Wine is part of cuisine! The Italian Americans convinced Congress that wine, in Italy, was food! Part of the meal as much as olive oil and garlic. Carol Shelton's "Rendezvous Rose" is a perfect companion for any "rendezvous" but particularly at a table. This Rendezvous Rose is perhaps the best complement to any cuisine whether veggies, meat, poultry, gritty di mare, and even Swordfish! read more

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Amazing place. Nice staff. Carol herself was there pouring wines, showing the barrel room, and signing bottles. All the wines were good. I loved doing a vertical tasting because you can really taste the difference between years. I bought two bottles there, including a 2013 magnum! So happy that we stumbled upon this place! Queen of Zin and Cab she is! read more

1. The wine is quite good and priced affordably. 2. Every time we've visited, the staff have been friendly and helpful. 3. This is not a "Rolling Vineyards and Tuscan Verandas" sort of winery. It's in a light industrial park, which justeans I didn't have a reason to take pictures, which is the least of my concerns when visiting a winery. Overall, a fine place to visit (and a good wine club to belong to). read more

We stopped in here for a quick wine tasting. Abby was our host and gave us some good information about the different wines. We came home with a rose, Wild Thing and a bottle of Coquille. Easy parking, inviting space and reasonable prices. read more

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The place seems in a bit of disarray but she gets to it.. I went in with Mike, friends, Ahmed and Joyce for the tasting. It's a $20 fee or which is skippable as long as your buying. She tasted us on a good variety of wines. The atmosphere didn't help, it's like a fast paced 7-11 store. read more

Contact the winery before your visit; we did and were prepared for the setting and fee (waived with purchase of a bottle). Our server today was Carolyn, and she is engaging. Her knowledge of this winery goes back 8 years, and she is quite the zin fan. We tasted 8 wines, nicely balanced between 3 whites, 1 rose, 4 reds. The last tasting was a late harvest zin sandwiching a cacao nib - very tasty. While the setting is somewhat confining and located at the very back of the commercial business park, you can spend time viewing the awards, photos, merch, etc. The winery appreciates its customers, and welcomes behaved fur pets. Lastly, you will find affordable wines across several varietals, estates and styles. read more

By far the best winery and tasting experience of our trip. The tasting room is small and intimate which suits this winery's scale. Despite the less industrious scale of operations, they had the most to offer in terms of tastings out of the 7 wineries we visited. Our host went out of her way to answer our questions and share all her knowledge. Their bottles are so beautiful it's almost worth buying their wine just for those! Their prices are quite reasonable and their tasting fee is definitely on the lower end, would definitely add this as a stop on your trip! read more

This place is a gem and you will definitely be pleased with just how delicious and satisfying the wines are...did the 8 days of May, Wine Event...May 24th-31st...did the tail end of Friday-Monday. Nice to be getting out and this was the first stop on the agenda. If you are a wine enthusiast you will enjoy every sip of each and every taste you do. Check it out! read more

Her tasting room is adorable and her wines are delicious. There does not seem to be a varietal or blend she cannot perfect. For instance her WildThing Rose made the cover of Wine Spectator magazine. And you can't go wrong with a bottle of Wild Thing Zinfandel, it paid with everything and won't set you back, Safeway actually carries it and can be had for about $15 well spent dollars. read more

Carol Shelton Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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The enthusiasm of the staff is very authentic! Been here 2x for their events with Wine Roads. One for their winter wineland and a recent visit 2017, barrel tasting. As you walk in... You sense the welcome vibe! The first pours are the wines that they are pretty proud of and is very refreshing. She has cute names like Wild Things! The tasting room is fun. Wine barrels stacked high inside a warehouse decorated with white lights and live music too! When they have an event... It's very nice to have the live music. It's like going to a party! Had the opportunity to meet one of their young staff that has been a jack of all trade to her winery. He even has pictures of himself picky the grapes and also dealing with the fermentation process. He was very educational and enthusiastic about her wine. The best part of Carol's wine is the price and taste. All very reasonable... She is amazing. Her wines are amazing! They have won alot of awards, medals, recognition, and you will see this at the entrance of her tasting room. Love visiting this place. Always fun and welcoming. And the wine is really good! read more

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Queen of zin? Well, how about queen of Petite Sirah and a few other things? She personally guided us through a tasting. Some knockouts: her Rendezvous Rose'- the more-than-usual skin contact yields a darker pink color and much more intense aromas. Then there's her Florence Petite Sirah, with a powerful fruity nose and long berry flavors. You've probably already heard about her zins. I'll just agree with all the raves. Go visit. She's an awesome winemaker and a wonderful person! read more

Love their Zins so much, I joined my first Wine Club! South of typical wine country lies this powerhouse Zin maker in an unassuming office park. While the views are lacking, the wines and people are rocking. Carol, winemaking extraordinaire, can often be found interacting with customers. All employees are friendly and helpful. I had an issue with a wine club billing, and Carolyn fixed it immediately. They have frequent events for wine club members; I wish I lived closer! They are very accommodating and let me pick up an order after they were closed. Thank you! This is an authentic wine lovers experience. No pretentious people or settings. Just damn good wine! read more

Carol Shelton Wines - With Carol! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

I've been wine tasting in Napa plenty of times this year already so I figured we'd try out a different area before the year's end. Santa Rosa has surprisingly a few wineries and many are small and intimate, which is a nice change from the large crowded ones you find in Napa. Carol Shelton wines was one of the first we tried and we were pretty happy with our experience here. Super cool lady representing this little establishment. She was very friendly and nice and very knowledgeable about the wines we tried (8 different wines) even though she was new. She let me peek at the back where the wine is made - huge warehouse behind the door was a massive surprise! I bought.a couple of bottles and she gave me a bag in case we bought more wine throughout the day on our wine tasting adventure! read more

Wild Thing! (Zin) Coquille Blanc Love this winery! read more

Tasty wines. Reasonable prices. Industrial park location. Fun staff. Several other wineries in this warehouse location. You could spend several hours tasting at them all. read more

Carol Shelton Wines - Hawaiian luau. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Found this hidden gem tasting room just up the street from Epicenter and stopped in for a quick birthday tasting. It's not meant for large crowds but it's great for 2-4 people. Had a great time chatting with Carolyn who was super funny and knowledgeable about the industry and production on the wines they make. She was nice enough to give us some 2 for 1 tasting cards for other wineries in the area. They also sell some cool upcycled wine bottle art made by locals. We took home a Chardonnay. read more

Five Stars no question. If you are in the area, you must visit Carol Shelton. This is a small winery that is sure to offer you a memorable experience. A Sonoma County hidden gem. You can also pickup her wine at the Bottle Barn. Her Wild Thing Zinfandel is by far my favorite. I picked some up for Christmas dinner one year and it was a hit. Carol is not a newcomer, she has a rich history and professional background that you can learn about when visiting. Its amazing how many Awards she has, once you try some of her wine you will understand and not be disappointed. read more

I had a physical reaction to Carol Shelton's wines. Not that this will (and hopefully not) happen to you, but when I tasted her Wild Thing Zen, I turned to my husband and said, "That made my salivary gland ache!" Hours later I was in the local emergency room, a salivary gland the size of a ping pong ball, being prescribed lemon sour candies to rid myself of a stone. Btw, this was NOT the result of her big, bold, spicy slap yo mamma zins! Carol Shelton was our FIRST stop on our wine vacay in the Healdsburg area and the winery by which all others were judged, unfortunately for them. The zins will put hair on your chest and a ping pong ball in your throat (jk). I love my wines like I love my men, big, bold and spicay, and she delivers. You need an appt when visiting, so we called right out of San Fran on our way over, no problem. Our server was Garrett who was super enthusiastic and generous. We tried like 12 wines and met and talked to Carol and her husband(?) extensively about her vineyards and upcoming varietals (and her dachsunds :). All of her wines are phenomenal, but the zins will make your tongue do flips like a Cirque du Soleil areobat. Amazing. Garrett our server was friendly and enthusiastic. As luck would have it, we came here on our first day AND on our last day to buy more wine, they are THAT good. As we walked in unannounced that last day, just to buy not to try, Garrett came out from the production area and offered us a barrell tasting of a rose. I woulda bought it right then, but it wasn't "ready" yet. Carol Shelton is the embodiment of this region of winemaking. Personal, enthusiastic, highly talented, and SPICY!! read more

This is one of our favorite wineries in Sonoma County. Their Zinfandels are to fantastic. Our favorite is Rocky Reserve from the Rockpile appellation in Sonoma County North of Dry Creek. Nice folks too and the wine is fairly priced at around $30 per bottle. Mary and I have been tasting wine in Sonoma County for over 20 years. We live nearby in the Bennett Valley appellation and are quite familiar with the area. Over the years we've come to appreciate the best of the area and Carol Shelton is in our top of the top list. Their tasting room is in a light industrial park in Santa Rosa, so don't go expecting a pastoral winery set among the vines. You'll need to go to another winery to enjoy your picnic. There are plenty of wineries around with a great view and not so great wine (a few have both - for those, see my other reviews). While I can go on and on about Carol's Zins, her other Reds (she does a Cab and Pinot) are quite lovely too. Her whites are also something special. I highly recommend Carol's wines to folks who like deep, rich, full bodied wines. read more

Started here for the barrel tasting this season of the Sonoma Valleys. It was great. Really friendly and knowledgeable staff. They definitely had their A game for the barrel tasting. This place has converted me into the church of zinfandel and I worship at the alter of Carol Shelton. Enough said. One note. This is all about wine and not about the scene. It resides in a warehouse. So don't go and expect the amazing hillside picturesque views that you think of when you think wine tasting. This seems to be a good place to warm up the pallet for a day of tasting. read more

Delicious wines. More medals and ribbons in the US then anywhere else we have been. I bought the only white whine available. It is creamy and full bodied. It is a blended white but so delicious. read more

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I get that many people want a grand estate wine-tasting experience, and you won't get that in Carol Shelton's industrial park tiny tasting room. What you WILL get is freaking delicious wine at an incredible price point (for Sonoma). This is one of the few wineries I've visited where there wasn't a "meh" wine on the list. Everything we tried (and it seemed like we tried it all) was incredible. Apparently Carol is the most awarded winemaker in America! I believe it. My boyfriend had to talk me out of the wine club since we'd already signed up elsewhere. I still might sign up online...shhhh. Oh, and the service was fantastic. I've heard Carol herself is often here pouring, though we had another delightful lady when we visited. Can't wait to go back. P.S. Carol predominantly makes zin with a few other red bottles and I think one white. read more

Lush zin from the most decorated winemaker in the U.S. She'd never tell you she was of course, since she's just really humble, has a longstanding passion for wine and makes a mean zin. After a couple of decades producing wine for other wineries, Carol's finally put her heart and soul into her own production. And although she's produced both cooler climate varietals as well, zin's her true love. It shows... Make sure to try her 2000 Monga Zin from the Jose Lopez Vineyard in Cucamonga Valley! read more

On a beautiful Saturday in February, I visited a number of wineries in the region - from Sonoma West. Carol Shelton wines, while located in an industrial park was my favorite wine tasting by far - for both the quality of wine, and the pleasant experience. The wines are all made on site - the lovely lady doing the tasting showed me the barrels aging, as well as the tanks where the wine was being made. The Zins are all excellent - and all have a different flavor profile. There was no charge for the tasting - and I tasted a lot of great wines. I highly recommend stopping here - and don't be turned off by the industrial park!! read more

If you love Zinfandel you must try Carol's. She is best known for her Zinfandel of which she has many, but she has so much more. Coquille Blanc is referred to as a white wine for red wine drinkers. I agree. It has more body and depth. One of my favorite is Rocky Reserve Zinfandel from Rockpile appellation. Yummy! You will not find a chateau but you find excellent wine at reasonable prices. Carol Shelton is widely cited as the most awarded winemaker in the United States and has been honored as Winemaker of the Year numerous times. read more

Great wine, loved the woman pouring. We'll be back!

Her "Black Magic" Late Harvest Zinfandel alone is worth 4 stars. So juicy, rich, and sweet! Carol Shelton is known for her Zinfandel's. Her tasting room is located in the industry park in Santa Rosa, which is soon becoming the "wine ghetto." Its really just about the wine here. She is starting to venture off from Zinfandel and producing some Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Again...its all about her dessert wines though. read more

Great wines at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a stop for the wines! The location --in an industrial park--is certainly not scenic, and the shop is small and a bit crowded -- but the wines are really good and the staff is friendly. Come here to buy wines you can afford and that you will love read more

Carol Shelton Wines - This is it! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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No reservations required for small party- Check Amazing wine- Check Knowledgeable host- Check Fun atmosphere- Check Reasonably priced wine- Check Overall, a real hidden gem! I walked away with two bottles :D read more

If you a re a zin fan, this is THE place to go! Carol is the Zin queen. She has made fabulous wines for others and then started her own winery. The 1st time I visited was during harvest several years ago was by recommendation. The tasting room staff had called in sick and Carol greeted me. I was then asked if I would like to view the grapes that had just been harvested, which were still in the bins gathered from the vineyards. We tasted the grapes and then surprised me with a spontaneous barrel tasting, all the while educating me on the art of wine making. Her wines are elegant, well crafted and not your typical big, hit you over the head zins. I have been hooked ever since..You will not be disappointed. read more

Went with my family last weekend for some fantastic wine and great hostess! Thank you Carolyn for a great time! Amazing park where four different winery tasting rooms are located. It's a small industrial business park that you may miss if you don't have a good map! Really great small winery tastes and hospitality! read more

Wine was OK. They had a lot of ribbons and medals to showcase but I still felt the wine was mediocre. Debbie had great customer service though! That was the highlight of our visit. The wine tasting cost was very affordable but the quality was not memorable. read more

Love love love the wine here!!! Visited this winery during barrel tasting weekend and they had by far the best wine we tried all day! We were a big group of nine girls and the staff was very friendly and made sure we all were having a wonderful time! The outside isn't much to look at but they have made the inside beautiful! Do not pass this winery by!! read more

We have been here a few time for different wine road events. Atmosphere is always fun. Wines are good and very affordable. The bottle artwork makes you want to keep the bottle for a flower vase. read more

A hidden jem of a winery in Santa Rosa. When you walk into the winery it's like meeting family. We liked it so much we became wine club members. Looking forward to their release parties. read more

We frequent the Sonoma Valley several times a year. We found Carol Shelton winery a couple years ago & will buy additional cases (can't admit publicly just how many...) throughout the year more from her winery than any other club we belong to. It's just amazing wine at a wonderful price. The friendly service hooked us first & then the wine (ALL OF THE WINE) clinched the deal. I would much rather have a conversation leaning against tanks of wine & hearing how they caress such a wonderful wine out of a little bitty grape than dealing with snobby wine associates while helping to pay for their expensive tasting room. We just love our Carol Wine & employee Caroline is a blast. read more

Carol Shelton Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Ok, very odd place for tasting rooms and no ambiance here but WORTH THE TRIP none the less! Super yummy wines and lots of choices. Everything from the whites to the reds was delicious. This is a great find in the middle of one of Santa Rosa's industrial areas. Put it on your list. Ignore the scenery...go for the wines. No view or picnic area. Just super good wines here. Oh, and friendly tasting room staff serving them up! read more

Zin, Zin, and more Zin. This lady makes some awesome Zins. She also makes a delicious rose. The first time I went here I actually had a chance to be poured by and talk to Carol Shelton herself. She is very kind. One of my favorite Zins is, of course, the Wild Thing. This is an urban winery in a cluster of other urban wineries. read more

My wife and I have tasted and quite a few wineries in Sonoma and Napa valleys, but we've only joined 2. It may not be much on ambiance, but the winemaker is friendly, knowledgeable, caring, and produces quality. Tasting events are fun family affairs. I like to pull out a bottle of Carol Shelton when friends come over. read more

Free tasting. Good wines, but since i am from the foothills I am accustomed to our zin and prefer it. We left with the pinot noir and the late harvest zin which i think is their star.Very friendly and down to earth staff. read more