Love love Hammerling! They are located in the Berkeley or Gilman wine block, an area with several wineries. They are known for their California Sparkling wines. My first visit was for their "Thirst Trap" sparkling wine tasting. It is a very cute and comfy and spacious tasting room with seating inside and outside. They also partner with a few wineries in the area for1st Fridays, the perfect time to try wines and food from their vendors. This spot is on my list for wine tasting in Berkeley! read more

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Our daughter and her fiancé had their wedding welcome party at Hammerling Wines a few weeks ago for about 100 guests and it was absolutely perfect. The venue is both very comfortable and cool with a variety of seating options for guests, the Hammerling wines we selected to be served were delicious, they had a perfect outdoor space for a pop-up pizza oven to set up, and Hammerling's manager and staff were exceptional - both during the planning phase and during the party. The vibe was so lovely, and the bride and groom could not have been happier. And it was a great way for our out-of-towners to get a nice slice of Berkeley. Everyone had a wonderful time, and it was just the best kick off for the wedding the following day. Highly Recommend! read more

Who knew Berkeley had some nice wineries?! Parking isn't too bad and there are wineries close by you can walk to. I only stopped by here for a glass but the ambiance was really cute. Their outdoor seating is perfect for a nice sunny day. They share walls with Donkey & Goat which is perfect for a nice wine hop. They do have different food vendors too, so be sure to check out their IG to see what's on the menu. Their wine was a pleasant surprise and very pretty colors! I admired their wine label designs too. Would probably buy a bottle just for the look haha. Can't wait to come back here again and try more of their wines. And maybe eat somewhere beforehand or afterwards. read more

Hammerling Wines - Inside - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here twice in one week! First came during Gilman fair and then for First Friday. Loved this new discovery. They have three sparklings that I tried along with a chilled red gamay. Loved especially the 2019 Sunflower Sutra and also enjoyed the the 2021 version as well as the sparkling rose. Also had a "shot" of the vermouth which was so light and tasty. Such a cute spot inside and out with plenty of seating. Service was friendly and informative. Love this place! I'm totally going to be a regular here. read more

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Formerly known as "Blue Ox," they recently rebranded to Hammerling Wines (see new logo in photos)! Don't worry, their wine is still just as fabulous as ever ;) Stopped by on a Saturday around 1pm for a tasting, and ended up staying for two because I enjoyed their outdoor patio so much! Current wine slection features a pet project undertaken during the pandemic, where they partnered with Oregon wineries to craft some new blends. My favorite white wine was the Sunflower Sutra - bright and summery - and my favorite red was the El Topo - a perfect GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre) blend. Would definitely recommend trying the next time you're in West Berkeley on the weekend! read more

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Hammerling is known for their sparkling wine, and they do a hecking great job! You really can't go wrong with any of their sparkling wines. They have a nice patio in the back, where they host release parties and other festivities. They also host lots of pop ups, and I enjoy trying food from the various vendors such as from keki, daruma kiosk, and bolita. read more

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Went to Hammerling Wines last week for the First Friday block party and it was a blast. I hesitate to write this because I don't want more people to know about it! It was packed (so much so that they had to serve our wine in a regular glass), but fun. They have a great space and even at night it stayed warm in their main building area thanks to multiple heat lamps going. We got a bottle of wine for two people and it was perfect! Also more often a better deal than ordering two single glasses. Looking forward to going back and trying it on a non First Friday, but will definitely be back for a First Friday event again. They have a DJ so it does get loud, but great for a group hangout or a lively date night. read more

Hammerling Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

Grace was amazing! Wines and bubbles were fantastic. Thanks for helping me celebrate my partner's 50th birthday.

The wine was perfect for a sunny day. And the they were so pretty ! Service was wonderful and they had Jamaican food! Very delicious

On a Berkeley wine tour, I stopped into Hammerling in between wineries 4 and 5. They don't take reservations but it was easy to get a table outside. They have very limited seating inside so what you see outside is what you'll get. I wish I had more time here, as I stopped by on a whim. They specialize in sparkling and everything was delicious! The flights were nicely priced: 20 bucks for good size pours (believe there were three but maybe four). Check them out! read more

I'd always wanted to be in a wine club, and I love everything about being part of the Blue Ox family. The wines are so excellent and unique, while the owners and space in Berkeley are so stylish yet understated. I love that they have a tier of wine club that caters to my wine drinking frequency and price range (3 bottles 3 times a year), and that they offer free tastings to me and up to 2 guests in tow every time I show up (impressing all my favorite people). Most recently I went solo to the release party and the new hostess recognized I was alone and welcomed me warmly for a seating. Then once at the bar, Josh not only spent some time keeping me company, he personally carried the case to my car - you just don't expect personal service like that especially at such a packed shindig! They obviously earned my love and loyalty here. read more

Hammerling Wines - Barrels in the tasting room - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This winery is so cute, and the wines are so flavorful and light. I came here with my husband and our two friends. We ended up buying a bottle of rose because we loved it so much. I think that we enjoyed how light and refreshing their wines and bubbles are. The atmosphere is chill, relaxing, and slower paced-which I loved because it is a good hang out with friends. I would highly recommend coming here if you are looking for a different, chill vibe and to drink some lighter styled wines. read more

Hammerling Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cozy and intimate spot. Delicious food cooking right outside. Good wine and good times with friends will be had at this establishment.

Had the best experience at this tasting room! Was wandering around to find Blue Ox only to learn they have rebranded to Hammerling Wines. Josh was welcoming and very knowledgeable about their current releases. He chatted with us through our tasting and gave great recommendations. I loved hearing about their experimental process. The logo and label designs are dope and eye catching as well. They were out of a lot of the sparkling wines, but was able to taste the sunflower sutra which was very unique and delicious. Ended up getting a bottle of the wild one which is a lovely cabernet pfeffer (something I had never heard of before). If you enjoy cabernets, this one is well worth tasting! read more

Hammerling Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

Consider for a moment the Blue Ox. Now, go ahead and slaughter that ox with the aid of a decently weighted sledgehammer (the manly way preferred by the cattle-killing masters of old) or by relying on the far less satisfying support of a modern electric stun gun (the sissified alternative favored by Big Cattle). With the help of a serrated bone saw, sever its huge, horned head from its massive, blue body. Hang the carcass on a meat hook to bleed out, dry age, and be taken apart into tasty bits for your walk-in freezer slash meat locker. Place the severed head somewhere it won't be scavenged by vultures, coyotes, feral miniature schnauzers, and other assorted varmints. Maybe Damien Hirst could help. Then, slowly let the flesh rot away from your oxen skull over the course of several months, or until secondary fermentation in bottle begins. Next, naturally bleach said oxen skull in a searingly hot desert for a year or two, before commissioning a Georgia O'Keefe obsessed wine label artist to render the resulting object into an arresting image not dissimilar to the weird sculpture thingie used at James Cole in Napa. Print this image on your wine bottles filled with sparklingly effervescent and still fermented natural wine from vineyards in Mendocino and Monterey Counties, with a few from Santa Barbara and other California wine growing regions thrown in for good measure. Now, bestow upon those wines enigmatic names inspired by a shared love for classical cinema, music, and poetry, in the hope that this might also appeal to wine drinking, urban iGens with disposable income but no defined brand loyalties or preferred wine varietals as yet. You'll zero in on naturally pétillant, classically sparkling, and lower alcohol red wines aged in stainless steel or neutral oak as the prime contenders, in order to create a favorable contrast with the high ABV, oak-saturated fruit bombs favored by their parents and older, less hip members of the geriatric Robert Parker wine advocate set who all learned how to drink wine by watching episodes of "Falcon Crest" on TV in the 1980s. Except that almost no one under the age of 40 bothers to read Beat poets like Alan Ginsberg or watch 1950's film noir classics like "Kiss Me Deadly" anymore, although they might still be curious enough to Google them. Finally, open a combined winery and tasting room in West Berkeley next to Donkey and Goat but also close enough to the Picante Mexican restaurant on 6th Street, so that your slightly buzzed customers can recover from too many urban wine tastings in a row by tearing into plates of manchamanteles, rajas con papas, and cochinita pibil tacos washed down by half pints of Trumer Pils and fresh hopped Sierra Nevada pale ale, before then jaywalking across Gilman Street to hunt for discounted down or fleece jackets at the North Face outlet store, jackets which they will need on a future visit simply because it is SO FRICKIN' COLD in the unheated, barrel filled, high ceilinged, repurposed old industrial facility in which the tasting room is located, right across from a rusting cement silo on the other side of street (which has the better parking options, by the way). Frickin' cold enough, in fact, that Blue Ox's richest red wines like the Alder Springs Vineyard Mourvèdre (christened "El Topo," after an ultraviolent, allegorical Biblical Western from 1970 by the director, Alejandro Jodorowsky) risk tasting too lean, metallic, and underwhelming because they are served at like 55F in the glass and not at the sommelier recommended serving temperature of 63-65F, where the beguiling aromatics and more subtle secondary tasting notes of a wine as unquestionably high quality as this would be more evident, especially for those discerning wine drinkers who arrive punctually for the tasting room to open expressly so that their palates aren't fatigued by other planned tastings later that day. So, in conclusion, bookmark a visit here if you prefer your Californian sparkling wines to be served with a blue oxen skull on the label, or if you just happen to enjoy yourself some really good bubbly. Don't forget to bring a heat lamp or blowtorch of some type with you if it happens to be cold, wet, or windy on the date of your visit, which is nearly all the time in Berkeley except for a few dry, sunny days in spring and fall. You'll need such tools to warm up those last few red wines on the list to determine if you actually like them enough to buy bottles for home, which you likely will if they actually are served at the proper temperature. Now, if only the natural wine deprived lumberjacks in the upper Midwest like Paul Bunyan had easy access to lower alcohol sparkling and still wines this good! But then again, maybe brawny men like that would just order a 6-pack of Schlitz beer to go instead, which tastes better the closer to absolute zero Kelvin that it gets. - Dedicated to the late great David Foster Wallace. We still miss you, dude. read more

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Fresh but familiar - every glass is delicious but often a brand new variety to add to my knowledge. I've been a club member for a year or so and am always so thrilled to have a little Blue Ox at my fingertips. I've never really interacted with the owners or winemaker but Molly (I will kick myself if I have her name wrong) is an absolute delight! She's friendly and knowledgeable and has had the whole place running so smoothly! I've done two COVID era tastings. I've felt safe, welcome, and comfortable. The space they have has felt like an absolute treat in such a tough time. Make a reservation and relax in their back patio for a bit! Can't wait to go back. read more

Although I can't attest to the possibility of crappy cheese, I can say the wine is delicious and since I don't go to a winery for cheese I would 100% recommend Hammerling Wines to everyone. read more

Great new winery in Berkeley! The owners were super helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Their wines are crisp and fresh. Great rosé for a hot summer day! read more

Hammerling Wines - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The location is casual . They charge you a lot for cracker and their crappy cheese - high price with low service and quality - I gave the left over to my dog - no recommended at all read more

We discovered wine alley last weekend and decided to visit some places this weekend. This was the second winery we visited along with our fur babies. Molly went above and beyond to make sure our experience was amazing not only for us, but she also brought out a water bowl for our boys. Covid precautious were taken at all times and we will definitely come again and again. It's nice to see amazing places be dog friendly when so many of us got puppies during Covid and are now part of our family. Thank you Molly for labeling the flight, and all the thoughtful things you did. We will see you soon!! read more

Hammerling Wines - a dog sitting on a table with wine glasses - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Berkeley, California

Highly recommend! Great and unique wines! I especially love their sparking wine. My husband and I became members of their wine club after our first tasting. The owners are so kind and genuine. You can tell that they are passionate about the wine they make and care about the producers they work with. Their new tasting room is a fun place to hang out on the weekends. This place is an awesome addition to the East Bay! Definitely check it out! read more

Went here with my wife for an event on Saturday. Wine was excellent and staff was super knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming. It was interesting to hear about their process for choosing grapes from all around the west coast. They were also serving mac and cheese that day which was amazing. Would definitely return! read more

I love the sparkling wines! The reds are interesting too but the sparkling shines. The two guys that run the are very passionate and knowledgeable and make all the wine by hand themselves! read more

I was scrambling to find a place for my birthday drinks. Noah was so patient and flexible, and really went above and beyond to accommodate a large group on short notice. Thank you for taking such good care of us! We loved the wines, and the space is beautiful! I'll definitely be back soon. read more

This place is amazing. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, and the wines are excellent. I especially enjoyed the two sparkling wines, Wages Of Fear and Sunflower Sutra that uses all the typical California sparkling wine grapes. Josh, the co-owner and wine maker was serving the wines so we had great information! Would definitely come back. read more

We just wandered in today and have to say that it's one of the better wineries we've been to out here. Noah, who was working the tasting bar, was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. The wine was excellent and the atmosphere was enjoyable. The wine was so good that we joined the wine club. Can't wait to come back and try again! read more

Great wines but really disappointed in the service. Wish we had had a more positive experience given that we were really interested in the wines and had wanted to learn more about them but apparently only some customers matter at this place. read more

Awesome new wine experience in Berkeley. Great Rose and Sparling wines. From knowledgeable, passionate and curious wine maker.

Super cool space. Loved the murals and art. Best wines in the neighborhood! I especially loved the rosé.