We plan to drive up to Napa or Sonoma on a weekday in June for a quick wine-tasting day trip. We haven’t been to the region since 2017 and it seems things have changed a lot since then. Are there still affordable wine tasting experiences available you can recommend? Prefer something in the $20-30 range with a focus on quality reds. We will have 3 kids with us, but we want to avoid any bachelorette party type venues. In the past, we have enjoyed Pride, Frank Family, Mike Smith, Joseph Phelps, Arrowood, Inglenook, Chappellet, Cakebread, and Neal. Thanks!
How old are the kids? That will have a major bearing on your options. Some wineries expressly forbid minors, so make sure to specifically check.
The kids are 8, 8, and 5.
Are you currently White members at any wineries in the area? That will certainly keep your cost down.
Otherwise, are you driven by saving money or visiting certain wineries or having certain experiences? Based on what I’ve seen, the price range in which you want to find tastings will leave you with very limited choices.
Cheers
Hobo is $15/person. No clue on the kids though.
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More than your price range ($50) but refunded with purchase and a great visit is Calluna.
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Unfortunately, we are not members at any wineries in the area.
Basically, we want to find hidden gems that offer quality wines but at a lower price point. Don’t want to sacrifice quality but would be fine with just above-average wines if the experience is outstanding especially for families (nice outdoor space for kids to explore, views, etc.). What do we get if we increase our budget to $40ish?
A little more commercial but nice views and decent wine is Iron Horse at $35/person.
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Not sure about this one, I haven’t had a wine from then in well over a decade. Liked the wines back then. Website indicates there are horses and cars on site, which is noted in reviews on Yelp. Cost should be in your range.
Tastings from $25. Kids welcome. Fire fighter theme. But I wasn’t a fan of the wines. Haven’t tried in nine years so maybe better now.
If it helps, we also really enjoy visiting up and coming wineries where they may not necessarily have a tasting room yet. I remember we had a tasting with Ryan at Paix Sur Terre many, many years ago when he was new and before he had his current property. We don’t mind having to make an appointment to meet these up and coming winemakers, learn about their style and approach, before they go mass market and start commanding much higher price points. Another memorable experience was when we tasted with Mike Smith back in 2014.
Bedrock is $45 waived with a 3-bottle purchase, and they have some ~$25 bottles for sale in the tasting room that make hitting that purchase number pretty easy. It’s right in the heart of Sonoma, and a great experience. (I don’t have any Napa suggestions, as I don’t taste at places where I am not a member, since the fees are typically steep.)
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Keenan on spring mountain has a pretty reasonable fee and it does get waived with purchase. Elyse in Yountville also comes to mind, should be relatively kid friendly and has outdoor seating last time I was there.
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Form what I’ve read the average tasting fee in Napa is over $70. You can save money by sharing tastings. We last went in 2018 and probably won’t ever return to Napa for that reason.
Sonoma is a little better.
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In Napa, I would recommend Vincent Arroyo. In Sonoma, I would look at Dry Creek Valley.
We have a flight for $65 and one for $45 and waive based on purchasing. For Berserkers we discount $20 on your choice of flight. We allow children but ask parents to make sure they do not disturb others.
Licenses for Napa wineries are tied to a certain number of allowable visitors, so many wineries will not allow children or non-drinkers as they count toward that total (or they charge a fee for them).
Here’s additional info for what we offer - Karen
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Sunce Winery tasting fee is $25.00 and the tasting sheet says taste 7 wines but a friend took me there recently. They had at least 15 wines open and you could taste them all if you wanted.
See something on the menu that’s not open, they will open it for you.
After tasting I was encouraged to taste barrel samples, lot’s of them! Finally the tasting fee was waived with a purchase.
A true old fashioned winery-tasting room!
Here is the tasting menu, will make your head spin.
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Trentadue has an attractive tasting area and a tasting of very good estate wines is in your range.
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Second for Vincent Arroyo — great visit last August as our only Napa stop.
Porter Creek fits pretty well on the Sonoma side. I think it’s just about as good as it gets
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Based on personal experience, Matrix in Sonoma, Frogs Leap in Napa, and Scribe in Carneros (Knoll especially) are family friendly. Matrix might be only one quite at this price point though.