Pacheco Ranch Winery was a magical spot to get married in a gorgeous outdoor setting. From the…read morebeginning, Deb and Herb Rowland, the owners, were so thoughtful and gracious; an absolute pleasure to work with. We loved that Deb provided great resources for vendors she has worked with, but that she is also flexible and willing to work with others you want to bring in. They clearly take so much pride in what they do and it absolutely shows in the warm and personal experience you have at Pacheco. The property is adorned with citrus trees and flowering vines, beside the hillside vineyards, waterfall stream and the lovely old farmhouse. It's tucked into a small valley, protected from the wind. In the evening, strings of bistro lights make the dining and dance area twinkly and romantic. Our guests loved the space and kept commenting on how beautiful, relaxing and unique it was. Deb answered all of our questions leading up to the event very helpfully and provided a site plan to help vendors understand where to install things like the tables, dance floor, bar and buffet. We really appreciated how responsive she was and how willing to troubleshoot any unexpected issues. Beyond which, she and Herb and their employee Ann are so sweet and fun to be around. We're very happy we picked Pacheco as our wedding venue. If you're looking for somewhere personal, beautiful and one of a kind to tie the know, you will love it too.

We got married at Pacheco Ranch Winery - from the moment we met Deb and Herb and walked the…read moregrounds, to the cleanup after the big day, we loved every second we spent here. We couldn't describe more ideal hosts for our wedding - Deb and Herb were kind and thoughtful, extremely professional and prompt, super flexible, and an absolute joy to work with. With all our questions and extra visits, we always felt welcome and accommodated at Pacheco Ranch. On the day of the wedding, Herb and Deb were directing traffic, managing vendors, and clearly enjoying every moment of it. They take so much pride and love in caring for their home, and it shows in the natural beauty that flows throughout the ranch.

Really nice spot to go after the farmers market on Saturday afternoon. Friendly staff, great wine…read moreand relaxed atmosphere. Theres a patio area with comfortable seating and two fire pits. Tried the red wine flight and the Prosecco brut, both were delicious. I will definitely be going back.

I'm loving it thus far! Perfect Dog, People and car watching spot. Friendly and welcoming. And…read moredirectly across the street from Pizzeria Picco!

Such a cute and unique place to drop by in the Tomales Bay area…read more The meadery is extremely aesthetic with a canopy patio of the bar, tables, and shops. There is an abundance of blooming flowers everywhere, and even a small beehive tucked away in the bushes. We did the tasting for $25 with 4 pours of mead. I was very impressed with the depth and variety of flavors; each pour tasted completely different from the next! Heidrun comps 1 tasting for 3 bottles purchased, which was a nice addition. Our hostesses were super sweet and chill. They were more than happy to explain a little bit about the meads and answer our questions. Would definitely stop by here again! :)

My family and dog visited a while ago. Taylor was our host and she was very kind. We got the…read moreEssential Heidrun Tasting, the Seasonal Tasting Flight, Cheese Box, and the Honey Tasting. We especially enjoyed the Hawaiian Lehua Blossom mead. Our 5-year-old liked the Cheese Box, Honey Tasting, and seeing the beehive behind the outdoor bar.

Olive oil is great. Easy to make a reservation…read more Service is eh. Waiter had no idea which oil flavors we had. Was very hard to get water from. We got the bill and had no idea we needed to go inside to pay and we sat there for 20 mins waiting for him to pick up from us. Not really strong communication

Food was good service was excellent and the ambiance made everything taste even better. Lovely…read morepeople with great customer service and very personable. We went for Mother's Day. Glad we had reservations. We had wine tasting along with food tasting. Everything was good and beautifully presented. Afterwards, we went into the gift shop and purchased lotions and the best ginger jam that paired well with Brie. The tastings were ample and a nice selection. It was pricey, but for a special occasion, worth it. The Ode body butter is the best I had to get another jar. It is really moisturizing and lasts a long time. I prefer the "verde" scent. They have lavender, and unscented too. very relaxing vibe.

I've been here a few times for events. One time was an outdoor grape stomping contest--so much fun!…read moreWe made a t-shirt with our grape-stained feet! We danced in the roped-off street to Doc Kraft. We played skee ball that day, too. We've danced indoors, too. My favorite is Jay Lewallen, who has sometimes paired with other musicians. I love his cover of the song Rusty Cage. We've played bingo there a few times, too. Trek Winery's Sangiovese wine is my absolute favorite. It's a cozy, neighborhood place with tall ceilings. The back patio has a lovely water feature. Everyone who works there is personable and helpful. They always have a few items that would make interesting gifts like candle holders from barrel planks, at times.

This is a great wine bar in downtown Novato. It is a couple blocks away from Grant Ave. A few of my…read moregirlfriends introduced me to Trek while back. Since then I've been back a several times. They sell beer, red and white wine and champagne by the glass. The last time I was there one of the staff mentioned they will be selling more champagne which is great news since I'm a bubbles girl! They have a food menu as well. I've tried a couple of their flatbreads which are tasty. Last year they started to host bingo for various organizations in their big venue space. It's lots of fun and for great causes. The schedule is the first Sunday of every month and every Tuesday evening. There is also comedy shows, chair massage events and live music in the main area.

Dancing Crow Vineyards brought a selection of wines to the Clement Street Farmers Market San…read moreFrancisco. Decent pricing on a nice mix of vintages that were brought to the Farmers Market.

Stopped by the outdoor market in Larkspur and come upon this wine and casual tasting area. We…read moreenjoyed whites and reds. Then walked away with their bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Which was refreshing and hit the spot on a warm day. Hidden gem! Check it out.

Great winery with lots of history! I popped this cab from 1997! It has aged incredibly well. I…read morehave also spent time with the owner. Great guy, and great wine. Well done, sir!

Cool winery surprise! Driving over to Pt Reyes on a…read moregorgeous Sunday noticed this pleasant winery & Inn run by lovely couple Steve & Molly Doughty. Pleasantly surprised to find vintage Pinot Noir, '02'12 Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnay -oh my! The proprietors are delightful in regaling the history of this rare find; special blends for local rockstars The Grateful Dead-not for sale; delightful garden tasting & picnic area surrounded by happy hummingbirds & families enjoying the very pleasant atmosphere. Do stop in for a Tasting & buy some of their fine wines @ most reasonable prices & say hi! You'll be happy!

Cazadero makes some absolutely delicious wines. Their Parameter King Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay is…read moreoutstanding and so is the Bei Ranch Chardonnay. As a big fan of Pinot, I'm looking forward to trying their Parameter King Ridge Pinot Noir. I know some awesome Pinots come from Cazadero. The owner, Frank, is a very friendly man. Give it a try, and you won't be disappointed.

From the owner: Our Gold Medal winning Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons have been honored with 76 Gold & Silver…read moreMedals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp, New York Finger Lakes International, Women's International and Monterey Wine Competitions, The Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Sunset Magazine, Orange County Fair and the Grand Harvest Awards. We sell in many local Grocery Stores, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Specialty Shops and Our Website. To name a few of the places we like to sell out Wine at are: Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa CA, Wilibess in Petaluma CA, Big John's in Healdsburg CA, Fircrest in Sebastopol CA, Cazadero General Store in Cazadero CA and Sophie's Sellers in Duncans Mills CA.

Great hang out even if you don't drink though they prefer you do…read more Nice location downtown Great vibe Relaxing and full of people who love wine and music Wine slushies are yummy

Mantra is a great wine tasting room in downtown Novato. A girlfriend brought me here a few years…read moreago and we've gone back several times to enjoy a glass of bubbles. Their prices are reasonable and their champagne is fantastic. Over the summer I had a wine slushee that was delicious. The atmosphere is cozy. There is plenty of seating and also a few rooms off to the side where you can also sit and enjoy your drink. It's nice to sit outside when the weather is warm. Sometimes there is live music which is a treat. They offer food from Finnegan's which is a couple doors down. The service is always friendly.

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.