This is a beautiful family run winery. Stop by in the afternoon and choose a seat over looking the pond and rows of vines. Met the family dog and settle in for a wine tasting family style. Most intriguing are the white and black wines. Locals at the next table were enthusiastic about the black and I agree. Van Lifers lucky to be with Harvest Host can enjoy the tasting and sleep in your van...down by the vineyard. A lovely spot. read more

Testa Vineyards - My tasting includes white black and reds!! - Wineries Near Me - Calpella, California

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Testa, Testa! YOU my dear, are in a league of your own. One of the best wine tasting experiences that I've had! Testa was recommended to me by one of the wonderful servers at Patrona in Ukiah. She told me that I had to come here for a tasting before I left the area, and I did. And damn, am I happy that I did! This was my favorite tasting experience while out in the Ukiah area. What I loved about the tasting room here is that it's quaint, intimate, and super relaxing. No big crowds that you have to push through to make your way to the tasting room. It's quiet, peaceful, and the views are just astounding. And it's doesn't hurt that their estate is so damn adorable! The entire setup is truly darling! There's a beautiful covered deck with the most comfortable sofas! It reveals the most majestic views of their pond, garden, and vineyards. They have several shaded picnic tables and a rocking chair. You can walk around the premises and get lost in all of the beauty that surrounds it. I was literally falling asleep on the couch while I sat out on the deck and tasted. Yep, that's how comfortable I was! Their wines are very tasty as well! They make a variety of whites and reds and have won many awards for their delicious creations. They have their award-winning wines and ribbons posted on the wall of their indoor tasting area. A tasting consists of 5 of their wines. I'm not sure what the cost is for a tasting, but the tasting fee is waived with the purchase of a bottle and their prices are really reasonable. I really enjoyed their "Black" red blend the most and ended up purchasing a bottle to take home. A fun fact about this wine: it was created by their own members at a winemaker's party that they had at the winery. I couldn't believe that the members actually put together such a good blend, but it's amazing! You can fish in the pond for free if you're member! Another interesting fact is that they only use 10% of the wine that they produce. The other 90% is outsourced to other wineries! Now, that's how you KNOW that it's good! Saving the best for last of course. The main reason why I enjoyed tasting here so much was because of JENN!!! That lady is friggin' AMAZE BALLS, mmkay? So much personality and knowledge packed inside of that little body of hers! I honestly felt like I was hanging out with an old friend from high school. Her passion for wine is so undeniable. People like her are so rare to find these days. She is perfect at what she does and Testa is so lucky to have her there. I hope she stays at Testa for many years to come because I want her to be there when I come back again. Whew! I did it again! I done wrote up another novel, y'all! I can't help but to gloat about the places that I love. Well... if you're actually still reading this, then pleeeeeaase make your way out to Testa! I promise you won't regret it! read more

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What a lovely family-run vineyard! We had an excellent time with a tasting and little family picnic. The view is beautiful and the staff are warm and accommodating. We will definitely be back. read more

Testa Vineyards - a view of a pond from the patio - Wineries Near Me - Calpella, California

Testa makes a wonderful stop for an impromptu weekday wine tasting for travelers on the 101 to parts North or South. It is an easy 3 minute drive from the highway, or a 10 minute drive in from downtown Ukiah on North State Street. The tasting room is quaint and cozy with a small counter next to stacked wine barrels containing aging wines that will be released later. For a $5 tasting fee, you can sample 5 or 6 wines, from delicious red and white blends (Testa White and Black) to higher end single varietal red wines like Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Barbera, and Charbono, a rarely cultivated Old World wine from Italy that is lighter bodied than Zin or Sangiovese. There is a beautiful outdoor covered seating area with wooden tables, benches, and chairs surrounded by old vines, antiques, flowers, and the occasional waterfowl swimming on the pond below. The vineyards surround the property on all sides on gently sloping hills covered with head trained vines that in some cases are 50 years or more old. While the Testa family had been growing wine grapes for generations since 1912, it is only more recently that they began making their own bottled wines under the direction of Maria M. with help from her sons, daughters, and other family members and friends. These are excellent, soulful wines made in limited production runs of 100 cases or less for the varietal wines like the old vine Zin and Carignane. The Black and White blends are real crowd pleasers and are perfect sipping wines with or without meals, while rarer wines like the Charbono make great gifts for wine lovers in your circle of friends who are looking to try a new type of red wine. As a parting gift on our visit, we received a big bag of walnuts collected from trees on the property and got to spend an enjoyable hour or so trying Testa wines, including a lovely Muscatel sweet wine that was delicate and refreshing without being too heavy or syrup like in taste. We highly recommend that you include a visit to Testa's family run winery and vineyards on your next visit to Mendocino wine country! read more

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Beautiful, beautiful grounds with a lake in the front. Great wine. $5 tastings. What else should I say? See photo. read more

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If you are looking for a wonderful wine experience, check this winery out..... the owners, Maria and Rusty Martinson were very hospitable. We are Harvest Hosts members we are traveling down Hwy 101; we happen to stop by Testa Vineyards in Ukiah, CA. The owners were absolutely wonderful they opened up shop when they were completely closed. They came down to meet us and to let us in their premises. They made us feel right at home! They were very informative about the area and the history of their vineyard. We love their wine and returned to their vineyard on our way home for a quick visit and to buy more wine! We definitely will be back! read more

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Looking for a feel good story to start off 2018 right? Are you perhaps a little jaded with the unavoidable pretentiousness of wine tasting in Napa Valley, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara? Got $5 in your pocket? Well, then you need to make a visit to the small town of Calpella and to the Testa family ranch, where Italian varietal wines rule the roost, with a great deal of charm and grape growing craftsmanship to go around. The Testas have been tending to vineyards in Mendocino County for over a century, and they still sell about 90% of their crop to other wineries, but now they also make their own wines, which range in style from $15 summertime whites, pinks, and sweet wines (made from Muscat grapes) to $30-40 barrel aged red wines like old vine Zinfandel (an estate speciality), Carignane, Grenache, Cabernet, Barbera, Charbono, and Petite Sirah. The output is fairly small, so it tends to be enjoyed by locals in and around Ukiah, but because the vineyards are within sight of the busy Highway 101 corridor, travelers looking to rest their weary bodies for an hour or so easily can exit the freeway and within minutes can be sipping wine samples from the quaint tasting room or outside on the covered deck, where snacks and unshelled walnuts wait to be cracked. The white blend here, an nonvintage bottling, is composed of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with some Viognier, Muscat, and Pinot Gris added as well. It is done in a light, easy drinking style with lower alcohol (12.5%) and alluring aromatics, akin to my nose to a Malvasia Bianca or a Gewürztraminer from Anderson Valley. Testa Black is an appealing blend composed of the red grape varietals grown on the property, including Zinfandel, Cariginane, Petite Sirah, Charbono, Barbera, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend is based on input from wine club members at a special "blending party" each September, so it's a collective effort that engages the locals in the process. The old vine Zinfandel is 100% estate grown fruit from low yielding vines many decades old. It's brimming with red cherry fruit, floral and spice notes, and jammy, heartwarming undertones with a long, dark, and lingering finish. If you pair this wine with a rustic but well made meal, you will be surprised how quickly you will reach the bottom of the bottle. We decanted a 2013 vintage and served it with a Sunday dinner of grilled jumbo artichokes (that had been "frost-kissed" so tasted sweeter than usual), cast-iron cooked red flint polenta cakes, and small bowls of naked organic mesclun (no dressing. Just the rinsed greens). It was a vegan meal. Vegan! And the wine was a stunningly good food match. With grilled artichokes, no less. That ain't so easy to do. Who knew? To do the decanting, uncork and pour the wine into a glass pitcher or carafe, then pour it gently back into the bottle with the aid of a metal nonreactive funnel. This aerates the wine and allows it to open up faster. And the wine was served at 63F, so the higher alcohol level (slightly above 15%) didn't detract from the meal by feeling too "hot." The Charbono is very intriguing and more like a Pinot Noir in texture than a classical Italian red, while the Carignane is earthy, brambly, and dark berry with a hint of plums and violet. Each wine is made well with great attention to detail, but they also are meant for sharing around the dinner table with friends and family, not showcased at a status-seeking event or cellared for years before being drinkable. Prices are around $15-40 per bottle, with discounts for club members and case buys. Calpella itself is not classical wine country, more of a working class, rural outpost a short drive from Ukiah, and this makes a stop here quite different than tasting in a place like Healdsburg or Saint Helena. The Testa estate, however, is pure wine country pretty with an attractive irrigation pond, soaring redwood trees, vine-covered hills, and lots of heritage items scattered about like something out a Sundance catalogue photo shoot, part museum, part family compound, part wine tasting and wedding event venue. I've driven past Testa too many times to recall on the 101 bound for better known wine destinations in Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, Napa, or Oregon, but it's nice now to have a reason to slow down, exit the freeway, and enjoy the fruits of the vine in a casual, laid back setting where I'm sure to taste something to my liking. Check it out for yourselves and see if you don't agree. At $5 for 5-7 generous pours of well made wines, it's most definitely a risk worth taking! read more

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I have known Maria for nearly 20 years, I'm so thrilled she is jumping into Testa with both feet and providing not just a family winery experience but sharing her special venue with Mendocino County. What a treasure.. Easily accessible, reasonably priced, breath taking views and all, next door. Last week, I decided last minute about hosting BUNKO at Testa right on the pond. An easy solution to accommodate my 11 girlfriends, no driving through Brooktrails, (aka-getting lost). In Addition, I didn't even have to clean my house. (Extra bonus). I sent Maria a FB message (the era of technology), she gave me both prices for wine club members (weekdays) and non-club members. The date was free and I began plotting bunko. I showed up a few minutes early to (become a wine member, purchase a few bottles of wine and set up my bunko evening). I wasn't disappointed, the weather was perfect, the sun was setting, the tables were ready, the food was displayed and my girlfriends loved every minute of it. Now I'm trying to figure out what can I host next? Bunko was great evening with friends and a pre-birthday treat to myself. The whole evening only set me back, $150.00 wine/venue, $100.00 food/non wine beverages, $100.00 prizes and $50.00 decorations... =$400.00 - $120.00 players fee = $280.00 (that breaks down to $23.33 per person), where can you go out for $24 for a whole evening of fun??? Thanks Maria for having us. read more

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While searching for a winery in Ukiah, my wife and I have found this amazing family-owned vineyard. The grounds are beautiful, with a lot of flowers and a pond as background. The staff was pleasant and knowledgeable. We had two bottles of their excellent Cabernet and bought another two bottles for our home. Hands down, the best winery in Ukiah! We can't wait to get back there! read more

This is a beautiful peaceful setting for socially distant wine tasting. Tables are 6 feet apart and employees are masked. We opted for the $15 per person family style wine tasting. We started with "the white" and finished with "the black", a mix of reds. We selected 3 other wines from their award winning selection. "The hire" paired perfectly with the crab cakes, hummus and vegetables we brought with us. We bought "the black" to go with dinner. We stayed on site in our camper van as part of the "harvest home " program. read more

Testa Vineyards - So peaceful, so beautiful... view from patio - Wineries Near Me - Calpella, California

First visit WOW! So peaceful and full of flavors! You need to visit. They bottle their own juice. Very calming grounds. White and Black wines; all blends. All tasty! Carly is very knowledgable and just plain nice! read more

When in Mendocino County this is a great place to stop by. If food is more your thing then I recommend coming during the mushroom season. #MoneyMikeChallenge read more

Really beautiful setting overlooking the lake and located outside. I really thought the white wine they were pouring which is a white blend was fabulous! It had several whites mixed! Delish!#testa white wine read more

Beautiful rustic winery with unique wines. Peaceful and serene with a pond and indoor and outdoor tasting areas. Highly recommend!

Yesterday we visited Testa for the first time and I hope that there will be many more visits there. More than a tasting room, we were greeted by a family member sharing the six generation heritage and introducing us to other family members when we showed interest. The grounds were loaded with historical family artifacts and some restored. The people and place were beautiful...then came the vino! I don't have any photos to add, just warm remembrances. read more

We randomly found this little gem. This place was great! Not only was the property beautiful and had a country-feel, but the owners went above and beyond. They were amazing hosts. They even offered us lunch (food is not served here). To make things even better, the wine was delicious. Testa isn't full of visitors, which is ideal if you want a more intimate wine tasting. read more

This is a great winery! It has the best view over their private pond! Great wines and great people! So many fun events. They also have a house to rent if you want to visit the area. So quaint, very cute! read more

The grounds and atmosphere of Testa Vineyards are wonderful! It is a beautiful setting and has an authenticity that comes with being family run for four generations. There are so many wineries that feel like they were designed by a team that makes upscale shopping malls somewhere in southern California.... Testa gives the opposite feeling - you can tell it is genuine and the feeling is totally charming. Plus their wine is delicious! The lovely setting wouldn't mean much if the wine was not great, but it is great. Well worth a stop if you are in the area. Its even worth going out of your way. I expect my route to Mendocino will change now that I have discovered Testa :) I usually take the 101 to the 128 to the 1, but from now on I will take the extra ~25 miles to take the 101 to the 20 to the 1 so I can go past Testa. read more

Testa Vineyards is a hidden gem in Mendocino. The grounds are stunning with the pond and rainbow of flowers. Three friends and I had a lovely time sitting outside and tasting the Testa wines. We especially loved the rosé and bought a bottle to take home! Reasonably priced too. read more

Beautiful country and spot in Calpella and Katie was very welcoming and knowledgeable about the wines. Great spot! read more

Testa Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Calpella, California

An amazingly beautiful place with exceptional wines! Bottles to perfection no doubt by a highly skilled professionals. This is a must visit and tasting of Northern California wines! read more

Beautiful property and wonderful people! Really interesting blends. The Coro is a must try for the area!

A beautiful winery tucked away rolling hills of Calpella. The family wines are made with love and there's a nostalgic feel to this place. Always a pleasant visit and love hearing the history surrounding the 100 year old vines. Welcoming tasting room and you never feel rushed you can park it there with a great picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery !! Great place to stay on the property as well read more

I cannot rave enough about this venue! My husband and I got married here August 2012 and the grounds provided such a lovely, intimate, and unforgettable place for our wedding! When we were searching for a venue, we fell in love with the grounds, especially the rustic feel that the old barns and vintage tractors created. The setting is gorgeous with vineyards, a beautiful lake, flower garden,a rustic and wooden arbor with a bell, and fountain, wowing our guests. We were so inspired by the place that we decided to have a 1920's style wedding and the owners Maria and Rusty even brought out a Model-A car for us to add to our theme. This backdrop really made our wedding as amazing as it was, but what made this venue exceptional was how personable, warm, incredibly accommodating, and extremely flexible Maria and Rusty were! I had researched other venues before checking out this family-owned place and I was really turned-off by all the fees, the very limited time-frame (some only allowed 3 hours!), rigidity, commercialism (some booked more than one wedding), sound regulations, and high cost, ect. When we met with Rusty and Maria for the first time, we didn't feel like just another dollar sign. Actually, they had the best deal we found for all they had to offer; while most places give you the venue for 3-5 hours, Maria and Rusty offered their place for Friday thru Sunday, so we had ample time to set up and enjoy their beautiful property. Not only that, but their exceptional price included the use of the Testa House (on the property) for the three days. This home was built in the early 1900's and the furniture and decor match the feel of that era. It was sooooo comfortable, cozy, and such a treat to stay there! They even added a special touch of fresh flowers and two complimentary bottles of their excellent wine. Me and the girls also had a perfect place to get ready the day of and were just a few steps away from the isle! Maria and Rusty were also available at anytime months and weeks before our wedding and on the day off (really helpful as we planned our wedding long-distance from Hawaii). They even shuttled our guests the short distance from the parking area down the hill to the ceremony/reception area. They also didn't have much of a time or noise restriction and we were all able to boogie until 11ish. Oh, and they also offer catering! They catered our rehearsal dinner on the property and did such a great job with presentation and had delicious food! Like I said, I can't rave enough. They definitely seemed to whole-heartedly want our wedding to be the perfect day we envisioned and found unending ways to help us pull it off. We look forward to going back and renting their cute house for one of our many upcoming anniversaries!!!! read more

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I'm very glad we found this place, Maria was very friendly and we had a great time tasting the wines. We especially liked both the white and black blends as well as the Charbono. What a beautiful atmosphere! read more

This place is really neat with an amazing family history. A hidden gem. The service was super friendly and the wines are delicious!

My family had a wonderful time with our third visit to Testa located about an hour from Fort Bragg/Pacific Coast. They are always very welcoming and it's great that they have toys to keep our toddler's interest. The view of the small lake on the property is beautiful. We've been lucky enough to catch them crushing on one visit and enjoyed a sampling of soup during a winter visit. Our favorite bottles are the CORO Mendocino Blend, the Testa Black, and the Charbono. Angie that helped us during our last two visits is delight. She was a wonderful hostess and made my family feel extremely welcome each time we visited. Looking forward to another stop at Testa for the pretty views, wonderful service, and great wines. read more

Testa's wines are excellent. The reds really shine thru. But i have never been a freind of whites

I went to Testa Vineyards for a friends Birthday. The setting is beautiful. A great time was had by all.

My boyfriend has been coming here for years, and when he told me about this place, I had to come! It did NOT disappoint. Angie was amazing. She was super knowledgeable, sweet, and extremely personable. I'm more of a deep red wine drinker, but their Rosé was epic! We bought 4 bottles of Rosé and 9 bottles of their Black! DEF try them both! read more

Wonderful feel to the winery and tasting room. It was closed for a private party so we missed the tasting. Nice pond with bass fishing for club members I heard. Next time. read more

This place was gorgeous and the wine wasn't so bad either. ;) we were welcome by sweet doggies, the staff was super nice and we were able to enjoy our wine on the porch overlooking spectacular views. Worth a stop for sure! read more

Gorgeous setting!!!! If your looking to have a fun day and taste, this awesome family owned vineyard is so fun for fiends. The views of the pond and the vineyard are almost as good as the wine! Alisha was fun, attentive, and beautiful! I recommend to anyone looking to have a fun day with wine, with or without kids! read more

Great wine great atmosphere. Very beautiful backdrop for wine tasting. The lady working there was very sweet and gave us recommendations for food that were spot on. Met some very nice people there that made the experience even better. read more

My favorite winery in Mendocino County. The atmosphere and scenery can't be beat -- very picturesque. All of their wines are great but do try the Charbono, you won't be disappointed. read more

This is the best winery in the Redwood Valley/Calpella area. All local fruit, very friendly wine maker, and I had to join the wine club.

A great find in Ukiah! The tasting room is cute and rustic, right next to a man made lake. The woman at the bar told us about how historic the property is and that the family has been making wine for generations. They have a wide variety of wines, which are excellent. We ended up buying a bottle of Petite Sirah and enjoyed it greatly later. read more

My wife and I were on our way back to the bay area un late summer and stopped in Ukiah to look at antiques and taste some wine. I don't remember why we ended up at Testa at the end of the day, but it was a great move. We tasted the wine then my wife took a little nap by the pond at the edge of the vineyard and Maria told me to help myself to anything that I had liked. We got to talking and felt like we had found people "real" and passionate about wine. A family that had roots there and was determined to carry on traditions while also looking to the future. We joined their wine club and are looking forward to our next trip up. The tasting is unpretentious, in a lovely settling away from the bustle of everything - close to the freeway but a world away,. read more

Testa Vineyards is a boutique winery with such a great family story and great wines to pair with it! Open Fri/Sat/Sun 12-5 this makes for the perfect weekend stop. Outdoor tasting overlooks their pond and vineyards that will take your breath away. The Charbono (one of my favorite new varietals) is beautiful, with soft tannins, raspberry hints, and on the semi-sweet side. New to their tasting menu is a fantastic blend of Old Vine Zinfandel, Carignane, Charbono and Petite Sirah. What a grand entrance into the CORO collaborative. Maria is one of the kindest souls you will meet so do not over look this winery! read more

If you want a taste of local wines and real a Mendo experience go try a glass of Testa wine. Maria and Co. won't dissapoint