Suggested wine tasting and winery picnic day trip routes by region:
We selected these tasting rooms to give you varied experiences and to move you around the region to get an overview of the terrain and what is available to explore in the future. Next to each winery we list what is special about it. There are many wonderful wineries in each region and you can't visit them all in a day or two.
Most people can survive 3 to 4 winery visits a day but it is important to take a long and leisurely lunch in the middle. Use a designated driver, a bus or limo service, or the driver should spit the wine while tasting.
Step 1 - Click on a region link below to open the map.
Step 2 - Uncheck all the map markers by unchecking the top label on the right sidebar.
Step 3 - Now check the label for each winery suggested in your selected region below.
California Wine Regions:
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
- Fieldstone - Architecture, picnic sites. Unique under-the-hill architecture, some of our favorite reds, always friendly and interested in you, a nice picnic environment under the oaks. Get relaxed here. For decades this has been one of our favorite wineries and picnic sites.
- Hanna - View. A pleasant 360 degree view of the lower Alexander Valley.
- White Oak - Architecture, landscaping, picnic sites. Tuscan charm, beautiful landscaping, a wine country fantasy come true.
- Meeker - Experience. Nestled in downtown Geyserville and always a good time. We recommend this tasting room as the last stop of the day. You'll have to figure out why because we aren't going to publish it. Dangerously good wines and sometimes just dangerous :-)
Amador County, Sierra Foothills
- Pick up your picnic supplies in Plymouth before heading out on the wine trail.
- Youngs - Winery barn ambiance, landscaping, cabin cruiser, picnic site.
- Toscano - Architecture, landscaping, gift shop. Beautiful, stunning interior, relax by the pond.
- Story - Remote mountain winery with a great view, picnic on deck, landscaping, character. Picnic here on the deck with a few of the river canyon and the Sierra Foothills.
- C.G. di Arie - Landscaping and pond, picnic area.
Carneros, Napa and Sonoma Counties just north of San Francisco Bay
- Viansa - Architecture, interior, landscaping, view.
- Gloria Ferrer - Campaign tastings, architecture, view. Try the sparkling wine flight on the deck for pure luxury.
- Larson Family - Ranch setting with animals, family operated. Tasting in the old barn. Creek side setting.
- Buena Vista - Architecture, history, interior ambiance, picnic sites. California's oldest operating winery.
Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
- Ferrari Carrano - Architecture, landscaping, interior ambiance. Outstanding gardens and cozy below ground tasting rooms - the queen of the valley.
- Bella - Cave tasting, picnic site, view.
- Preston - Organic farm and winery, picnic site.
- Yoakim Bridge - Interior, creekside setting, picnic site. Intimate and cozy interior in a tiny tasting room under oaks.
El Dorado County, Placerville area
- Boeger - Close to Placerville in a beautiful mountain setting and excellent picnic area next to a creek and pond.
- Toogood - Cave, landscaping. Tasting room in a cave and a waterfall wall entrance make this winery a treat.
- Winery By The Creek - Cafe, architecture. Taste in the barrel room of a unique building. The only food available in the area is at the cafe.
- Windwalker - Interior, picnic site, gift shop. Beautiful Frenchy interior with a large deck and picnic tables in a remote setting.
Gilroy, Santa Clara Valley and County
- Guglielmo - Cozy tasting room, very friendly staff, large wine selection. This old Italian winery has very nice ambiance and architecture. The tasting room and staff are warm and inviting.
- Thomas Kruse - Working winery ambiance, Tom's vineyard tours. Try to get there when Tom is available and request a little vineyard tour. Tom loves to explain the wine making process from the vine to the bottle. He gives his guests a quality experience. Also available are opportunities to pick grapes and self-bottle his wine. BBQ's are frequent.
- Solis - One of the best winery picnic sites in the area. Taste and eat in the beautiful setting.
- Chateau La Chance - Architecture and landscaping, picnic site. This winery is the queen of the Gilroy area. The Tuscan architecture and interior ambiance is on par with some of the finest in the more popular wine regions.
Livermore, Alameda County
- Concannon - Architecture, history. This is the oldest winery in the area with a new monumental building.
- Tesla - Interior, gift shop. Romantic interior design, intimate and interesting.
- Bent Creek - Setting, picnic site. Intimate tasting room in a remote and beautiful setting.
- Les Chenes - Working winery tasting room, family operated. Friendly and rather French.
Lodi, Central Valley
- Michael David - Farm with animals to pet, cafe, picnic site.
- Jessies Grove - Setting, tortoise. A romantic ranch setting with one of California's two winery tortoises.
- Harmony - Landscaping, music theme, picnic site. Beautiful gardens.
- Berghold - Architecture, interior, landscaping. Monumental interiors and beautiful inside and out.
- Maple Creek - Setting, interior ambiance, picnic site. A rustic mountain winery in a beautiful wooded setting.
- Goldeneye - Landscaping, views, picnic sites. A variety of picnic sites to enjoy their wine in lush gardens with views.
- Standish - Architecture. Taste in the upstairs room in an old hops building. Quaint and rustic.
- Husch - Setting, architecture, interior ambiance, picnic site. Taste in a quaint little cabin in a ranch setting.
- Chateau Julien - Architecture, interior, picnic site. Beautiful chateau inside and out.
- Heller Estate - Organic, landscaping, picnic site. Enjoy organic wines with landscape art.
- Georis - Landscaping, picnic site. This is one of the finest winery picnic sites in California!
- Chateau Sinnet - Interior, indoor picnic site. Artsy and colorful interior for a picnic on a cold day.
Murphys, Calaveras County, Sierra Foothills - there are many interesting tasting rooms in Murphys which we do not have mapped yet.
- Twisted Oak - Landscape humor, view. Haven't seen the rubber chicken national forest yet? It's just part of the twisted humor theme.
- Ironstone - Architecture, landscaping, picnic sites. Stunning picnic grounds with a lake, creek, forest, and even marble top picnic tables. Historical museum onsite. Deli available and no food from off the premises.
- Indian Rock - Interior, picnic site, landscaping. A large pond and creek dominate the landscaping. Interior is quaint and cozy.
- Vina Moda - Interior. Rustic and cozy with a barrel room view. Great personality!
- The Hess Collection - Architecture, interior, history, art. The old Christian Brothers winery is worth the beautiful mountain drive.
- Trefethen - Architecture, interior, landscaping. Rumor has it that if you drink enough wine you can pronounce the name of the winery. A beautiful place with an old world winery ambiance.
- Signorello - Architecture, landscaping, picnic site, view. Picnic by the pool and fountain with a great lower Napa Valley view.
- Darioush - Architecture, interior, picnic site. Wow!
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County
- Martin Weyrich - Architecture and interior design, gift shop. Feel the ambiance of Tuscany.
- Robert Hall or Vina Robles - Monumental architecture. They both have incredible architecture, pick one.
- Stop in Paso Robles and buy your picnic lunch.
- Castoro - Architecture, landscaping, and several wonderful picnic areas. Try to get the romantic table for two on the little deck next to the vineyard, or under the arbor!
- Lone Madrone - Gardens, farm animals, quaint architecture, great picnic site.
Russian River, Sonoma County
- Russian Hill - View! A friendly tasting room, large deck with tables for picnicking, and a wonderful view.
- Hook & Ladder - Small family-owned working winery with tasting in the barrel room.
- Lynmar - Beautiful post-modern architecture, fine picnic grounds and landscaping, friendly tasting bar with comfortable seating.
- Arista - Landscaping, picnic sites. Wonderful picnic sites among the oaks, boulders, ponds and a little creek. You will want this landscaping at home. We rate this a Gold Star picnic site!
San Luis Obispo / Edna Valley
- Cerro Caliente - Interior, theme, working winery. Taste in a working winery with a classic car theme. The tasting room is in a former auto shop in an industrial park but the ambiance will surprise you. Picnic indoors on a cold day.
- Baileyana - Architecture, interior, view. Beautiful renovation of an old schoolhouse.
- Edna Valley - Interior, gift shop, picnic site. View bar with a great view of the valley.
- Tolosa - Architecture, interior, picnic site. Fine post-modern and interesting tasting room. Nice covered picnic patio with waterfall feature.
Santa Barbara County / Santa Ynez / Santa Rita Hills / Santa Maria
- Alma Rosa - Architecture, interior, setting, picnic site. Southwest ambiance in a rustic and desert-like setting.
- Sunstone - Architecture, interior, landscaping, picnic site. Old California architecture with a sunny patio picnic area that is often full of picnickers.
- Beckman - Setting, picnic area. Ranch ambiance with picnicking by the pond. Lots of blossoms in the spring.
- Carhartt - Interior, personality. Always a good time in the tiny tasting room. Great place to end the day.
- Testarossa - Architecture, interior, setting. Taste in a cave at an old Catholic seminary.
- Savannah-Chanelle - Architecture, interior, setting, picnic sites. The tasting room is in a charming and rustic old barn. The old house on the hill is worth the walk. Nice view of the Santa Clara Valley and redwoods.
- Cooper-Garrod - Setting, interior. Lots of old photos in the tasting room. The setting is a large horse stable complex in the mountains.
- Picchetti - Architecture, interior, setting, picnic site. Beautiful mountain setting and old ranch architecture.
- Ledson - Architecture, interior. Stunning old world ambiance.
- Chateau St. Jean - Architecture, interior. A beautiful chateau environment.
- Benziger Family - Setting, landscaping, gift shop, picnic area. Wooded mountain setting. Excellent picnic area.
- Imagery - Art, wine education, picnic site. Nicely done art gallery in the tasting room.
- South Coast - Architecture, landscaping, restaurant, gift shop. We suggest breakfast before heading to the tasting room.
- Longshadow Ranch - Quaint winery / ranch with horses.
- Mt. Palomar - Architecture, landscaping, deli, picnic areas. No food from off-site so buy your lunch here and enjoy the many different picnic sites on the property.
- Palumbo Family - Quaint family winery with an intimate tasting room.
