Tell me about your local wineries

Have you ever toured a local winery? Did you find anything that non-local people would enjoy? I'd love to order some bottles from vintners I may otherwise never encounter.

I've been getting more and more interested in wine, and last summer, I checked out a couple of local winemakers.

The first was Winehaven; we stopped in on a rainy afternoon and were the only ones there. It was a delightful visit -- we tasted all their reds and a couple of fruit wines. Went home with a bottle of raspberry wine and several bottles of Marechal Foch. Most of their reds were too sweet for my taste, but the this one was delicious.

A few weeks later, we visited Alexis Bailly. We did the full tasting, with all of their whites and reds. Our favorites were the Frontenac (a red made with a grape developed at the University of Minnesota) and the Voyageur. The Voyageur in particular is FANTASTIC. Complex and rich without being too much, if that makes sense. Highly recommended.

Pardon me while I wipe the tears of laughter from my face. The closest thing to a winery locally is a place that lets you make your own wine on the premises. I can't wait to move the PNW, where Oregon wines rule.

I live about an hour north of Temecula, which is an area of excellent wines and lots (20) of wineries to visit. Callaway is quite nice, as is Bella Vista (which used to be the Cilurzo family vineyard)(the scion of which is the head brewer for Russian River Brewing).

I like the Ruby Lady from Spurgeon Vineyards. It's sweet, nice for summer.

I will admit that I am in no way shape or form an oenophile. I drink something, and if I like it, I like it. I try not to think about it past that.

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Originally posted by Beadalin

Have you ever toured a local winery? Did you find anything that non-local people would enjoy?

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The Silicon Valley area is beset with an embarassment of oenological riches. For instance, David Bruce turns out stupendous Pinot Noirs. The real corker, though, is Thomas Fogarty Vineyards of Woodside. Their dry Alsatian style gewürztraminer has taken gold in the Orange County tasting (one of America's most prestigious), some four or five years running. It has also taken double gold in the SF Wine Competition. They also grow some obscure varietals and even contract Napa grapes for their incredible reds. The Napa reds are monster wines that can be laid down for decades.

Drop by their location in the Santa Cruz mountains and pay the tasting fee. Rick Davis, the tasting room manager will guide you through a half-dozen of their fabulous vintages. Order pretty much anything you like from them online. It's hard to go wrong.

I've been to (or tried product from) about half of these and there's been nothing I couldn't recommend.

The best known brands - Church Road, Mission Estate, Craggy Range, Sileni, Sacred Hill

My favourites, Black Barn, Ngatarawa,Ash Ridge - There was a Stoney Creek, but I think they got eaten by one of the bigger boys.

Haven't tried the fruit wine but; Prenzels did insanely nice organic vodka and gins. Their wine would probably be of the same quality. Park Estate also does fruit wines which were very nice (and fudge - beautiful fudge).

Advintage may be able to freight out a sample pack or direct you to a local supplier.

A little over an hour west of here, there is the Fork of the Cheat (meaning the Cheat River) winery, in Morgantown, WV. We often stop in when we pass through Morgantown. I'm particularly fond of Airmail Jones, Van Buren, and their Spiced Apple wines.

If you stop in during business hours, they will give you samples of any of the wines they offer. But they also sell liqueurs, and if you sample them, they limit you to three samples. This is because their liqueurs, unlike many on the market, are 70-80 proof; they don't want you driving away from their establishment drunk!