A Hidden Gem in the Redwoods…read more Charmant Vineyards truly has the whole package: exceptional wine, warm hospitality, breathtaking scenery, and a relaxed atmosphere that keeps us coming back. Open until 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, it's the perfect place to spend a leisurely afternoon or begin a beautiful evening near the coast. The vineyard feels wonderfully secluded among the redwoods, yet it's still easily accessible from the main roads. The views overlooking the vines are incredible, and every visit brings a little magic--we regularly see wild turkeys, have occasionally spotted deer, and always enjoy the fantastic birdwatching. Guests are welcomed with a complimentary glass of bubbly, which immediately makes the experience feel special. Wine is available by the glass or bottle, and the winery is both pet-friendly and picnic-friendly. You can quietly relax and take in the scenery, or enjoy a wonderful conversation with the friendly South African winemakers and fellow wine-club members. There is a genuine sense of community here. If you prefer to sit indoors, the intimate wine room is equally unique. You can enjoy your wine surrounded by the barrels where it is actually made, creating an authentic winery experience. One of our favorite ways to end the day is to head straight down the hill to Rio Del Mar Beach and watch the sunset. Wonderful wine in the redwoods followed by a sunset at the beach--it doesn't get much better than that. With so many excellent wineries in the area, Charmant Vineyards remains the one we return to again and again. We come for the wine, the people, and the scenery. An unforgettable five-out-of-five experience and an absolute must-visit!

Charmant Vineyards is a hidden gem in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. Beautiful ocean views, amazing…read moresmall-lot wines (the Pinot Noir is a standout), and the friendliest owners you'll ever meet. Boutique, relaxed, and unforgettable -- skip the crowds and savor the coastal vibe here!

Came here on what was unfortunately their last day at this location. The entire property has been…read moresold and is going to be bulldozed, but luckily they are already on the hunt for a new home! I won't touch on the location much since that won't matter going forward, but the tasting room was cute, quaint, and rustic, hoping those vibes transfer over to the new space! I got a tasting and my mom a glass of wine. The tasting consisted of 5 wines when I was in, a white, rosé, and three reds. I enjoyed most of the wines and ended up taking home a bottle of the rosé. If I didn't already have so much at home, I would've gotten some of the other bottles too. Service was very welcoming and friendly, creating a a great environment for tasting.

Very comfortable place to be, I tasted 6 different wines and four of them were my favorites. Place…read moreis nice and super clean, I always keep on aye on the hygiene. They have live music and is supper comfortable. Service is very kind. They have events with a painter to come and paint while we taste wine . Love it I will be coming soon for painting and wine soon this summer

My review is not about the wine- full disclosure because when I took the 30 minute drive up the…read morewinding road (beautiful drive by the way) it was closed but looked more deserted. I should have taken a picture to post. The worse part than being closed is I was meeting a girlfriend there and we were both very excited to try the wine and catch some hill top sun rays. When we arrived we were confused as there are no signs open or closed but the environment kind of spoke for itself, clearly no upkeep on the grounds, overgrown weeds and not watered potted plants, debris everywhere. Outdoor patio furniture was dirty/dusty it just looked like no one had been there for a few months If this business is not permanently closed please advice. The place was closed June 8th, 2019 at 12:15pm, it would be extremely helpful to update your hours online seeing as to how the drive is not the most convenient for everybody.

We like to explore the wine growing areas around the Bay Area and the Santa Cruz mountains is a…read morefavorite area with many wineries beautifully tucked away in remote areas of the region. We picked up a flyer at one winery and it directed us to Poetic Cellars which is really tucked away on Soquel Road. It is unlikely you stumble across this winery, it is in the middle of nowhere. The winery is new, Katie the wine maker and owner is usually pouring the wine herself, there is usually a food pairing table to enjoy along with some interesting "artsy" stuff. The dogs Goldie and Whitie are on site to greet you and your dog is welcome as well. The vibe is warm and friendly, the wines are so good I joined their wine club.

Came to Martin Ranch on a Sunday in September. It was a gorgeous day and there were a number of…read moreother parties there, but it wasn't too crowded. They have a couple different areas to sit and a dedicated tasting bar. The property was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by vineyards and with a small pond. I wished we had explored more, because you can roam around a good portion of it. You can bring your own food, which we did, but they also sell snacks. And they even sell beer for the non-wine drinkers. The tasting menu had 4 wines, though there were plenty of extra open bottles, so we were able to try a few more.

My mom has been a member here for sometime. I truly enjoy coming here to taste and pick up wines…read morebefore heading out. They tend to have case specials and they are such great deals. This time I got the Malbec 1/2 case special, last summer I got the 1/2 Viognier special. The way The Martins make their wine is just perfection! I look forward to my visit here when I get to come to Cali. The ambience is chill country outdoor setting with great vineyard views. They even have a cute pond up top you can walk to. They are great with bringing you your tastings to the tables if they see you are ready for the next wine. Such great service.

DeRose Winery and Wines(Alejandro is an excellent vintner)are always a celebration. Nicholas…read moreelevated our DeRose experience as the amazing host. Nicholas made us feel welcome and valued as long time club members. It was wonderful to taste inside. Loved the DeRose History - Nicholas is knowledgeable and very personable. DeRose is a Cienega Valley Gem!

The legendary DeRose Winery…read more.. It's all about the Cab Franc! I believe the Cab Franc is what they are known for... and for good reason. The Cab Franc is one of the best I had! The only other local domestic rival I know off that is near as good hails from 3 Steves Winery in Livermore, and they get the grapes form DeRose! So, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of the Cab Franc. You won't regret it. The Cab Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc, not blended. The Vines are pruned in the winter, the Grapes are exposed to sunlight with careful leaf removal and the Clusters are thinned after veraison. Common tasting notes are Berries , dark Stone Fruit, a dash of pepper a subtle hint of roses. Can you tell I like is wine? The vineyard is located on both sides of the San Andreas Fault and wines are part of the old Vaché planting method. DeRose wines are also organically farmed, just not not certified. Oh, can't forget the dry farming as well. The Winery is in the middle of nowhere... It's a journey onto itself to get here. There isn't much else around. There is another winery down the road, but that's about it. Don't be scared to make the trip. They recently opened a Tasting room in San Martin. Can't wait to stop by and do some wine tasting there...

LOVE this place!! The winemaker, JP, is one of the most…read moreinteresting people you will ever come accross. He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about wine making.. and will sometimes dive far back into the winery to get something particular that he knows will just be perfect at that moment. His wife, Kris, is a fantastic cook, and everything is fresh from their gorgeous organic garden. They are both quite the world travellers/adventurers and they love to share stories and personal experiences. Another cool thing is that you can see the San Andreas fault from the property. Off the beaten path, but we'll worth it. I highly recommend.

River Run Vintners offers a terrific variety of red and white wines. We visit the winery twice a…read moreyear when they are open for tasting -- usually in May or June, and November. The prices are $15-20/bottle (much lower than the $50 online) and discounts are offered for one or more cases, including mixed cases. It is always great to talk with the owner/winemaker, J. P. Pawloski, about his wines. Definitely recommend River Run.

I've been trying to get my hands on some great McHenry Pinot Noir for months now and K&L has been…read moreout of stock since my last visit in October. Fortunately the Santa Cruz mountain wineries open with Passport season, but only 4x per year. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to get my hands on a few bottles of the good stuff. My girlfriend and I made a day trip of it with a stop in Half Moon Bay along the way. The roads are a bit windy and the recent storms left quite a bit of debris in its wake, but it turned out to be an amazing drive to the Santa Cruz mountains along Highway 1. When we arrived, we were greeted by the McHenry family proprietors and offered a tasting of some lovely vintages including the 2012 and 2013 Estate and Swan Clones, and the 2009 Estate (the smokiness which reminded me of bacon). They were even kind enough to open a bottle of 1996 Massaro which was described to me as having a "barnyard" odor. Upon first sip, the barnyard really kicks you in the face, but after letting it breathe a bit, it definitely started to grow on me. I ultimately left with a bottle each of the 2012 and 2013 Swan Clones that I think will be really great with the steak I'm making next week, but I was really impressed with the Pinot selection and the hospitality of the hosts. I highly recommend taking a trip out to visit McHenry Vineyard during the next Passport opportunity!

Fabulous! We came here not knowing what to expect and we found a charming wine maker and some…read moreinteresting wines. We tried 2002 Pinot Noir which was musty but still fruity, 2004 Pinot Noir Swan Clone was musty, 2004 Pinot Noir was light and yummy, 1996 Pinot Noir Carneros was a little more sparkly and a little musty, 2001 Scotts Valley was sparkly and light, and 1999 Pinot Noir Carneros was fizzy, balanced, fruity, with a little tannin. We loved everything about McHenry!

Larry is awesome. We've pulled up out front and I knew that we were looking at the cider bar…read morebecause it was the first one we came to and it didn't have beer signs all over it. It is sharing a space with a brewery and I recommend you see both of your best worlds, but my family and I are cider heads. And we totally like the fact that they decorated for Halloween with properly placed skeletons in the room we enjoyed taking pictures with them. As you walk through the entrance, the first thing you smell is popcorn. They have a popcorn machine there and let the guests have free popcorn if they like. Everyone of my family loves popcorn. The thing I thought was really great is we could bring our dog in and they're very dog friendly. We have a nice sweet little dog. We knew there wouldn't be any problems with guests. They were tasting eight ciders that day. So we ordered a flight of eight so we could taste all their varietals on sample. I tried the wooden tooth special and the sweet tooth and strawberry and oh snap and Newtown Pippin and don't make me blush and pretty in pink and tropical burn. My personal faves were the first two and I also liked the don't make me blush. I was so impressed with the cider which I bought two bottles of their Gravenstein, which you cannot get a tasting up because of the supply left is low. I'm really looking forward to tasting those at home. Awesome all around. Now on my radar.

Cute small cider spot next to a brewery with a shared food stall (this time pizza). The cider…read moreselection was much bigger than I've seen and all with interesting flavors! The woman behind the bar was friendly and helpful and it was a calming nice vibe. I really enjoyed the Oh Snap with ginger - definitely would go back !