Ian was our host for our tasting and made our experience at Orin Swift outstanding. The wines were excellent . Truly a great visit read more

What can I say about Orin Swift wines other then they are my jam... every wine is smooth and the tastings are affordable. They have knowledge staff who are very nice. Maverick was awesome. If your in St. Helena's make sure to stop here. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

Tastings at Orin Swift Cellars never disappoint! Over the weekend we returned for a tasting and once again really enjoyed the experience. Ian and Allie took care of us and customized the tasting to our preferences. Every time we come we learn something we didn't know before we came and this was no exception. We love these wines, their stories, and this experience. Well done Orin Swift! read more

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The history of the winery and the art behind the labels is pretty cool. The winery itself is suppose to be an alley. That's why it's so narrow and has no cell service. The art on the labels is inspired by Dave Phinney and his travels around the word. The staff told us about how he created the labels and the stories are amazing and creative! I'm more a cheap wine person so the wines here were a little too upscale for me, but there was a couple I liked. Overall, this place has some pretty cool history. Go check it out. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

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What a surprise this was for us. Very good wine in a very busy location. Parking is not easy to be had, but once you've parked, make sure you stop in here. Very good wine, but also very elusive, as we got to taste three or four that they had no supply of to sell us. The offered to get us on the list for the next release, but we had to commit to buying six bottles. It's so good that we're thinking about it, but it's an expensive commitment. To conclude this short review, stop in, check it out, taste the good stuff, buy what you can, think about the club, and all the best. "Bones" poured for us, and he was patient and helpful, explaining the art on the labels as well as the philosophy of the wine maker. Again, great! read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

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If you like wine history then you'll enjoy this winery since it offers great history but more importantly great wine!! It's all very good - Machete, Papillon, Mannequin, Abstract plus much more. Dave Phinney was a lovely person and really enjoys what he's doing. He's got history of producing great tasting and great value wines, he was the mastermind behind The Prisoner wine, too. He enjoys marketing too, so their labels and route to market are really cool. He signed my bottle for me too. This tasting room was well situated albeit quiet when we arrived it filled up over lunchtime. The server was great too, knowledgable about the wine and the history. Orin Swift seems to have a tight knit family of workers which is nice and as members you get to feel a tiny bit of that too. The wines are a tad expensive by USA average standards but they're so worth the money, the Machete is probably $40+ and highly rated but simply delicious. Although I might have a limited wine tasting history this place has to be my favourite winery. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Signed 2015 Machete - Red wine. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

Can't say enough about the tasting representative we encountered at Orin Swift! She was so knowledgeable and the stories she told will have us going on about labels at our tables for centuries! Very thankful for we stopped in. Go Titans! read more

My absolute favorite winery in St. Helena. The tasting room was such a unique atmosphere. They have 4 different flights you can pick from. You can only try one per visit. So of course I had to come back a second day on my last trip there. All of the wines I tasted were amazing, it was so hard to choose a bottle to buy. I buy their wines at wine and spirits so I can get my Orin Swift fix back at home! read more

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I was disappointed in the wine tasting . We use to love Orin swift but this felt like the cooperate takeover they are! They are not near as friendly and personal as many vineyards in the area are. Also I can buy their same wines in my home town much cheaper . That was very disappointing to me . Why would I pay more here and pay for shipping when I make a journey across the country to patronize them . A lot of vineyards will comp your tasting if you buy there wines . Here they want to to spend $300 per person to comp the tastings. Go some where else on you trip to Napa . read more

My wife and I visited Orin Swift over Labor Day weekend and had an absolute blast! Ian did a wonderful job telling us all about the wine and the ideas behind the wine. The stories of Orin Swift are quite interesting and would recommend going to visit. If you get the chance ask for Ian he truly made our experience wonderful! Thanks again Ian! Sam and Ashley read more

Not your typical winery tasting room, but it's location in downtown St Helena means you don't have to arrange transportation. This room is very stylish and fun, the folks serving are knowledgeable and engaging, and the wines are amazing - worth the stop! If you do go, splurge for the Finite Few tasting- you will not regret it. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Orin Swift yesterday- Ian was amazing and as to be expected, so was the wine. We were excited to try a few of the wines that we'd never hd before and they did not disappoint. I loved all of the stories about each bottles name or label had a cool story - my husband who is a graphic designer was in love with everything and if you ever read this Dave Finney, he would love to have a glass of wine or bourbon with you - thanks for the excellent experience and the excellent wine read more

Incredible tasting and facilitator Ian. The wines, the labels and the stories behind the naming of each wine was the most exhilarating tasting along with the wine labels, wine quality, and ORIN's unique focus on both the industry and his persona. Been to over 70 wine tasking mostly in Sonoma and Napa and the occasional central valley of California. I have been associated in the wine industry since before PC's had hard disks when I worked at Gallo as their first PC coordinator. Met my wife of 35 years there who worked on both the Bartle's and James campaign and then was promoted to the associate admin for Ernest Gallo and his chef setting up tastings of both food and wine. Comparing Totts vs Dom Perignon was my favorite as I got the leftovers! I want one of the LUCITE explosions so please connect back with me as I have left a message and want to surprise my wife of 35 years anniversary in a couple months. IAN, you were phenomenal (as long as you did not sell the final LUCITE explosion) !!! I would be happy with either the single or double bottle and if you could include a meeting with Orin at some point, that would be priceless. (Note: I am not saying I would pay!) Cheers. David Harrison read more

Our time at Orin Swift today was an absolute blast, and we have Ian to thank for that! We did both the Heads and Tails tasting and were lucky to have Ian there to guide us through them. He was so knowledgeable but also made the tasting so much FUN! If you venture to Orin Swift for a tasting, make sure to request Ian for a fun time. read more

I really enjoy the wines at orin swift, especially the Abstract, Palermo, and the Mercury Head. True, they sold their most popular wine, the Prisoner..but their other selections are just as good, maybe even better. Not sure why there's a lot of negative reviews here. I definitely understand how some people might not like this place. It's a small tasting room, literally a bar in a shopping area. Place can get crowded and it was kinda stuffy in there that I felt they needed to turn up the AC. Like I said, good thing I like their wines. The service was good too especially since we had a large party. Our pourer McCoy, I think that was his name, was very patient and gave good pours. He also gave us a complimentary surprise because we were there for a birthday. Would return just to buy some of the exclusive wines. read more

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Love, Love Orin Swift Wines! We tried wines from the Finite and Library Tastings. I absolutely fell in love with the story behind Veladora. A cause that supports immigrant workers. I love when business gives back. read more

Went to orin swift without a reservation (not really expecting to get in) and had the absolute best time with Mark!! Can't speak highly enough of not only the place but the service as well. They really have one of the best and Mark was so friendly but also so knowledgeable about the wines and was an amazing storyteller! Can't recommend more, definitely come here!! read more

My husband and I stopped by Orin Swift after lunch in downtown St. Helena. Like many of its fans, we'd heard of the winery because someone once gave us a bottle of Prisoner. Since we found ourselves a block away, we decided to walk in for a tasting. The place was busy, but we didn't need an appointment and were served immediately. The space was very attractive, chic and cozy, compact but comfortable. Unlike a lot of St. Helena wineries, Orin Swift's location is just a tasting room--no grounds or anything, and the visit doesn't take long. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly--we were helped by a pretty woman with short hair and a nose ring (didn't get her name), and she was great, just really nice and on top of everything. There were three flights available for tasting, two at $10 and one at $20. We split the Tails Flight and The Finite Few, and these were both fun, with four wines each, poured side by side. The pours were sized so we could both get substantial samples of every wine. The Tails Flight included the 2013 Mannequin (chardonnay), the 2013 Palermo (cabernet), the 2013 D66 (grenache blend), and the NV Muté (dessert wine). The Finite Few brought out the 2014 Veladora (sauvignon blanc), the 2014 Slander (pinot noir), the 2013 Mercury Head (cab), and the 2013 Machete (petite syrah). We liked pretty much all of these, and walked out with a bottle each of the Mannequin and the Palermo. Not quite enough to get tasting fees waived, but worth it. I look forward to drinking both. I get the sense that Orin Swift is a young, hip winery, with good wines at affordable (if not cheap) prices and visually interesting branding. It felt less like the product of a rich white dude's retirement hobby than most of the other places we visited. Not that there's anything wrong with wineries with infinite budgets, but this was a neat variation, and I enjoyed our tastings immensely. read more

Orin Swift was our first tasting experience after a harrowing twelve hour journey that started in Philadelphia and ended in St. Helena. Needless to say, we were ready for some wine! The gentleman who led us through our tasting was so nice and really great with handling a few groups at once. My mom and I each tried a different tasting and shared everything. To be completely honest, we weren't really in love with any of the wines. Until we tried a small taste of a red that was out of this world. Looking at the website, I want to say it was probably the Mercury Head Cab Sauv. Worth going to Orin Swift for a tasting alone. Though the wines weren't home runs for me on that visit, I really liked the tasting room and vibe and would check it out again in the future. read more

I first encountered their "Prisoner" blend a couple of years ago at Epic Roasthouse in SF. At first I thought about the old British Television series where Patrick McGoohan yells "I am not a number! I am a free man!" Turns out it was actually based on the painting by the last of the "old masters" Francisco Goya. Weight, length, structure, complexity? It's all there if you are patient enough to let it breathe for a good while after opening.... read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

Disappointed Tasting is okay but very commercial and no personal touch. Worker spent time talking up other group and left us standing waiting for next pour. I recommend you skip this place. read more

Pretty awesome little winery with 80s/90s baby music playing loved the experience! Had more relaxing music playing inside but we preferred the 90s hip hop and rap outside service was good, the young woman working was very knowledgeable and kind. Wine wasn't anything to write home about but overall a nice morning of wine tasting. Thank you! read more

Our Orin Swift adventures started with our love for The Prisoner. We were sad when it was sold to a different winery.. Not as good! To our extreme delight, every single wine we tasted were phenomenal, even better than the earlier vintages of Prisoner!! We enjoyed Abstract 2011, D66, Triggerfiger, etc. was a bummer not to be able to taste Mercuryhead... Someday! We WILL be back. We will recommend to anyone. And we have become members of one of their clubs. (I had tears of happiness while trying most of the wines) They know what they're doing with reds and red blends! read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

Took my best friend for his bachelor party, this has been his favorite winemaker for some time. Not only was the girl who served us incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about the wine, but she was also very appreciative of the regular business myself and my friend has with Orin Swift. (He has about 50 bottles in his cellar alone of Dave Phinney wines) She also told us about a few other ventures Dave has started, we are excited to try them out. Great choices to try out different wines, only thing missing was baguettes and balsamic! But thank you so much for making the grooms day, and Dave you should give her a raise! read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Charlie's first trip to Orin Swift - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

What a visit. I'm surprised by the 4-star rating that Orin Swift currently holds at the time of this review. This was our second spot for our group of 8 and Leighanne was AMAZING. She handled 3 different tasting requests with ease (we tried all of them and shared amongst the couples in the group...). The wines were fantastic and, believe it or not, were the favorite stop that day after Alpha Omega and Chateau Montelena. Loved the rebel vibe inside of here, the artwork, and of course the wine. They were balanced and overall very enjoyable. Ordered quite a bit of the rose and am so excited to enjoy on the patio this summer. The reds were great and all would make unique gifts with stories behind the label, and of course, the wine. read more

Just tasted the 2009 Orin Swift Abstract. At first I didn't want to open it because I thought it might be a little young but boy was I wrong! Big, Bold, Spicy & ready to drink. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - 2009 Orin Swift Abstract. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

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I can't tell if I truly like all of their wines or not. Some of it is too sweet but their D66 wine is really yummy. This is a small tasting room. Staff is friendly and happy to share information about the winemaker and his unique take on winemaking. Really fun labels on the bottles - all image based. read more

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Had an absolutely outstanding time! Ian provided us a very relaxed environment to take the fantastic wines of Orin swift. He was knowledgeable and passionate about the wines we were tasting and gave us an in depth history to the label. He did an absolutely fantastic job, made one of our experiences the best in Napa. read more

Came here today and sampled three flights ( a total of 9 wines) which came out to be $40 . The service was great . I must warn you though there is no seating . The tasting room is very hip . The music selection was a bit strange though . I.e - Ja rule circa 2002 strange . As for the wines ....8 out of 9 were amazing . The 9th was a good Grenache and I'm not really Grenache fan . My favorites were the china doll , a rose, lots of ripe berries , strawberry raspberry , floral notes , white rose and peonies , and the veladora , a Sauvignon blanc , with honeydew , white and yellow peaches . Both wines were very light in tannins / acid And we're really well balanced overall . I was bit bummed that the wines I wanted to buy were actually sold out ( china doll and veladora ) but other than that it was a great experience . Orin swift remains my favorite wineries , Or rather wine companies since they don't actually own any vineyards I found out . P.s- Dave please don't sell !!! read more

Great wines, friendly staff and pet friendly! A new twist on wines and fun labels! Highly would recommend

My very favorite wine maker and could not be happier I got to taste there! Katherine was our gracious host and told us all about the wines we were tasting. They have a head's and a tails flight for 15$ each with 4 wines each on them with some of the more familiar wines he makes, like Abstract, Palermo, Papillon, Machete etc. We went with the 25$ tasting which included 2016 Veladora Sauv. Blanc, so smooth not your typical Sauv blanc! Loved this one and the bottle price is $28 so reasonable. The 2015 Trigger Finger is a Grenache very small in production. You can only get it there so grab a bottle or two before you go. 100 yr old grapes on central coast. My bf liked the 2015 Slander, a Pinot. It was great. Again another no Pinot drinker turned Pinot lover but only up here in Napa. Nice balanced not jammy. $42 I loved the 2014 Mercury Head!!! My favorite of the day. Napa Cab. $120 bottle ouch but worth it. To finish it off try the NV Mute' Calif. Dessert Wine $30 bottle and pairs perfectly with chocolate. The tasting room is small, long but narrow. No sales area with trinkets to buy. They do have some pretty cool hand painted skateboards around that are probably not for sale. The art on his bottles is incredible. Thoughtful, artistic and he is hands down a brilliant wine maker. Love what he does and thrilled I got to taste there. read more

McCoy "Bones" Ayers was iut fun and informative server. 100% of the proceexs from the Sauvignon Blanc go to a local charity. It was a nice light wine. All of the wines were excellent. Sadly...the one I liked the most was sold out. As was one other on the flight I tasted. It was disappointing to enjoy a wine without the chance of purchacing. Cool fraphic labels created by the wine maker. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wines with very cool labels. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

I can't explain the shear genius of these wines! Every example that he produces stands alone as an excellent representation of wine should be. There are no corners cut or values overlooked and I am continually impressed & blown away with what I experience when drinking any of his wines. So happy to be a fan! read more

Nice tasting $15 or $25 as opposed to $50 to $75 tasings around. Sampled all that they have Love Mercury head Great staff would suggest this if in town read more

Honestly our least favorite of the trip. We love Orin swift wines and were excited to stop in! The servers were not enthusiastic and it genuinely didn't feel like they wanted to pass on the love of Orin Swift wines. They were kind though! Just kind of blah is how I'd describe the whole experience. The wines spoke for themselves so I stick with 4 stars read more

Rude service here. We walked in 5 minutes after the last tasting. I was completely ignored even though I was standing at the counter. Finally I asked if he could squeeze two people in and I clearly annoyed him. The answer was 'if you hurry, our last tasting was five minutes ago.' Well, if he would have acknowledged me when we walked in five minutes ago, we would have made his cut off! What a complete turn off. There are plenty of wine Tasting rooms in this town. I think we will go somewhere else where they would like our business. read more

Orin Swift Cellars - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - St. Helena, California

Wine was delicious and Jacque was fantastic! We got the history of the winery, the wines and just all the information we could want or need! Highly recommend and request Jacque! read more

Closed when they say they are open. I used to love this place but it seems they have succumbed to Covid when literally everyone else is wide open. What a turnoff. There are MANY other amazing options around so don't waste your time. It's a good thing Orin sold that one wine years ago so he could do nothing the rest of his years. read more

We drove over an hour from Lakeport. Unfortunately we got delayed and didn't arrive until just 2 minutes before the tasting room closed. We literally sprinted up to the door and a lady greeted us and said they were closing soon but we might be able to buy a couple bottles. We had 5 people and we were planning to but at least a bottle each, we even told that we'd make it worth their while if they stayed open (even though at this point it still wasn't even technically closed). She returned and politely told us they would not able to sell us anything. Whattttt??? First of all you aren't closed yet, second we drove an hour, third we were going to spend real money. What kind of establishment cares so little about their customers ? Why even have a tasting room if you don't care about your customers. There a lot of good wine producers, I'll be fine never drinking this wine again. read more

Could not leave without visit one of the best winemakers in Napa Dave Phiney. There staff are absolutely one of the most knowledgeable servers. Thank you for the experience! read more

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