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    Nicholson Vineyards Winery

    4.6 (47 reviews)
    ModerateWineries
    Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Nicholson Vineyards Winery Photos

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    Julie S.

    Wonderful winery and experience at Nicholson. We were vacationing from out of town and wanted to find a good winery whose focus was on Pinot Noirs. Couldn't have picked a better spot. Beautiful grounds, incredibly helpful staff, and delicious Pinot Noirs. They also have snacks for purchase which we indulged in for our flights. We ended up buying 3 bottles. Highly recommend if you're in the area.

    Jeanna A.

    Returned to Nicholson Vineyards almost a year later and I am still impressed. This is a small winery that produces wine with big flavor and uniqueness. The Barberas and Pinots are phenomenal. The wine tasting experience here is quaint, familial, and relaxing. Make reservations, sit outside, and enjoy.

    Jessica H.

    I visited this winery on a beautiful Saturday morning. The weather was perfect and the property was stunning. We were quickly greeted upon arriving and had a scheduled private tour with the winemaker, Marguerite. My mom and I rally enjoyed our tour which included tasting their menu and learning SO much about the behind the scenes of wine and olive oil making. She was so sweet and knowledgeable and you can tell that their family winery is ran out of pure love and enjoyment. The wine was delicious and we really enjoyed the barrel select Chardonnay and petite sirah. The olive oil was also delicious! I highly recommend this winery to anyone who wants to enjoy some good wine with a beautiful view.

    Outside area
    Michelle B.

    This place was a wonderful drive in but arrived earlier than opening time it was hard to find winery at first but if you wait await you'll see the signs you missed the first time passing through. The Winery was open to tasting at the time my sister and I went. Plenty of parking and the hosts were very kind and welcoming. COVID protocols were in place and the staff was able to guide us to the bathrooms in the matter that we kept distant with other guests. Although they didn't serve food at the time they did welcome outside snack for picnicking during our tasting which was great. This winery is known for its Pinot noir which was delicious but ending up buying the Chardonnay instead which was equally good. Our pourer was able to let us know where the grapes were grown and surprisingly they were grown right in the vineyard which we were seated across. Will come again with my fiancé in the future.

    a hand holding a glass of wine
    Katie R.

    Lovely winery with a beautiful outdoor seating area. A nice place to relax for a wine tasting or picnic with a bottle of wine. I visited during Covid and was very pleased with the distancing and safety measures put in place. Everyone working was warm and welcoming. The owner was running around working just as hard as everyone else, even getting up on the chair to fix an umbrella for some guests, which was nice to see.

    2023 summer events

    We were introduced to Nicholson a few years ago by friends who were members. We were hooked from that point on. We became members ourselves and get to enjoy free tastings and discounts for the commitment of purchasing 4 bottles/quarter. Since we are local, we go to this winery several times a year, especially when the weather is nice. We love that we can bring outside food and picnic under the oaks, as well as next to the vines and olive grove. Of all the wineries in the area, this is the best (beautiful and affordable) place to spend an afternoon. The service is friendly and there is a good selection of wines to choose from.

    Great place!!
    Jose R.

    I live in LA but grew up in Watsonville- it is great to come home and experience all these wonderful vineyards in the area- The wine here is comparable to those you find in Napa, Paso and Santa Barbara!! We enjoyed this one so much we became members!!!

    Antonea C.

    I was beach bumming it one day and decided I wanted to go wine tasting. I found Nicholson Vineyards on Yelp and decided to make the trek up the hill. It was my first time in the Pleasant Valley area and was amazed to discover such a beautiful region. The drive to Nicholson takes you down a narrow one lane road passing miles and miles of rolling hills with vineyards. It happened to be an event weekend when I showed up so they had a nice cheese platter and desserts out for guests. There's several little nooks for sitting and sipping the afternoon away. Must try wines (all are great, but these stood out): 2010 Old Vine Zin 2009 Pinot Noir

    Tasting menu

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    9 months ago

    Terrific setting, wonderful staff, and most important, well-made wine! Additionally, the prices are very fair!

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    4 years ago

    Beautiful, charming, family-owned winery. Kind staff and delicious wine! Best winery in the area!

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    16 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Loved this spot. Great wine and amazing venue with indoor/outdoor space overlooking the vineyards. Highly recommend!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Nicholson Vineyards Winery

    Review Highlights - Nicholson Vineyards Winery

    I did the $10 tasting and was prepared to shell out a chunk of change for their old vine zin.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Storrs Winery & Vineyards

    Storrs Winery & Vineyards

    3.4
    (28 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    They have a tasting room at the Old Sash Mill, but I went to a tasting at the estate in Aptos,…read morewhich is open Fri-Su noon-5. It's very pleasant to sip wine on the patio. They also have a bocce ball court. Two wines stood out: 5/5: The 2024 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay; it's rubust, sparkly, with tropical notes. 4/5: The 2024 Monterey Sauvignon blanc: Fruity instead of grassy.

    **Overall 3.5 stars**…read more The wine tasted excellent! In fact, all the flavors were complex and delicious that my friends joined their wine club! The winery is situated on a hill. The road to get up the hill is very narrow that we almost missed it bec it looked like a driveway. Once we got past the trees to an opening, it was like orchestral music started playing when we saw the gorgeous Storrs building! The cement structure was so sleek and modern, yet it was in the middle of this farmhouse kind of area... it was a little shocking, in a good way. I feel bad taking off stars because I actually loved the wine at Storrs, but for the cost of the wine tasting per person, I was astonished at how TINY the pours were. We are talking the tiniest sip. You don't even have enough to swish it in your mouth to get a good sense of the wine on your palette. We thought we were being "punked", except every pour was this miniscule. There is also a strict no outside food policy here, yet they don't sell food. This is a big downside for me because I find drinking wine a great opportunity to sit back and relax with friends, and that includes munching on some food! Counter space was very cramped in the tasting room, and no one greeted us or acknowledged that we entered the building even. We just walked around for awhile until we found a tiny corner to insert ourselves. The set up isn't ideal for when there are multiple groups inside. There are tables in an outdoor patio and one long table indoors, but with the tasting pours being half a sip, you really don't need to sit down. So this is a big downside for me. The wine is delicious, so I think it's worth tasting and buying some wine here. My tip is to go on an off day so you can get better customer service and maybe get more than a 0.00001 ounce pour. Haha.

    Photos
    This is the size of each pour!  Barely enough for a sip.
    This is the size of each pour! Barely enough for a sip.
    Good small event space!
    Good small event space!
    Bocci ball court.

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    Bocci ball court.
    Alfaro Family Vineyard & Winery

    Alfaro Family Vineyard & Winery

    4.4
    (53 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    Absolutely gorgeous little family owned vineyard with incredible views and an array of wonderful…read morewines to try. This was my first time here, but our hosts are regular members here and introduced us to this great little winery.....for BYO "picnic" goodies to go with an assortment of fantastic tasting wines. I'm not sure how this membership thing works, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're into wines and enjoy a nice day out either sitting at one of the limited number of tables or chairs looking out onto the awesome views of the winery. My wife and I were just visitors in the area, were brought here for the very first time, and just went with the flow. And, to top things off, there was a solo guitarist playing wonderful instrumental songs while we enjoyed our Picnic and wines. The owner was also there to tend to the guests, engage in friendly banter, and just made sure we all had a great time. Excellent experience.....ok, I admit I am not an alcohol drinker and this was my first sip of wines in many years......yea, I got a bit buzzed probably from drinking too fast....because they were that good.....but luckily I wasn't the one driving :)

    They are open for tasting Saturday noon-5. Their online system seems to book up even if they are…read moreempty. If you can't reserve a spot online, just show up. I've done wine tasting at a bunch of places in Santa Cruz, and Alfaro has maybe the most comfortable chairs, and the best view. The wines are very light bodied, with some yeast and oak. They don't really appeal to me. But it was fun doing the tasting.

    Photos
    Glasses
    Glasses
    Alfaro Family Vineyard & Winery
    Alfaro Family Vineyard & Winery

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    Nicholson Vineyards Winery - wineries - Updated July 2026

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