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! :)

I absolutely love this place!! It's so cute and most importantly makes the BEST mead I've ever…read moretasted. I could seriously drink this stuff all day and I just find it so cool how you can actually taste the different floral notes based on the honey they use to make the mead. This is for sure a must visit if you're ever in the point Reyes area! Loved the vibe and the decor of the whole place

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."

What a fun experience and what good wines! We did both a…read moretasting and we purchased a bottle of Rose and had it in store, so I had the best of both worlds: enjoyed the description of the delicious wines and tasted sips of them, while I enjoyed my very soft and fine glass of rose! Declan was our host. He is half a poet for descriptions of the wines body and flavors, and a sommelier as far a knowledge of the components and types: in fact he was the full Monty! Go in, enjoy the wines and relish in his fun company! Enjoy!

Stopped by here to people watch, have a glass of wine and refuel with a charcuterie board. All was…read moreaccomplished. Service was good. Wine was decent. Location was nice with a patio seat off the side walk. Thanks. We had a great time.

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

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.

Food was excellent and the service was top notch…read more Very close to the winery I like , so very convenient to a lot of fun activities

We came here for dinner on our first night in Napa and it was the perfect evening to start our…read morevacation! The outdoor seating area is the kind of California laid back but chic. Living in Virginia, I have not been able to sit outside when it's warm outside because of all the mosquitos, but this spot was just lovely and perfect (sans mosquitos)! The staff was also very friendly and personable. We started with artichokes and beets, both of which were pretty good! My trout with mushrooms was delicious and hearty. The wines are spectacular as well. Food 4 stars, ambiance 5 stars!

10/10 for this place. Every. Time…read more I've been to Williamson Wines three times now for their food and wine pairing. If you are in Healdsburg this is my number one recommendation for wine tasting. They expertly pair the wine with dishes they make fresh on site. They even have the spices available for purchase that they use in the recipes. The staff here is always so pleasant and knowledgeable. I can't say enough good things about this place.

My husband and I had a lovely afternoon at Williamson Wines. We did the wine and food pairing…read moreexperience. Each wine tasting was paired perfectly with the food item. Our server Akayla was super patient and fun, she explained the history of the winery and told fun stories about the owners. The place was clean and organized. They knew exactly what they were doing and I am so impressed with the hospitality! The quantity of food you get with the food + pairings option is not enough for a meal, but perfect for a snack. We were told the lunch dishes are the same but bigger portions. My favorite dishes from the tasting was the Brick Cooked Chicken and the Chocolate Lamington Dessert. My favorite wine was not one that paired with those two, but it was called Elate Grange Cuvée which was a red blend. I was considering the wine membership but what attracted me the most was not the wine but the food + wine pairing experience. So although I didn't sign up to be a member, I will definitely come back as a customer! I want to bring my parents next time for either lunch with pairings or the food with pairings option.

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.

The owners who run Sequoia Sake are lovely. The tasting flights are very reasonably priced and the…read moresake quality is pretty great. The tasting room and distillery are all in the same building. I don't think the tours run daily, as there wasn't much going on when we went, but still fun to do a tasting. You don't find a local sake distillery in the states very often! They also offer a small menu of snacks to go with the tasting, but I found the pricing pretty expensive ($18 for half a tiny round of Mt. Tam cheese and a handful of crackers). We did the Sequoia and Seasonal flights. Really liked the nigori and kimoto (aged 5yrs) -- all the sake had nice, crisp, and clean finishes. The umeshu in the seasonal was pretty good, but probably my least favorite of the samples.

We had an excellent experience tasting their wines. The service was outstanding and the woman who…read morehelped us was engaging and knowledgeable. Their wine is top-notch and a good value too. They serve light snacks on the side that we did not try, but will the next time we visit. Highly recommend.

Nice tasting room in Healdsburg that's more of an urban winery. We were there for the Wine Road…read morebarrel tasting weekend. We were seated in the pretty back room and our host was very knowledgeable of their wines. He did a great job. Brought out some complimentary crackers, cheese, and salami too. Unfortunately we couldn't order a charcuterie board that day. They have great reviews on their wines so that's why we stopped in. If you like sweet and overly floral wines, this is the place for you.

Did you know you can ferment honey to make a wine? Yup. Honey, yeast and water fermented under an…read moreexpert eye makes mead wine. I recently enjoyed my first (and definitely not my last) dining experience at the HIVE tasting room and kitchen in Woodland, CA. I enjoyed it; the food was delicious and customer service on point. I went there with the intent of mead wine tasting but ended up not since I had driving duties. [Fun fact: mead wine has less alcohol content than grape wine.] Instead I ordered lunch and washed it down with their honey ice tea. The iced tea had a prominent honey taste. Hubs luved his, but my tastebuds were confused. Odd though because I luv honey and iced tea. We also ordered a Ruben sandwich $22 and an order of waffles. The sandwich was classic with the familiar flavors. Nice quality cut of meat, thinly shaved. The waffles $17 were topped with blueberries, slivered almonds, and orange blossom whipped ricotta cream which I asked for on the side. The ricotta cream was divine. The waffles tasted pretty darn good. However the pricing for both entrees seemed high for the serving size. But this is a type of place where folks can eat and linger to enjoy the grounds, atmosphere, and each other's company without anyone rushing you out. We enjoyed our meal out in the back outdoor patio. The landscaping is all organic with lots of pollinating and drought resistant plants and trees. The building is a zero energy building with an onsite brewing facility. The interior has a brand newish look and feel. There is a honey tasting and mead wine tasting counter, gift shop, and dining area. All of this is in an open floor plan. The indoor seating capacity is limited. The place can be rented out for events (such as a garden wedding), private facility tours. Plus they host community events. Take a peek at their website. Some events are free. Events range from tours, book readings, yoga classes, flower bouquet class, gardening... etc.

Lunch date with my Aggie alum friend and two of her kiddos! My first time in although I've heard of…read morethis meadery for awhile. I started with their seasonal beet soup, and had the open faced lox and arugula toast. For dessert I had the dulce de leche mousse which was divine, and a bite of their cannollis too. We even squeezed in a honey tasting! My favorite was the clover, although there definitely some interesting ones like avocado, mango, coffee, Hawaiian, and other regional ones I'd never heard of before! Some gave cinnamony notes, some marshmallowy, malty/cola-esque, and more. The hot honey was also a nice kick. Did not try any of their meads yet. They also had a few events coming up, including the Science of Mead and a Valentine's Day thing. When the weather is warmer I'll come back to hang out on the patio!

Another hidden gem. We were served by John, the owner and wine maker. He makes some lovely…read morewines,, particularly a Bordeaux blend we very much enjoyed. The scenery is lovely and it was an excellent experience - thanks so much.

This is a hidden gem. If you live in the Bay Area, you must visit these smaller wineries that only…read moremake a few hundred cases each year. The wines are amazing and the surrounding area is so beautiful and peaceful away from the hustle bustle of tourists. The father daughter duo are great host! Abbie and her dad really gives their all to ensure everyone that stops by has the fullest experience at this winery. The winemaker moved to CA to make wind because he loves drinking them so why not learn to do it himself and live the dream! I really liked the Five Vines, which is a Bordeaux style grape. It tasted full and robust. So so so delicious that I could just drink wine all day and sit out in the sun. Heck, I would even work at this winery in exchange for free wine!