Great place for wine tasting and the proprietor was wonderful. It also didn't hurt that I had great company and the weather cooperated. Ended up buying 4 bottles of wine. Can't wait to pop them open :) read more

They are closed for business even though on all sites they appear open. We literally spent 30 mins in the rain looking for this place

A totally unique wine tasting experience to say the least. Who would have thought that I would be tasting Italian wines from inside of an old submarine on Treasure Island?! A different combo indeed! This was our second wine tasting room on our Treasure Island tasting journey. Out of all the wineries that we tasted at on the island, this was by bar the most casual. Might have been just a little too casual for yours truly, but someone else might really enjoy this aspect. From the outside, this place looks like a mini warehouse. Normally when I see places like this, the outside is pretty deceiving. This one wasn't. Like, it wasn't at all! It was super tiny inside with one couch, a couple chairs and a a little more than a handful of seats at the actual tasting bar. The tasting room is located inside of an old war submarine, and many of its' idealistic features are still very much in tact. It serves as a mini museum in a way too. Sotomarino specializes in Italian Varietals that are made here in California. I'm not sure how Italy's wine climate differs from California, but this was the first time that I've tasted Italian wine that was grown in California. The verdict? I liked some of the wines, but definitely didn't fall in love with any of them. A tasting consists of 5 wines at a cost of $15. This is pretty reasonable, but after tasting at the Winery SF, we felt a little jipped here. I enjoyed tasting some Italian varietals that I had never had before (Lagrein, Dolcetto, Sopraffino). However, the wines weren't really my cup of tea and the lady who was pouring the wine was super skimpy with the pours. She seemed like she was new, but still. I just felt like I didn't get my money's worth of tastings here. Also, their wines are pretty expensive. It would be a different matter if I was actually in Italy and tasting Italian wine. I just thought that they were way too pricey for the quality and style of wines that they were offering. All in all, it was a pretty average experience for me. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I think the casual atmosphere might work from others. read more

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Like the sign says, this is an Italian Wine Tasting Room. The proprietor likes to hold forth about the wines, and then provide some for tasting. The wines we tasted were pretty darned good, not quite spectacular. It's a really nice experience, especially considering this is a former Navy base. I guess that explains the rusting 5-inch gun mount outside the winery door, doesn't it? read more

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Go for the submarine, stay for the wine. Whatever you do, just don't go expecting standout service as it's seriously lacking. When I arrived on my second visit there was only one person working and the place was nearly full. The girl working the tasting room knew little to nothing about any of the wines she poured (outside of what one could read on the label). When I was nearly through my flight I eventually got her attention again and she (finally) procured a menu for me by taking it from someone else sitting at the bar. It was filthy & appeared as if it had been in circulation quite a while...but at least I had the wine deets! Outside of terrible service, the wines themselves were some of the best iterations of Italian varietals grown in California I've ever had. Really! I was shocked at how good these wines were in relation to the incredibly lacking service. Maybe the staff to patron ratio is low so the few staff working can make enough tips to keep them enticed to stay? As for the wines, the Dolcetto really stood out as did the Sangiovese--possibly the best Cali Sangio I've had! The Lagrein was better the first time I tried it, but still good. The "Soprafino" apparently the winemaker's attempt at a Cali styled "Super Tuscan", is worth the money if it's in your wine budget range. read more

Wine tasting at an old WWII submarine training facility? Seemed like a perfect plan for a Sunday afternoon with a best girlfriend! Very nice customer service, very cool guy behind the wines! nice vibes. This is the best place we found at Treasure Island, most original and cool. Also, apart from wines, you can get jewelry depicting the broken heart, based on the broken heart metal sculpture located temporarily at the patio of those wineries. I am glad that I check a website about random things to try and do at Treasure Island and this was top experience! read more

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Another small but quaint winery. Simply decorated but cute. I didn't order any wine, however my sister did a little pricey but she truly enjoyed it. read more

Sottomarino Winery - Inside - Wineries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Booked a wine tasting for last weekend based on these reviews. Boy was that a mistake! This is NOT a wine tasting. You will learn nothing about their wines. We were greeted, seated and told to choose the flights of wine that we wanted to try. The same gentleman also told us that we each had to order at least 1 item off of the menu. The flights of wine came and we were left alone. There was no one to tell us what the differences were and why they were put together in that grouping. Next, was the server. We are all pretty sure that he was supporting the dispensaries at that very moment. He knew nothing about the food other than 'it's really good.' He goes on to tell us that if we aren't hungry, 'That's cool. You can stick with wine.' Well, we did order a cheese and meat box for 4. We ran out of crackers. We asked if we could have more. We were told that we could. 20 minutes later, no crackers. That is when we gave up on the place, paid the bill and left. Here's the thing. If you are going to call it a wine tasting, then explain the wines. If not, then it's just a sampling. If you don't have an answer, go ask someone who does. If there is a charge for extra crackers, tell the patron and let them decide if they want to pay it. If the item that is being asked for is not available, tell the patron. This review is about a terrible lack of communication and basic service skills. If don't care about these things, go. If you do, steer clear. read more

Fun setting - unique! Great views of the Bay Bridge. Wines very drinkable and the tasting fee of $15 provides 5 generous pours.

This winery is inside a submarine.......how cool! I was at a Yelp wine tour event when we stopped here before lunch. The inside is very neat to check out and the story behind it is fun to hear with a glass of their wine in hand. They even had handmade caramel apple kits, and candies, along side the bar top and the people were very nice. I loved their wine so much that I went home with a bottle! Great location and great wine! Perfect way to spend a fun day on Treasure Island. read more

Sottomarino Winery - Inside the wine tasting room! Small and intimate - Wineries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wine in a submarine? Wine not? Cheesy jokes aside, an adventure to Treasure Island isn't complete without a stop at Sottomarino. A unique experience for sure. Italian varietals reign supreme here. So does good music. Combine that with the sunshine and you've got a pretty sweet summertime hangout with amazing views. Stick around for a little while and join the TI party. read more

Talk about one nice of a gem hidden on Treasure Island. My friends and I were wine tasting at the SF Winery on Sunday. Since we took a Lyft out there and wanted to make use of our time, we asked about other wineries to check out on the island and we were told to come here and to speak to a guy named Tony. The guy didn't tell us the name of the place, but gave us walking directions. While walking and noticing what looked like a submarine, we figured we were heading to the right place. As we got closer, I could hear the faint sound of what could only be the Talking Heads. I was confused, yet intrigued. Yes, we had to be at the right place. We walked into a small tasting room that definitely looked like a submarine (learning later that they used parts of a WWII submarine) with the Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" playing on the record player. Yes, a record player. Tony was there and what a sweetheart and all around jolly guy. He's a great guy to chat with, he knows his wines and he'll do requests with the nice collection of vinyl they have there. There were 4 wines to taste and all of them were great. I ended up getting a glass of the Muscat. Not super sweet, but also fruity. Reasons to check out this nice, little spot in no particular order: 1. Great wine 2. Submarine, even with a cool little photo op with red lights and all. 3. Record player 4. Outdoor seating 5. Tony 6. Gorgeous view of the bay. read more

This was an awesome event. I enjoyed tasting a variety of Italian wines grown locally. The old submarine room was awesome. A big thanks for Yelp for putting this event together. I can't say enough for David Frazier's enthusiasm and giving us a great tour of the property. I had a fun time. The views of San Francisco from Treasure Island made this a spectacular event. You will enjoy wine tasting here. read more

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Love love love the wine from here! Ended up buying a few bottles of: the Primitivo, Sangiovese, Dulcetto, and the Muscat Caneli - they are all amazing! This winery is uniquely housed inside a submarine, as Treasure Island used to be a Navy Base. How many can say they've gone wine tasting inside a submarine? Tony is the Tasting Room Manager and has the best records playing on a turntable and is very informative when asking about the wines and grapes that made it. All the visitors seemed to be having a good time because how could you not? If you take a step outside, you can see all the beautiful views of the Bay Bridge, people playing bocce ball, and if you're lucky - some live music! Can't wait to come back and visit! read more

I work in the wine industry and find the wineries in the bay area don't get the appropriate exposure as I think some people don't believe you can find a good wine in town... Aside from the 'young professional drinkers' whom populate the bar scene in town, thus the winery at times, I find the Sottomarino a very good stop. The wines are juicy, have a good mouth feel, with a balanced nose, and full body for the palate. As a fan, with each visit I find it hard to choose what I will buy. the winery being small production, means there is lesser volume to sell and whites aren't always available, so if you get the opportunity jump on it to try them. This time I walked away with two bottles each of dolcetto and sopraffino, as destined for a friend's birthday, yet the sangiovese still calls to me. Thanks to Gabby for pouring and keeping us informed with the answers to our questions... we will be back (again) Allison and I. read more

Italian varietals. Very interesting to taste Italian style made locally. And the building itself is worth the trip! Seriously, they found this old prop submarine built IN a building that was used to practice emergencies in submarines. CRAZY! It is freaking cool and they did a good job making it work for them. read more

This place is excellent! I'm so glad I found it. Went by on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The flea market was going on, so we picked up some food from the flea market food trucks, and sat outside Sottomarino for a lovely, meandering afternoon. Tony gave us an excellent sampling of wines, and gave us an amazing wine lesson! It was fun, relaxing, educational, and boozy all at the same time. He was really fun and knowledgeable; 5 stars for Tony alone! My only wish is that more people knew about all the cute little wineries on Treasure Island. Definitely a nice way to spend a day, and not even have to go far from home. read more

Nice wines, cool space. Tony, our generous host, gave us the full naval history of the tasting room, which is a replica of a submarine that was used for training the sailors. The upstairs would be an awesome space for a party! read more

Sottomarino is one of the 5 wineries in walking distance on the south side of Treasure Island. It's in what appears to be an old submarine (hence the name) which, when crowded, gets a bit claustrophobic (and while the tasting room manager is quite knowledgeable and friendly, he's the only one behind the bar). So if there's too many people, do what we did and come back after visiting Vie or Sol Rouge and see if more space opens up. The winery specializes in Italian varietals. They were pouring 2 whites and 2 reds. The whites... well, what can you say about Pinot Grigio other than it's inoffensive? However, we liked both reds and bought some of the Lagrein. We will definitely revisit and try some of their other reds should they be on the menu. read more

This was by far my favorite stop on our wine excursion on TI. The fact that the interior is a real submarine is beyond kick ass. The wine- yum. The staff- knowledgable. There was caramel tastings too...and I'm usually not a fan of caramel but found one I enjoyed. Too bad I didn't take a picture with and inside the heart installation just outside...former Burning Man installation. read more

I visited Sottomarino last month with friends. Not only did we enjoy the fabulous wine, Tony the wine specialist was great! Cant wait to return. read more

Never worrying about dragging family and friends that visit me in SF all the way out to Napa and Sonoma again. I never realized that Treasure Island, so close to SF, had 4 wineries with tasting rooms on the Island. I'll still take friends to Napa/Sonoma, but only if I have time and weather is perfect. Otherwise, Treasure Island has become a mandatory stop for me. And they even have a bocce ball court and picnic tables, beautiful views of the city and who could ask for more. Parking is fantastic, easy to find and I'm already thinking about using the location for a work event and a personal event. And Dave who showed us around the "submarine" training facility (i.e. their tasting room and inspiration for their name) is a great guy with a heart of gold. It's obvious he takes huge pride in what they've built on this tiny little island treasure! read more