Ever since trying Radio's wines at Hazel in Occidental many years ago, we've been huge fans ever…read moresince. Without a public tasting room we rely on restaurants carrying their wines, online sales or one of their open houses, usually hosted twice a year, for our Radio-Coteau cravings. During their most recent open house (sign up for announcements on their website) we sampled some of their latest offerings including Chardonnay, Syrah, and of course their amazingly delicious Pinot Noir's. La Neblina (our favorite) was the first Pinot we tried from Radio and have loved each vintage. While their latest releases are young, we usually just commit to a couple bottles of each, one to drink now and another to lay down for a while. We're not collectors of wine, were drinkers of wine so a year is about a long as we let anything lay about. Radio also offers a lesser priced wine by the brand County Line. We bought a case of their County Line 2016 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as our "Tuesday night" wine. At $28 a bottle, this is a well priced and approachable wine, but don't take my word for it, go get some. Just head to the County Line website, sign up for an account and order away.

We were invited to an open house here and it was such a treat! I had never heard of Radio-Coteau…read morewines so the open house was a wonderful way to get introduced to their winery and the wines they make. The winery is not anything like other wineries I have been to. The set-up is more like a warehouse, standing room only. Everyone there was casually dressed and not pretentious like some other wineries I've been to. The open house allowed us to roam around and sample the many wine varietals they were pouring that day. We tried Albariño, Chardonnay, Pinot, Zinfandel and Syrah. There was also a few tables full of delicious fresh sliced bread to eat with our wines. One bread that had cheese and shiitake mushrooms in it was so good, we had to ask one of the workers where it was from. I really enjoyed the wines and definitely didn't leave empty-handed. I spent more than I expected but got some nice bottles for upcoming holiday get-togethers.

My son and I were walk-ins on a Thursday afternoon, and I'm so glad we decided to stop at Copain…read more My son turned 21 this year, so he was my date for the day. We had already visited Coppola (because you have to check it out at least once!) and decided to squeeze in one more winery on our way back to our hotel in Windsor. We chose Copain, and it ended up being the highlight of our day. First, the property is absolutely beautiful, with a view to die for while you enjoy your tasting. But what really made the experience unforgettable was our host, Evan. If you could earn a PhD in the history of wine and winemaking, Evan has it, and he had a very captivated audience in the two of us. He took us on a fascinating journey through the history of wine, not just at Copain or in the region, but around the world. My son was completely into it, and so was I. It was the kind of experience where you walk away knowing a lot more than you did when you walked in. And then, halfway through our tasting, Evan took things to another level. He brought us on a mini-tour of the facility, where we got to see the equipment and learn about the actual winemaking process. He even asked us to bring one of our tasting glasses along and treated us to a tasting straight from the barrel! It was an absolutely five-star experience from beginning to end. 5 stars for the location. 5 stars for the ambiance. 6 stars for Evan. I would highly recommend Copain Wines. We came in looking for one more winery to visit and ended up having one of the most memorable experiences of our trip.

My family and I went for a tasting at Copain Wines which is set on a picturesque hillside in…read moreHealdsburg. The beautiful view from this location is worth the drive alone. Copain specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. They were founded in 1999. Their wine is sourced from vineyards in Mendocino, Monterey, and Sonoma counties. My sister had a membership at Copain Wines so we had a complimentary tasting. An appointment is required to have a tasting between the hours of 10:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. The staff is very personable which makes your visit more like visiting a family member. Copain Wines is perfect for a small get together to a larger event such as a wedding or a business meeting. Make sure not to miss this beautiful location if you pass through Healdsburg.

I inadverdently discovered Bucher Wines looking for an Airbnb. There they were right where I was…read moreplanning to stay for the weekend! Perfect. I needed something fun to do after hiking Armstrong Preserve. The idea of doing a tasting at a smaller boutique winery specializing in a tasty variety of Pinot Noirs sounded perfect before checking in for the evening. I could also have used a nice red for my steak dinner. John conducted the tasting, and Diane popped in to meet and greet me briefly. She explained the various locations of the varietals off the map before me. They're both super welcoming people and make you feel at home. I got a nice tour of the vineyards below, learned about vine clones and grafts. Everything sounds more interesting when the person who stays very connected to their operation is the one telling you all about it. The history of all the vineyards, the reason for certain varietals, the methods and discussion of climate effects give the wine you're about to taste more character. When it comes to reds, I usually prefer the Pinot Noirs. Bucher has an exceptional variety which is exclusively local. You can get a glass at a local restaurant, but there's no mass distribution. They rank from lighter to full bodied and take on various finishes. The price points are quite nice. I also enjoyed their savignon blanc and vin gris (light rose). These were light, crisp and refreshing- especially with the view before me. Chardonnay lovers, they have you covered also. I really enjoyed all their Pinots, but my fave was Opa's Block. It had a smooth, velvety finish- perfect for my ribeye. I don't see Grenache often either. This was another of my favorite wines. It was light, easy to sip and can even be slightly chilled on a warm day. The wines ar If you're looking for a more casual, "down-to-earth" wine tasting experience, Bucher Wines is perfect. You can learn a lot from John, and he's got stories! Enjoy all this while overlooking soft rolling hills covered with vineyard.

GREAT folks and truly impressive wines. Congratulations on the recent Best Red Wine award in San…read moreFrancisco!

We visited ACTA as part of the Wine and Food Affair and were blown away by the beautiful setting…read moreand tasty flatbreads that were on offer. This was one of our favorite stops on the wine weekend. Wines were high quality and delicious!

Acta Wines in located in the beautiful Alexander Valley. This hidden gem is definitiely worth…read morechecking out! Mark and Carter are amazing hosts! This winery is newer to Alexander Valley and we absolutely LOVED everything about this place. Incredible wines, breathtaking views, a great experience, and amazing hosts! If you are someone that likes whites and reds, they have a tasting with a nice mix of both! If you are a red wine lover, they also have a wine tasting for you! I also think that it's a very unique experience that if you choose to taste all reds, you will get to sip an Alexander Valley Cab alongside a Napa Valley Cab! Both were absolutely incredible! I highly recommend visiting this winery when in the Healdsburg area! Such an amazing winery in such a beautiful valley! You will get to sip incredible wines and get the opportunity to take home your favorites to cherish throughout the year!

If you appreciate big Zins and Cabs do yourself a favor and reserve a tasting here. The tasting fee…read moreis most reasonable at $25 per person. A Rafanelli has been on my winery bucket since the first time I experienced one of their Cabs. This is a beautiful winery in the dry creek valley. If you are driving from Napa give yourself some extra time due to traffic on 29 and going through St Helena. We had a wonderful tasting, barrel room, and cave experience. Our consierge made sure we had ample time to sample and savor each tasting. We were the only ones at this tasting so we felt like A-listers! Of course their Zins and Cabs are unbelievably good but their Merlot offering was a big surprise. There Merlot opened up beautifully and we ended up with taking home a bottle plus others. There is a great story how this winery came to be and you can read about it on their website but there is more to the story so no spoiler here.

Called to arrange for the purchase wine. It was a busy day with bottling going on. But the…read morerepresentative said she would come to the tasing house to help me with my purchase. The grounds are beautiful and the entire staff is friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this wine and this winery.

If I could, I would give this place a million stars. This is the kind of winery I love-one that…read moredoesn't have all the unnecessary frills and keeps it real. Mark is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate in what he does. You do have to make a reservation ahead of time though for tastings. But it's definitely worth it! That one-on-one attention and interaction is priceless. The barrel room in the back was so cool. I love all the cute chalk drawings on the barrels. Mark walked us through the process of wine making and we even got the chance to try some from the barrel! Mark's co-owner, his brother James, lives in Denver-just a short drive from Colorado Springs, where I live! Honestly, I don't remember which wines I liked best because I liked all of them. But we ended up getting a bottle and have been saving it for a special occasion until we get the chance to go back. Definitely looking forward to returning soon!

Father (79)/Sons (50's) trip to Sonoma in late August. We spend a Saturday in Healdsburg and our…read morefirst stop was at Blanchard. As it turned out we started at the best. Mark greeted us by the door of the tasting room/production facility which is just off the square. He spent time walking through the winery's history and how he and is brother run the business. By the end of the tasting we had talked about wine, food, music, documentaries, and much more. Mark made it feel like we were all siting around the kitchen table just talking about wine and life. I liked this setting (one group at a time with 100% participation) much more enjoyable than most other wineries we visited which have more of a bar/restaurant feeling where the server would just pour your tasting, give you the one sentence blurb they learned about it and then disappearing to help other tables for 10-15 minutes until it was time for your next pour. We started the tasting with their "White Wine" and Viognier. We then moved on to the reds including Pinot, Zin, Merlot, Malbec and Cab. They were all very well made and quite tasty. Ended up purchasing 3 bottles to go and a membership to be shipped later in the year. I'd definitely recommend others putting Blanchard on their list of places to visit in Healdsburg. Appointments are needed as Mark only does one group's tasting at a time.

Our family of five recently visited Williamson Wines using a Groupon, and we also purchased the…read morefood tasting for our teenage son. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! The wine and food pairings were exceptional. Every wine was smooth, delicious, and perfectly matched with each course. My favorite pairing was the Meritage with the lemon ricotta ravioli--it was absolutely outstanding and a combination I'll be thinking about for a long time. A special thank you to Jen, our server, who made the experience even better. She was incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable, and passionate about the wines and food. She took the time to explain each pairing and made us feel right at home. Everything about the tasting exceeded our expectations. The wines were so good that we couldn't leave without joining the wine club! If you're looking for an unforgettable wine tasting with amazing food pairings and outstanding hospitality, I highly recommend Williamson Wines. We can't wait to come back!

First time wine tasting and it was a great experience. Booked the wine and food pairing through…read moreviator! Brendan is a great server and extremely knowledgeable about wine. He described all the wines and their food pairing so well. It gave my partner and I, more understanding about how a bite or wine can complement each other and bring out a spice or other notes. The environment was very friendly and welcoming, with great natural lighting. I can see us coming back here. It's in a great area with lots of shops and restaurants. Perfect to walk around after to walk off the wine.

A beautiful venue with great friendly hosts and solid wines. We were fortunate to make a…read morereservation day of - place was moderately busy with a few parties which gave us plenty of space and opportunity to explore the grounds. They had a wonderful white wine; the Zins less my thing but still a nice body and drink. There's a parking lot and one ev charging spot as well.

To the point. Truly lovely setting. I could've stayed all day…read more Wines were good, not great. The gentleman serving us was very knowledgeable about the wines, but sounded very rote, as if he'd said the same thing hundreds of times. We'd prepaid for the tastings so not obligated to buy anything which is good because nothing at the $50 - $75 per bottle price point tasted good enough to us. Beautiful day, nice time.