Stage Left is a tiny winery in an Oakland industrial area that is only open the first Saturday of the month, usually.  While I wouldn’t make this a destination for winery ambiance it is perfect for a quickie day trip and a friendly tasting room.

They do all their harvesting and winemaking by hand and love experimenting. Don’t expect their wines to be predictable. Do expect them to be interesting.

Stage Left's Oakland tasting room. Not much ambiance but friendly.

We were mapping San Francisco East Bay and dropped in for a short visit and tasting. We found the wines to be rich, flavorful, and interesting to explore.  For this blog I brought home a bottle of their 2007 Paso Robles Syrah.

This is a top Syrah. It is an inky rich full-bodied wine that made us smile with delight with every sip. It was soft enough not to bite on the way down but hearty enough for the taste to linger will into the finish.

We intend to go back someday and more fully explore their selection.  We were in a hurry to finish mapping East Bay wineries and had to move right along.

- jim

I’ve tasted at quiet little Vino Tabi a couple of times.  The tasting room is in a working winery in a spiffed up industrial building.  It is in a very nice neighborhood though.  On one side is Bonny Doon Vineyards’ tasting room and restaurant and on the other are Sones and Santa Cruz Mountains wineries.  Across the drive is Silver Mountain’s tasting room and Pelican Ranch.

Vino Tabi's winery in Santa Cruz, California

We just finished a bottle of their 2007 Syrah. It and their other wines are hardy fruit-forward treats that are interesting to explore and the finish sticks around on your palate.  The grapes are sourced on the Central Coast, not the Santa Cruz Mountains.

There is a $5 tasting fee refundable with purchase and wine prices range from $22 to $25 with one Pinot at $39.  They offer Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Bordeaux blend.

The tasting room has winery ambiance, yes, all that equipment and barrels, with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

The surrounding area has 8 wineries within walking distance with 6 within steps of Vino Tabi in north Santa Cruz.  There are nearby motels for your recovery. 

- jim

Chuck Meeker’s tasting room is in little Geyserville in California’s Alexander Valley. Geyserville is one of our favorite wine country hangouts but avoid the place at night if you want action. In the evening it is a place for quiet conversations with the local winery folks at the restaurants and that is about it.

However, during the day the little agriculture town is booming with several quality restaurants, four tasting rooms, and now art galleries. One of those tasting rooms is in an old bank building and that be Meeker.

Meeker doesn’t make soft wines with taste that disappears when you swallow. His Syrah is a fine example. It doesn’t burn going down but it is robust, fruity, lots of nose, and a delight to drink if you really want to taste wine. We found it much more interesting than most of the Syrah we drink.

Now back to the tasting room. They retained the bank’s caged off interior and vault. Of course they still have the vault. They would have to blow up Geyserville to remove it. Anyway, Meeker’s “hand painted” bottles are a treat in vintner art and decorate the tiny tasting area. The tasting room is also one of the few “party” T/R’s in California.

The tasting room staff is a joyous bunch and it gets infectious. By afternoon the place is packed with tasters and no one is in a hurry to leave. During region events it is packed all day and tasters are having FUN! If Chuck Meeker is pouring then the decibels are ramped up a bit.

While all the other tasting rooms in the beautiful Alexander Valley are wonderful to visit, go to Meekers for a more social experience, and you’ll leave with good wine at a good price.

- jim