the wines you will be tasting! If you have not been to Artisan, you should take a trip there to check it out!

The Stanford barn is one of the oldest structures on the Stanford University Campus…read more The Barn which was built in 1888 as a winery. Vast amount of grapes were planted on the farm, and according to the standards of the time produced a fine quality wine under the Palo Alto label. Leland Stanford was a big believer in the benefits of wine consumption. The building was built to last, and while the 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged many building on campus, the Barn was untouched despite all the additional weight the wine imposed on the structure. With the inaction of Prohibition, the winery ceased operations and the surrounding land was used for conventional farming and cattle grazing.The barn was alternatively used by the carnation milk company and was also leased for the purposes of breeding purebred Troutmere. The barn continued to be used as a dairy for many years but gradually fell into disuse. With the encroachment of urban areas and the Stanford Shopping Center, it was considered for razing at one point. However, the Barn was someone restored and converted into sort of a mixed retail/restaurant/ office space. Present day there are several restaurants, and other small shops. The entire second levels are office space used by the medical school. It does have its own parking but its patrolled by private security who have that 'Mall cop" complex and can be quite aggressive even if you have business at the barn. There are no tours of the interior, but the you can walk around the extensive brick structure, and you can walk through the main part of it. There there few historical displays showing its history and allows easy access to the various shops and restaurants. Its not a destination in and of itself, but would be a fatntatic pairing with say the Cantor, or the Arizona cactus garden etc.