Such a magical, fairy wonderland, meadery right outside of central/downtown Point Reyes…read more What's more powerful than bees? Literally nothing. Heidrun is one of your must visits if you're makinga trip up along the Highway 1 coast. Take that PTO and visit on a weekday where you basically have the entire place to yourself. The meadery is easily accessible, lots of parking (not much shade for the cars though), restrooms, and lots of outdoor seating great for the kids and dogs. I went with the seasonal tasting flight, and there's a an essentials one both for $25 value. If you buy three bottles of meads you get your tasting fee comp'd which is so great. I absolutely loved the seasonal flight, as I am all for unique and unforgettable flavors. The sage blossom is absolutely refreshing and so delicious, a great refreshing start to the flight. The chokeberry was very different, it's like a cousin to the cranberry. And the carrot blossom had a little spicy punch to it at the tail end of the sip. Everything was so delightful, effervescent and playful. There were a lot of Oregonian flower meads on this seasonal flight, which was very cool. They also sell so many cute trinkets that you can bring home as gifts, from fresh local honey from the farm to hand-watercolored cards to beeswax lotion and packets of wildflower seeds. It was so hard to not buy anything. Bring a book and sit in the shade, or come with a huge group of friends. Either way you're in for a bubbly good time.

Such a cute and unique place to drop by in the Tomales Bay area…read more The meadery is extremely aesthetic with a canopy patio of the bar, tables, and shops. There is an abundance of blooming flowers everywhere, and even a small beehive tucked away in the bushes. We did the tasting for $25 with 4 pours of mead. I was very impressed with the depth and variety of flavors; each pour tasted completely different from the next! Heidrun comps 1 tasting for 3 bottles purchased, which was a nice addition. Our hostesses were super sweet and chill. They were more than happy to explain a little bit about the meads and answer our questions. Would definitely stop by here again! :)

Really cute ciderhouse on Solano Ave. I loved the modern and homey interior inside. My friend and I…read moretried the spot for the first time on a Saturday night-- they close at 11pm (on weekends?) which is a plus. A lot of local breweries close much earlier. Great service. The guy behind the counter was super helpful and will let you sample some stuff if you're unsure of what you want. They provide some great local cider. I've had Far West at some of other spots so glad they had the Very Juicy on tap! I'd come back again and bring some more folks.

I love this place.it so beautiful. Bunch of plant. Atmosphere is chill. And the staff is amazing!read more

I try not to use the phrase a "hidden gem" too often or not at all, but Sonoma Aperitif should fall…read moreinto that category if it indeed a legitimate term to use! I had loose plans to visit Sonoma Aperitif on a weekend a few months back, but was not committed due to other plans. Well I had some spare time and figured I'd try to stop by and see if I could do a walk in tasting/sample. Laura who is the owner graciously accepted us into her old style barn converted into a tasting room. It really displays the Petaluma hospitality as well as the true country vibe of the aesthetics inside. For those a tad confused about Aperitifs, it is not your normal cocktail you will throw back or glass of wine/beer. They are typically served before or after (Sometimes depending on the country/region) to cleanse the palette. This is not to say you cannot make cocktails with it, but typically from what I have been told it is an after or before meal "sipper". Back to the tasting, Laura had a few that she was pouring today ranging from Lime/Citrus to Buddhas hand and Grapefruit. All had their very own distinction from each other. The real jewel of the tasting was the fact that Laura was pairing everything with very simple ingredients to make delicious cocktails! To give an example a aperitif splash with a rosemary shrub gave the aperitif a whole different level of complexity. The tasting itself was very affordable, and at the time included a wine tasting at the same bar by another company (No longer being offered though). Flavors may change throughout the year due to the seasons of various fruits though, so what one may see on one visit, may be gone the next depending on inventory, so keep that in mind if you really like any of the aperitifs. I could easily recommend this to someone who is looking for an alternative to Wine and Beer tastings.

Apéritif is a French word derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means "to open". An apéritif…read moreis an alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, and is therefore usually dry rather than sweet." Fantastic alternative from ciders and wine tasting. (But I still love ciders and wine :) I've never experienced aperitif. Laura, the creative mistress and owner was highly informative and had so much passion with her creations. Her previous career led her to this wonderful libation. The public gets to reap the rewards. This tasting bar shares the barn themed building. We came in to taste her aperitif creations and ciders from a very new up and coming cidery, "Acre and Spade" (see my Yelp review) After our cider tastimg, she placed 3 different tall slim bottles of aperitifs and poured each one in a very tiny martini stemmed glass, along with a ceramic bucket to pour any extra aperitif. As she poured each aperitif one flavor at a time, she offered the flavor profile. It's great with a bit of ice, which is extra perfect on hot days. She then made a cocktail using a lemon flavored "shrub *" and one of the aperitif (sorry I forgot which one). It was delish. I felt so "classy" lol. She added a sprig of fresh rosemary, so as your sipping, your nose picks up the Rosemary aroma. We offered our opinion for each aperitif and she listened intently as we slowly tasted each one. Their was no wrong answer as each flavor description is subjective to our own taste buds. This visit was eye opening, informative and very enjoyable. Our group ended up purchasing a pack of cider and few bottles of aperitif. She mentioned she had a few strawberry aperitif which we were lucky to enjoy. These aperitifs will be part of holiday dinners or any festive group gatherings. But equally fantastic for summer parties or warm/hot weather. * "The term "shrub" can also be applied to the sweetened vinegar-based syrup, from which the cocktail is made; the syrup is also known as drinking vinegar. Drinking vinegar is often infused with fruit juice, herbs and spices for use in mixed drinks."

This is a really cute little shop with a huge selection of honey and other honey-related products…read more The woman working there said When we walked in, 'You can taste whatever you like." I got to taste a couple of really interesting meads that were made locally, and got to hear a bit about the history of the person who made them. I got a bottle of the one that is full of winter spice flavors, which will be good for Thanksgiving. A friend with me who wanted some honey tried a few until she found the one she wanted. If you are a fan of honey or mead, this is a great place to check out.

I was in Healdsberg when the hanging sign was hung in front of this new establishment. I finally…read moremade it inside and oh my, my, what a treasure. The first thing that you notice was the lovely smell. But when I saw all the different honey from around the world I want to taste them all. Turns out, they have a cute love seat at the counter and you can taste the honey. I think the owner waited on me and she offered samples of the lotion, oil & lip balm. I bought the dry oil, I never heard of such a thing. This oil made with honey extract was soothing and did absorb into my skin and wasn't sticky leaving a nice scent. I bought it. I use it after every bath and it feels like I have a spa in my bathroom. I purchased their Crème Legere the light face cream. I am so pleased with the way it works, I stopped using my other face cream. The final purchase was the lip balm. It's made with honey extract and works better than any chap stick or lip gloss I've used. The gloss has a slight glimmer to it and looks good as the final touch to my lipstick. There was a QR code on the balm so I looked it up on an app I have that lets you know, if there are toxic or cancer causing ingredients. So far I have never seen a product that had 0 toxic ingredients. Now I'm on a search for a lipstick with that excellent rating. I've not found one yet. Having something on my lips that is natural and could be edible is what all lip product should be. Looks like I'll be using this perfect lip balm from now on. I use it every day. There isn't one thing in the entire store that I wouldn't buy. Everyone should go to this crème of the crop store!

Oh what a cozy and cute spot! So happy to find this!…read more Plenty of easy parking outside. Very quiet area. Really appreciated the introduction and explanation of the flights! Learned about sake. Will return to try more flights and def bring friends.

We came here for an early Mother's Day celebration and ended up leaving as sake club members, so…read morethat tells you something. The brewery and tasting room is located in an industrial part of the city. Upon arriving you walk right into the brewery and head to the tasting area in the back where tables are set up right next to the actual brewery. Flights are $15 each and we worked our way through all of them. They offer quite a range and our favorite was the spicy flight. Each flight came with a detailed explanation of what we were tasting... covering the brewing process, alcohol content, and food pairings for each sake... and there was plenty of room for questions. That kind of walkthrough makes a real difference, especially if you're newer to sake. You leave actually knowing something. A few things: there's a small bites menu, but you can bring your own snacks as long as you take your trash with you when you leave. Dogs are not allowed. There's plenty of free street parking. Tastings are only on Saturdays and first come first serve. I also can't rave enough about the owners who have a way of giving each group their full attention even when the room is full. Pricing is fair for what you're getting. The sake is genuinely good, and joining the club was an easy decision... members receive perks such as free flights and a discount when purchasing product. We can't wait to visit again.

Anytime I go to Napa it's my first stop. The quality of the food and service is second to none.read more

I stopped by on a Saturday for lunch. I had reservation, so got a seat right away. The place was…read morebeautiful. The property had a lot more to explore than just a restaurant. I think there was a winery and something more. May be a full day exploration place, if need be. Brick cooked chicken was flavorful. Smoked chicken wings was good. I also had a side of fries. I also went for a kids trout, which was probably less flavorful compared to regular one. Restroom also lookied cool, like it was from some ancient Europeon farm.There was a live fire place, which will have monthly events. Space looked nice.

I recently stopped back into The Hive to pick up a bottle or two of mead to bring to Girls' Night…read moredinner. I contemplated also buying honey but figured the hostess already had us covered with charcuterie, ports, olive oil and balsamic vinegars. I didn't catch the name of the man who helped me out, but he was super knowledgeable. I tasted more than a handful of different meads, ranging from bright and sweet to hoppy, to notes of cardamom and pine, to a thick almost port-like consistency, to a dry one. I also noticed one local brand, Strad Meadery represented as well. This wasn't a formal proper sit-down tasting as I was short on time, compared to when I did the actual honey tasting and they had a UC Davis Honey Flavor & Aroma Tasting Wheel to go along with. Ultimately I ended up purchasing a bottle of limited edition Sky River Chamomile Mead (Puget Sound, WA) and a specialty small-batch Monarch Series bottle of SideTrack Meadery's Celebratory Cyser Apple Mead (California Bay Area). We shared the Cyser which was great, and saving the bottle of Chamomile for a future date. I'll be back soon for lunch or to catch live music on the pollinator garden patio!

We had an amazing visit arrived before they opened at 11 AM and walked around enjoyed all of the…read moregrounds and was amazed to see passionfruit growing on the trellis. Once they opened, we did the honey tasting, and there was an incredible number of honeys that we could taste there were 7 of us and we each tried 14 honeys, 2 nut butters and 2 fruit spreads. I have to say that the tastings are the highlight of this visit because I had no idea what an amazing variety of honey wecultivate here in the Sacramento Valley. Also, my favorite honey was from Hawaii flower that's only grown on the big island... which I had to buy. The honey is insanely expensive, but when you have something that is so unique, it's worth it. After all of that tasting, I thought I was gonna have a diabetic overload, so we went and had our savory lunch. Each one of the seven of us purchased one item and asked for it to be sliced up so that we could all share. I have to say the only item on the menu that I went crazy for was the real Gouda cheese and bacon and peach sandwich. It was absolutely divine. I also really enjoyed the whipped goat cheese with honey although the nectarines on the side should have been sliced up and incorporated so that more bites could contain them. Prices are a little steep, but the atmosphere is lovely. It was a very warm day. We had the misters going. Some people didn't like getting wet, but that's OK. There was other places where you could sit and not get wet. I would definitely come here again with people new to the area to do the tasting that was super fun and I would also like to get a tour of their operation. While they don't actually harvest the honey here they contract with the local, single hive owners and they have an amazing amazing array of honeys. They do all of the packaging injuring of the products here. I was super happy to hear that they partner with the ally in a Sacramento to make their hot honey and some infuse honey's. I love shopping local and this made me super happy farm to forget it's greatest.

Joey was totally hospitable. We are big fans of the far west side or Company and it was really nice…read moreto be able to see their location and know that in the near future, they may have a tasting room reopen again. We are big fans of the product and we use it when we see it on the menus at restaurants. Their focus on quality of apples and production is apparent in the way that they make this ciders and the flavor that they produce. This is my go to cider and I would recommend this to anybody that wants to have an experience outside of the beer world and this product is as old as beer in history. We hope to come back again soon and visit. Thanks again, Joey.

CLOSED. Don't drive to this location unless you call prior to see if they are open to the public…read more We drove up from Pleasanton and unfortunately they were closed to the public. We called and they said it was supposed to be a temporary thing, but that it was lasting longer than they expected. I don't know why they haven't updated their hours on yelp or Google, but don't be fooled by it stating that it is open (both on Yelp and Google) because it most certainly is not. We would have loved to try their ciders and the food shown in the other reviews, but instead drove 45 minutes for no good reason.

When I'm out n about driving thru the Capay Valley on Route 16, Seka Hills tasting room is always a…read moremust stop. I recall on my first visit (many years ago), they were selling olive oil and tastings only. Fast forward to present day, they have expanded to include wine tastings, and selling balsamic vinegars, wines, honey, beef jerky, and nuts. All local grown from Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation land. Very cool. They also sell kitchen and giftable items; and serve food made to order and also offering prepackaged to go. The staff are always so kind and helpful. The building and brewing facility is a beautiful architectural design. Even the outside landscaping and patio area are thoughtfully designed. The views are gorgeous overlooking the adjoining almond and olive orchards, and the Valley. The kind of scenery they put in sappy Hallmark movie backdrops. So darn lucky to live within driving distance. I have not tasted wine here before. But have tasted their olive oils and vinegars. Mmm. Actually we picked up some bottles since they had a sale and marked down some bottles from the prior year varieties. My favorite flavors of SH olive oil are Arbequina (classic EVOO) and Frantoio (this one has nutty, herby flavors with slight pepperiness). It's right off Route 16 and super close to the Cache Creek casino resort which is also a Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation venture. So if you happen to be at the casino, drive less than five minute to the tasting room. Plus if you need a rest stop for a restroom, Seka Hills tasting room has real nice ones.

After doing some berry picking, we saw Seka Hills Tasting Room. A gorgeous estate with a spacious…read moreneatly-kept outdoor seating area to enjoy the grove of olive trees and surrounding area. The ambience was very peaceful and tranquil. You could browse and shop for many charcuterie accessories, dried fruits, nuts, olive oil, flavored basalmic vinegar, wine, etc. During our olive oil tasting session, we tried samples of... Taggiasca: This elegant oil has aromas of sweet almond followed by herbaceous notes of dried thyme and fresh herbs. Frantoio: The flavor of this oil is fragrant with almond and floral notes with grassy flavors. Some bitterness, this oil has a lasting pepperiness. Lovely as a dipping and finishing oil. Arbequina Olive Oil: The flavor is a fresh herbaceous aroma, this harmonious oil has pleasant pungency with a slight bitterness. Its balanced complexity results in a long, satisfying finish. Use in baking, marinades, sauteing, roasting, as a drizzling and dipping oil and any sauce calling for EVOO. Picual Olive: the flavor is Green tomato and olive aromas, this distinct and harmonious oil is followed by nuanced flavors of fresh herbs, green tea and black pepper. Use it to enhance salads, vegetables, fish and grilled chicken and meats and drizzle over grilled peaches and pineapple. Tribal Blend: the flavor is bright and herbaceous aroma with fresh green notes followed by nuanced layers of green almond, sweet almond, and ripe banana with a smooth, buttery mouthfeel. Support your local business.