Pizza not so much ran out of pretzels. The owner Phil and the wine maker Igor, busted a groove taking care of the crowd. Music by Untangled band was great. Great setting in the redwoods with the vines in front. The wines are very good to excellent. $$$ 30 to 65 depends on your taste. Got tickets at the artichoke festival. Very nice afternoon indeed. read more

August, 2021, I spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon wine tasting and listening to live music at the Pelican Ranch Winery on Bean Creek Road. The owner, Phil, went out of his way to be accommodating and found me a seat, even though I arrived without a prior reservation. Our server, Jesse, was very pleasant also. Tanya did an excellent job of outlining the history of the winery for those of us seated at the table. I'm no wine connoisseur; but to my uneducated palate the Pinotage seemed excellent. I plan to return another time to sample their other varietals. Parking can be a problem if you arrive late; so best plan to get there early... A pleasantly surprised local, read more

We visited Pelican Ranch in late May 2018, around Memorial Day. We did the library tasting and overall, we were very impressed. We tasted over 20 wines. Many of these were said to be rare bottles. We spent around $20 a person for the tasting and between $60-70 for the two bottles. Here's the deal, the tasting experience was phenomenal. We tasted and enjoyed nearly everything. We enjoyed it so much, we decided to support the business and purchase two bottles that we enjoyed during the tasting. The reason for my two star rating, is that first bottle we opened, which was a 2010 Santa Cruz Syrah, was bad. It tasted extremely high of VA (Vinegar). So I wrote that bottle off as bad luck. No big deal, right? I then proceeded to open the second bottle we purchased, hoping that this time the experience would bring us back to the awesome experience we had during the library tasting. The second bottle was a 2011 Fiddletown Zinfandel labeled as "Lost Barrel". Much to our dismay, this bottle had the exact same issue. It had gone bad and tasted very high of VA (Vinegar). So again, maybe it was bad luck. However, we were very disappointed that the bottles we purchased, didn't represent what we tasted in the tasting room. read more

Hello, my fellow winos. Do you like wine produced in small batches (only 1000 cases a year)? Do you like wine made by someone who doesn't make wine for a living, just for a passion (who I had the privilege of meeting and getting all my tastes poured by)? The owner is in fact, a chemistry professor at UC Santa Cruz and also teaches an intro to wine and wine chemistry class. Sign me up! The tasting room, in all its chaotic glory, is in the same warehouse where they make the wine and the owner even pulled out his wine IQ game during the tasting to check our level of competence. It was an educational experience as well as a supreme tasting. The wines: 2007 Chardonnay, Dry Creek Valley, Kreck Vineyard: Not a big fan of whites, but this chard was really impressive. It didnt have any buttery taste, but a nice toasty feel to it. 2007 Gewurztraminer - Monterey, Rio Del Vista Vineyard: a really lovely smell, like roses and something tropical, but not slightly dry and acidic to taste. 2007 Pinot Noir , Santa Rita Hills, Babcock Vineyard: This is one of their best wines, and of course most expensive at $45 a bottle. Nice berry luscious flavor, beautiful color and quite silky going down. 2006 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard: When I see something this light in color I usually run the other way, but I stuck with it and had a taste - it was a lovely fig induced splash of color with exponential food friendliness potential. Raspberry wine: throw some semi sweet chocolate chips and stick a knife in me and I'm RIP with a smile. I don't know how they captured that fresh raspberry taste, but they done good. WOW. And with chocolate together? WOWNESS maxed out. read more

Pelican Ranch Winery - a variety of wines - Wineries Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

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Maybe 2.5 to be nice since it's a smaller winery, but the service and lack of wine knowledge of our pourer is where this place is getting their ding. Highlights: - Tasted a lot of wines--I believe 6 or more. I was daunted by the line of wines that greeted us at the tasting bar as we walked in. - Raspberry wine: too sweet for me but definitely different--tasted like a chambord but made from chardonnay and raspberries. My friend and the hub loved it and we took home a bottle. - Snacks: very low key and open-housey placed on paper plates on the side of the room but good big grainy crackers, some little squares of orange cheese, as well a pasta (pretty random) that I hear was good as well. - Price: tasting was only $3 but we had our passport that day and they had extra passports for our one friend who didn't get one at Storrs. - My friend could bring her dog in Lowlights (my flip side to highlights): - Service: the guy who poured our wines didn't explain any of them--he just poured. They weren't even busy and he looked bored but we still had to read the paper in front of us while he just stood there waiting for us to drink up. When we asked a few questions, he stared at us blankly. We didn't even ask any stumpers. Luckily the lady at the cashier seemed to know more and came in to pinch-answer rescue style. I think if we take the time to come out to your winery, at least have the courtesy to give us an experience and talk about your wines. Yes, we're there to drink but we want to hear about your wines. Besides the wines themselves, the people that work there represent your winery. Even devoid of wine knowledge, maybe try and be pleasant or friendly. I heard later that a professor owns this winery and has his students pour there for credit. I don't have a problem with that, as long as they are educated on the wines and can explain them to potential customers. - Atmosphere: Like we were tasting in someone's small garage--complete with the steel-like accordion orange garage door we could see covering half of the high wide door entry - Wines: none were to my taste and some were even quite watery So it may only be that one guy and he was just putting in his time, but I didn't care for the wines so I'll probably not be back. read more

Pelican Ranch Winery - The doorway into the tasting room - Wineries Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Zak & I just love going here and chatting it up with Peg! We even met her brother one one randomly rare day when he was in the tasting room. THAT day was unforgettable. He had walked us through the tasting and we were really interested in how they came to make certain blends etc. He then asked if I'd had their Raspberry Dessert wine - nope. They were fermenting some currently and he offered to show us. I knew VERY LITTLE at that time about the wine making process so all he had to do was say Raspberry wine & lift the lid of the barrel and away I went - FULL SNIFFER up to the barrel! YOWCH!!! I told Peg this last visit that if I knew what it felt like to actually snort cocaine and feel that burn? I'm about certain that THIS was that burn times 10! haha i just rememeber Peg's brother as well as Zak saying that you dont get that close to fermenting wine and you sure's heck don't need to take such a big whiff! Whoopsy Lesson learned. So the fun side of this story is that just last weekend we went in for another tasting with friends & i got to taste the Wine that was fermenting on that visit. It was MUCH sweeter to my sniffer & we even walked away with our own bottle. They always have tasty blends there at Pelican that we can count on for an excellent addition to a dinner party or a nice picnic at the beach! read more

Had a great experience with Phil the owner really great guy and passionate about his wine making, you can tell he loves what he does he has the heart of a teacher and i learned a lot plus he's a small wine maker/business owner with awesome wine here support your small local wineries!! cheers!! read more

It's always good to try products that are very local to you. From Capitola, Pelican Ranch represented locally at a dinner I attended. We got to try: -NV Maritime White Blend -2011 Rose of Pinot Noir - Monterey -2010 Chardonnay - Santa Cruz -2009 Grenache - San Anselmo -2009 Pinot Noir - Santa Cruz -2008 Chardinnay - Santa Lucia -2011 Rose of Pinot Noir - Amador -Raspberry Dessert Wine It was a crazy array of selections. Now as taste always is, it was fairly subjective with what we did and didnt like. I happened to be sitting next to a sommelier from a high end restaurant and it was interesting to see how different our opinions were. It was unanimous amongst the group the Raspberry wine was so different and tasty. The Grenache was a bit on the oxidized end. Being summer I guess the mood dictated the Rose's as the winners. The folks are very nice, especially Peg, one of the Sales reps. 3.5 stars read more

We've had some very nice wines from these folks.. including some great surprise vertical tastings on Passport Program days. (Passport Program is a Santa Cruz Mtn. Winegrowers Assoc. event 4 times a year... check it out at www.scmwa.com) ... more than that, this is a great place for folks who want to know more about the winemaking process and terrior. The winemaker here loves to talk to folks who visit about where the grapes for each bottling come from, the flavor profiles, what's typical of the region etc... I'm more of a red drinker but I've found nice Chardonnay's here. And don't forgot to stop by Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing for some beer tasting while you're here. They are right around the corner from the Pelican Ranch tasting room in the Swift Street Courtyard. read more

I am a member of their wine club so I enjoy their wines. Some of their prices are a bit high for what you get. One thing I thought was funny is that their wines taste better in the tasting room. I buy the same bottle and get it home & for some reason, it doesn't taste as good. But I like them and want to support it. I don't think you need to have good wine tasting in a winery to be fun. I love that they've opened up a number of winery tasting areas in one safe area. I wish more places would do that. So I give them extra points for being on the cutting edge. They were the first. And all of the wineries in that area work together and help one another. I also love that about them. read more

Dare I say Raspberry desert wine? Oh, it is tasty... I've been a long time Pelican Wine Club member and really like the wines Phil and crew put out. Their strongest are their chards and pinots which they produce from a couple of different regions. Occasionally they have other surprises that they are pouring or are part of the wine club shipment. Phil the owner is a chemistry professor up at UCSC and as part of his wine club, he puts on an interesting twist to an event. He has people get together and design their own blend. Then people do a blind taste test and choose a winner. Most everyone at Pelican is friendly and personable. There was a period of time last year where they had an individual working for them that lacked in the customer service department, but that person is long gone. If you have had a bad experience service wise, I would say go back and try them again. Nice people, good wines, reasonable prices. read more

Awful Rose at at premium price point. I love Rose of Pinot Noir. Tried several times- ugh!

Pelican Ranch makes great wines, is a small, local operation, and is always a fun visit. Pelican Ranch is on my "must see" winery tour of the Santa Cruz mountains. It's on the north side of town, so if you're heading up to the much larger Bonny Doon winery, stop by Pelican Ranch to get an idea of the other end of the scale. The winemaker (I've met him a couple times but can't remember his name, probably because I'm usually throwing his wine down my throat) is really nice and you can tell he just loves what he does. You'll see Pelican Ranch represented at most local wine-related events. If you want to go to a wine-themed night at a local restaurant (Michael's and Shadowbrook have them), Pelican Ranch is a good one to go to. I had the same experience as Shanna K - not usually a white drinker but really like their Chardonnays. Many of their wines are priced $20 to $30, with some of the Pinots in the $40 range. I think this would be a good wine club to join because it's a small winery and you could really get a lot out of a membership with them. They are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to five. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! 1. They are right off of Hwy 1, easy to get to and not in the mountains. Not the most beautiful of settings but it's cute next lots of barrels and really it's fine. 2. Peggy who is mostly there is one of the sweetest, personable, intelligent, fun people I've met at a winery. She continues to remember me every time. 3. They are really informative, educating those (me) about wine, where their grapes are from, etc, and not in that boring snobby way. 4. The pours aren't measured ounce for ounce like hoarders. 5. The bottles are reasonable and I like several though not all of their wines. Decent prices on the bottles. 6. Beer tasting is only like 30 feet away, great little way to spend part of the afternoon with a friend, tasting, for like 5 dollars for both places. 7. About 7 wines, mostly red, with a desert framboise wine severd with a little piece of chocolate - yum! Also, it may not be the fanicest place, but if you go that just doesn't end up being such a big deal. read more

I like Pelican Ranch Winery. The owners are very friendly and helpful & the wines are usually tasty. They serve one of the few Rose wines that I have actually enjoyed. 2 stars deducted because: 1. their small tasting room is in an industrial area overlooking a parking lot. It's not junky by any means - it has artwork inside and you can see the wine barrels - but Ive tasted in nicer settings. 2. their wines are rarely fantastic and sometimes below average. I have to say though that I go out of my way to support these smaller family-run wineries. They provide a rich & intimate tasting experience that can't be matched by any megawinery. read more

I will start off by saying that I haven't tasted their wines, this review is based on service (or lack thereof) alone. Some friends went wine tasting with my husband and I. We'd planned out all the places we'd go to, and this was the last stop. It was a good thirty minutes before closing time. We are walking up to the door and were about 20 feet away when the lady doing the pouring SCREAMS at us "I've stopped pouring for today!!" We kind of stood there for a second, not quite sure what to do. She screams AGAIN "I stopped pouring!" And then ..."There's a bar around the corner!!" What? I understand if you've had a long day, and you want to go home. Especially if it's the end of the day and you are used to people being quite drunk at that point. We were not drunk in the slightest. And you could have waited until we actually got to the door and said "I'm sorry, but we're done pouring for the day" The winery was NOT crowded. There was ONE couple there. TWO people. It's a small place, but four more people would have not been difficult to fit. Further, most wineries that I have visited near closing time still let you in up until it's actually closing time. You are more likely to sell a bottle if you let someone in. We probably could have been done with the flight by the time to close up, so she still would have gotten to leave on time. But the last comment was really nasty, rude, and totally unwarranted. Based on that alone we will not come back again. read more

It's true that Pelican Ranch's location in a semi-industrial warehouse facing a parking lot puts it at something of a disadvantage when compared to the spectacular settings of most Santa Cruz Mountain wineries. However, this is more than made up for by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the service here. The owner himself, a jovial professor of marine biology at UCSC, poured all our wine, and also didn't mind that we showed up but a scant few minutes before closing time. Plus, there was free chocolate. And the warehouse setting even feels quite intimate in a quirky way, at least after a few pours. Wines were pretty good, especially the Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, which we walked away with some bottles of. Overall, not a place to take out-of-towners on an SC winery tour, but a great spot to be a regular at. read more

Interestingly I really like this area, maybe it is because there is a cute boutique and a lovely bakery nearby but I stopped in since I have not gone "wine tasting" since the time Megan and I stopped and actually used our spittoon this one time on our way back from Estes Park in CO. (Actually we went one other time in Georgetown and we didn't have to use the spit buckets then which was nice.) So anyways, of course I walk in there thinking obvi I will stop by. A lovely lady greeted me and I paid $3 to try as many wines as I liked (as long as there were offered that day). So I probably tried 6 or 7 which was nice. They outsource there grapes but produce the wine right there on site. This tasting room is pretty small so they only produce very small case productions. Grapes come from various strong wine regions of CA. Monterey - Arroyo Seco area, Santa Barbara area, etc... I learned that Gold Country is another place they get their grapes from. To be honest not too many of the wines were memorable. A couple of their Pinots and their only Syrah were a bit too peppery from my liking but would go well with peppered salami or steak encrusted in pepper. Their Chards were ok but I thought they were a bit too mineral-ly for my liking. The only wine that really stood out was the Raspberry Desert Wine not bad. Recommended to pair with chocolate, I'd rather pour it over some vanilla ice cream or some kind of warm bread pudding. read more

I'm gonna be honest, I was disappointed when they moved from their location on the West Side, but I was pleasantly surprised about how nice and easy to get to their new location is! My girlfriend and I have been wine-tasting here a few times before, but this last trip was so much fun I had to write a review. We were served by a younger dude (Mitch?) who was awesome. It was refreshing not being talked to condescendingly, as we are young and most wineries act like we're wasting their time. The real highlights were the raspberry desert wine (AMAZING) and the pinot noir. I wish I could have walked away with a few cases, but the few bottles we got will have to do until the next time we drop by. read more

The wines here are on the pricey side and not nearly as tasty as the ones we had tasted throughout the day yesterday on our Passport Saturday Santa Cruz wine tour. We tasted the following: '07 Viognier - no thanks '07 Chardonnay - good '07 Gewurztraminer - dry, good '06 Pinot Noir - yummy but $45 a bottle! '06 Syrah - eewww '05 Zinfandel - Red Bell pepper, even, unoffensive, more tannins the more you drink it Raspberry - Heritage: Pure Jam! We didn't end of buying anything here. Instead we went around the corner to the bakery and got something there (I think we were inspired by the Raspberry wine and it made us want a tart). We then headed over to the other side and bought something at the Santa Cruz brewery (to go of course). read more

Had a lot of fun at Pelican Ranch. The gentleman who was pouring for us was friendly and funny, but I'm sorry to say that I don't really like their wines. There was a tasting fee and I think I bought a bottle of their gewurtz. According to their website, the Pelican Ranch gewurtz is dry, with the aroma of lychees and scented roses. Since I had to use their website to jog my memory, I'd say that the wine was not worth remembering. 2 stars instead of 1 because of the service. read more

We had such a wonderful time with Tanya! She was very knowledgeable about the wines served and also gave us the history about the winemaker. We got to try their hybrid Chardonnays. We enjoyed our visit. read more

Go see the mad scientist and get some barrel tastings. Pelican Ranch wines are all made on site and you're always treated like family. Known for their Burgundy/Rhone style wines, Pelican Ranch never ceases to produce fresh new takes on Pinot Noir and Chardonnays: Also the only winery in the areas that makes a Torrontes and a Cinsault Blanc. Epic. The End! read more

My wife and I used to be wine club members for many years. This used to be the greatest winery around, and there was really one major reason for this; a guy named Mac. He used to be an employee there and on the nights when he worked, the place had a Cheers-like atmosphere. There would always be a large crowd of wine club members and people coming to try wine. The place would be filled with spirited conversation, and laughter. About a half a year ago, the owner, Phil, fired Mac because Mac got fed up with the owners entitled millennial son and his friends always leaving a huge mess whenever they worked and decided to speak out about it. Phil then replaced Mac with a couple employees who have the personality of a wet sponge; one mousey little thing who only ever robotically lists off the wines and their qualities (no other conversation), and another know-it-all lady who is too busy pouring out her opinion to remember to pour wine. You'll sit there for 20 minutes between tiny little 1 oz pours listening to her talk on and on before she remembers to do her job. Yeah, the wine is good but the old atmosphere is dead. The only saving grace is a lady named Tanya who is pretty awesome. So, if you know exactly what you want, then it's worth popping in to buy a bottle. Don't bother going in for tasting anymore unless Tanya is there though. And Phil, if you are reading this, know that you really messed up when you fired Mac. He was the special something that made your winery the best in the area. Yeah, your wine is good but there are hundreds of wineries in NorCal. Having Mac there was the one thing that really set you guys apart. read more

Pelican Ranch is definitely one of my favorite wineries- they have wonderful tastings with ample pours and yummy snacks, and the wine is really just delicious. Their chardonnays are wonderful as is the raspberry dessert wine. The owners are a husband and wife and so warm and kind (I was obsessed with this goat cheese dip she had made and begged for the recipe, which she was kind enough to write down for me on the back of a menu- its now my classic go-to appetizer). Its also adjacent to Kelly's Bakery, so its a perfect place to spend an afternoon. read more

Love these guys!!!! The raspberry wine is what started us going here but the Zinfandel has kept us coming back. Peg in the tasting room is amazing. We love heading down to visit her on Saturdays. Sunday's Mac is there who is just as fun to talk with. Peggy and Phil who own the place are great. Phil is always ready to impart new wine knowledge to us. I highly suggest joining the wine club as the events are great- everyone who goes is great. read more

came here a couple of times, tried a number of wines, but don't remember its been about 4 months ago the last time we came wtih a group of friends to do some wine tasting @ this 1 stop spot. we did go home with a couple of bottles: '07 pinot noir santa rita hills babcock vineyard -- yummy, just enjoyed that a couple of nights ago. heritage raspberry port wine -- delish w/ some dark chocolate read more

Small place but good wines. Our wine pourer was awesome. Not sure what his name was. The guy with the cool hair.

It's not your typical wine tasting experience but I think once you taste and visit with the staff you will be pleasantly suprised by the product. Make this the last stop on long road trip or wine tasting trip through the mountains. Most of their wines pair well with a special meal. I especially liked their Chardonnay. It's a typical California Chardonnay, which they do well. read more

Excellent and reasonably priced wine, knowledgable & friendly servers. Truly one of the best wineries in the area!

If you are a fan of good wine and awesome service, Pelican Ranch Winery is a must visit when in the Capitola area. This past weekend my friends and I decided to visit some of our local tasting rooms. We were all pleasantly surprised when we visited Pelican Ranch Winery. Tanya was very knowledgeable in all of the wines she served us as well as answered any questions my friends came up with regarding various growing regions. The wines were awesome, the Pinotette (?) and raspberry dessert wine were the best. (Can't wait to try it as Tanya suggest, with vanilla ice cream and shaved dark chocolate.) What was so nice about Pelican Ranch was the intimate setting. We loved that this is a small intimate tasting room, with someone pouring who truly acted like she enjoyed our company. The wines were really good, the location was easy to get to. We all waked away with 4 bottles of wines and looking forward to returning. read more

This is the most welcoming wine tasting room in the Santa Cruz area and well worth the visit. The wine maker Phil is a world renowned chemist and this directly translates into complex wines worthy of a wine club. Overall, Pelican Ranch is quite a gem. read more

A wonderful small family-operated winery with zero snob factor. Not to be missed, especially when Phil, the owner and the winemaker (a professor of chemistry, not marine biology), is around if you want to learn more about anything wine-related. But even if he isn't, we never were disappointed. It has to be one of the most informal and low-key wineries around. The location is not spectacular, but consider it part of the charm. The wines are never disappointing, especially the whites. read more