Retzlaff Vineyards in Livermore is a terrific spot to hang out on a nice day. We stopped by this oasis in the middle of rural-suburban sprawling Livermore for wine tasting and a picnic and appreciated its well-kept grounds and really, really nice people working there. We brought our own picnic lunch and sampled 7 of their great wines sitting and chatting on one of the many picnic tables on their property. Your choice of sun or shade. Our tasting experience was great with the wine tasting flight: It ranged from white to rosé to full body red, and they are the only certified organic winery in the area, as I understand. They had a live musician named Chris Rogers singing and playing the guitar; don't forget to tip him. If you don't bring your own food, don't worry, they have a caterer on-site to buy from. You can also sit at their tables if you buy a couple of bottles instead of doing the tasting. I noticed they also have comedy shows once a month in the summer and hope I can check that out. If you are looking for a relaxing day outdoors with great wine, live music, and a welcoming atmosphere, it is a fantastic place to visit. read more

Had an enjoyable time here with my family. It was our second time here, and we returned because we enjoy the cool grass and tree covering and the live music. It's also really nice that they let us bring our own snacks (We bought a pizza from the vendor to share, too!) I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because it was a bummer that they sell out of tastings and you have to pay to reserve your seats ahead of time, even with the requirement of purchasing wine. read more

We were 3 families and came in for a day picnic on a Saturday. The staff was very nice and we were seated promptly. Live music was good and the pizza was also good. Unlike most winery experiences, there was a $5 cover for everyone including kids, you had to purchase 1 bottle of wine for every 2 people in the group. We were 11 adults so had to purchase 4 bottles. The wines were on average $45 a bottle - and some of the same wines were available to buy by the case (12 bottles for $130). Wines were overall average. read more

Had a nice time at this winery. The wine tender was friendly and helpful. The grounds were nice and inviting. Family friendly and very chill. Wine is good a bit pricey. Would come back again. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

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I always visit them once a year. I was there last Saturday and ordered 2 wine (red& white) while enjoying the food & Live music. I highly recommend them. read more

Another great winery! I love driving to this place. You get to park in between the vines, enjoy some live music, while sipping wine under the shade of the trees. It was relaxing, breezy, and fun. They give you options to have a guided wine tasting or journey through the wines on your own leisure with the help of a little print out that tells you about the wines. We actually ended up liking the port the most with some dark chocolate. It was divine. Overall a cool spot that is more family friendly than most wineries I have seen, with live music (at least in the weekends), cool aesthetic background and great service. read more

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This review is late, but I wanted to be sure I gave props to Retzlaff Vineyards. My sister planned our family gathering, so she is the one who had the biggest hand in how our experience played out. (I also asked for her opinion on the stars for this review and she said five stars). This was a gathering of 12 humans and a dog. This included our parents (who both just turned 75 years young!), the five grandkids (age range 3 to 22), my sisters and their husbands, myself, and my dog. Finding a dog friendly winery was a big priority. My 7 lb senior Pom just had surgery and I was not going to leave him unattended back home in SF. Retzlaff allows children and well behaved dogs. Sis made picnic table reservations online originally for 8 people. Reservations are $5 per person including children. They accommodated an additional 4 as walk-ins. There is a minimum purchase of two bottles of wine with an additional bottle per two adults for groups of 5 or more. We went the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and it was 98 degrees that day. While I would normally be totally uncomfortable outdoors in that temperature, the place is well shaded with trees and umbrellas. The chilled drinks and comfort of family laughter made it bearable! Cheesy, I know, but it's true. Upon arriving, we did end up getting moved to a different set of tables to better accommodate not only us, but also other patrons. They were understaffed, but staff was friendly, warm, and did what they could to make everything comfortable. Outside food is not permitted on certain dates. It is encouraged to check their calendar online. On the day we went, we did bring our own picnic eats, but there was a food vendor serving tacos and other yummy Mexican eats which we did purchase from as well. There was live music playing. Bathrooms were clean. The layout was simple and cozy. The wine was delightful. I can't comment on the kind we had, but I did take a photo which I will include (lol). Five stars! This is a great option for families. We will be back. read more

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Retzlaff is the only certified organic winery in the East Bay. That may be very important for some, so I'll lead with that. But it wasn't for me. More important was the Yelp event for Wine Down Friday, and everything The Wife and I experienced during our hour or so of tasting. Retzlaff was the first home for the former Livermore Shakespeare Festival, which always has a show in a vineyard. The stage is still there, and the strip of green leading from the lane to the tasting room is beautifully sheltered by old trees, truly one of the loveliest outdoor tasting setting in town. We checked in, and The Wife let them know she wasn't really tasting. Didn't matter, they still poured the small carafes for two, and I didn't object. They included two tasty and salty bread sticks, and two girardelli chocolate squares. But first was a little sparkling. The three wines were a sauvignon blanc, Isabella's Blush dry rosé (cabernet and merlot) and a cab sauv/merlot blend. The latter two were very good. The red blend was outstanding. Oddly, the pricing for that was $52 for a bottle, or $10 per glass. Cheaper to drink it per glass? The entertainment was superb. Two vocalists, one male and one female, very classy, very on key. There was a Fratellis pizza vendor, which is excellent. The hostess wandered around and engaged with every little table, to chat and see if we needed anything. What a delightful way to end the work week! read more

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Went here for wind down Fridays. They have this event from May to September 23, 5-9pm. It's quite a lively and fun environment, very family friendly. They have a Woodfire pizza tent and quite a wonderful selection of wine. We had a flight of four selections one is a sparkling wine that is from a nearby vineyard- which I enjoyed the most, it is a very light with pear notes and sweet as well crisp. In between dry and sweet. The Sauvignon Blanc is very floral and fruity, dry wine. Wonderful bouquet of flavors. The rosé balance, dry, smooth The Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich base the barrel taste is apparent in the wine very smooth wine. read more

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Thanks to Retzlaff Vineyards, Yelp and Jessica the Eastbay South CM for putting on this wine tasting event. Retzlaff Vineyards has been located in Livermore for over 50 years. The host set up a huge tent on one side of their stage where they have live music on the weekends. We were treated to four different wines, white, rose, cabernet and a sparkling. Fretellos had a tent that made pizzas. We got a carne pizza. This was an exclusive event but most of the Yelpers were familiar friends already. Steve T. and shared a table with Richard and Mabel and their plus ones. The weather was great and many families with children frolicked in the large grassy area. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

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Came here for their wince tasting and the place has good white and rose wines. Liked their sparking white wine as it was clean and fresh tasting. Rose wine was good too Service was excellent and the owner is enthusiastic about her wines! read more

Wonderful staff, great setup and the wine is so good. Love that they are kid and pet friendly. Highly recommend it. read more

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The samples are a turn off! They should have a nice glass presentation to have us taste the wine, but instead they gave us a small medicine cup as tasting container. Really?! They could benefit from a good tasty menu. Instead they have a small tent offering finger food and they don't take card but cash and Venmo and Zillow. Music was great! Loved the singer. She was awesome! read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

Excellent date night activity! Special thanks to Yelp East Bay for coordinating another great Yelp Event opportunity! Retlzlaff is an excellent winery, producing upscale wines and has a great wine tasting area. They have set up a family welcoming environment, with live entertainment on Friday nights. I highly recommend their wine selection flight for $20: 1. Sauvignon blanc, passion fruit, pineapple and pear in French oak. 2. Dry Rose Cabernet, watermelon, strawberry and nectarine 3. Cabernet Merlot, cherry, berry, pepper, and cinnamon. We also received a delicious glass of their sparkling wine (our favorite beverage of the evening. We also enjoyed the freshly made pizzas from Fratello's. read more

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We arrived on a cloudy day and by the time we parked the car, the sun appeared and from there away we went. Wonderful wines, very nice people. A great way to spend an afternoon. read more

Small family owned vineyard is also a venue for important events. Stunningly, beautiful, vineyard just surrounded by low hills and grapes. My friend Donny, had his 50th high school reunion year and has attended many weddings. The wine of course is delicious. read more

I've been a member here since 2020. Love the grounds and love that it's kid friendly. It's laid back. The wine blends really are my favorite and they do not give me a headache read more

I always wanted to go to a California Vineyard and Retzlaff was just the experience I was hoping to have. The vineyard was beautiful and large, and we were allowed to take pictures. The tasting area was picturesque with tables and a small food stall nearby if we got hungry (which we did). The tasting menu was also comprehensive and had a good selection, though I was a bit sad a sparkling white wasn't on the list for that day, but it's the luck of the draw. The wines themselves ranged from from and deep flavors to light and fruity, and even for a white wine preferring palate like mine, I can say they were all high quality and pleasant to try! The service was warm and hospitable. I felt like we were taken care of and everything was explained throughly. The love music and atmosphere made the whole experience lovely! read more

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I really wish I could leave a better review, but I left Retzlaff with a really bad taste in my mouth, pun not intended! I came here with friends because one of them had come here before with her family and had good things to share about her experience so we decided to come back. It's really cool because when you arrive, you park between the vines. When we walked up, we spoke with a woman who was extremely helpful in getting us set up with our wine tasting. Our server, Courtney, was also really kind and attentive (hence the two stars and not one). Courtney shared that they stopped serving at 4pm and we could hang out until 5pm, so we decided with our last hour that we'd order a bottle to share and pack up and leave by 5pm. During our last hour, a woman who worked there, but was not our server, walked up to us and said to my niece as she was cooing (8 months old) "is that baby talk for it's time to go?". My two friends chucked, but it felt inappropriate to me because my niece was smiling and sitting in her stroller as content as could be, so to imply that we needed to leave to tend to the baby needs seemed a bit off. At 4:55pm, the same woman walked up to us and said, "it's 5pm, you need to leave" and walked away, sat at a table off to the side, got on her phone drinking a glass of wine. We all looked at her in disbelief because it was clear that we were packing up and we had already spoken to two other staff about our timing, yet still this woman insisted on letting us know what we NEEDED to do; I wish I had gotten her name. Most of the wine tasting experience is about the environment and atmosphere and to know someone could speak to patrons who not only paid for three wine tastings but also bought several bottles of wine like this, I will never return to this winery and I will not recommend it either. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

This is one of my favorite, if not my favorite Livermore winery. Why? first, before we even get to the wine, we'll start with the instagramable aesthetics. Their vineyards are gorgeous and I always love taking photos through the frames they have hanging up from the trees - it's just a brilliant touch. From there we'll move on to the amazing customer service that this small, family owned winery provides. They always have time to chat, and go above and beyond. If you are a designated driver they give you a complimentary beverage - something that I was greatly appreciative of at the end of the day! As for their wine, it's always top notch. I am especially fond of their whites, which they seem to run out of extremely quickly - apparently their wine club is also fond of because it always seems to run out quickly. I recommend arriving well before 4 pm, as they are family run, occasionally they may close a bit early during off season. read more

Our small group was looking for a casual place to celebrate a 50th birthday. Retzlaff provided that perfect place with casual, beautiful grounds and ample shade. It was easy to book the picnic table on their website. The minimum bottle purchase was quite reasonable for our group of 6. They were great wines for a warm afternoon! We appreciate that we could bring in our own picnic goodies. Thank you to the staff who were very friendly! read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Our picnic set up - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

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Popped in on a Saturday and was told had to pay $5.00 per person to sit down, the music is free but have to pay $5 to sit and listen. LOL asked for a sample of wine before buying it and it was served in a small plastic mouthwash cup. I was embarrassed for them. Bought a glass of wine( he included the $10 fee for sitting) and left. Terribly run business and wine isn't very good either. read more

Food truck pizza was good, music was really good. The winery was very confusing with the pricing and rules. Our pourer was nice but the cashier had a bit of an attitude when I asked to explain the prices and why mine was so high? In the end my party was going to purchase 5 bottles of wine and left with non. Her attitude lost the sale. read more

TL:DR. One of my favorite Livermore wineries. Ambiance - super chill; old school winery. Relaxing green space. Amazing picnic area Wines - great selection. Cabs are super earthy and delicious. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is unique in a good way. Try it before and after food A must visit when in Livermore read more

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We made reservations online to reserve a table. $5 per person. We paid $30 plus a $5 fee... There is also a 2 bottle min for 4 adults....We arrive, get our table, Noone told us we had to order inside. We waited and waited so we finally walked and found where to order. After ordering I asked if the deposit goes towards the check which most wineries do. The lady said no, it was just a sitting fee....? I wish I new this before cause there was so many empty tables.... *Wine is expensive *service lacking *food truck sucked *will not come back *do not recommend read more

I am by no means a wine connoisseur. Far from it, in fact! But I was lucky enough to join some locals who know their wine very well last Sunday. The first thing I noticed and loved about Retzlaff was the absolutely charming parking! You park in between the vineyard rows, still laden with grapes. I'm not sure how well a giant SUV would fit, but my midsized sedan had ample room on either side. The outdoor seating is picturesque: bright green grass, lots of shade, happy families picnicking. We were lucky enough to visit on a day with live music, which added to the splendid atmosphere. The wine was, in my very amateur opinion, delicious! I don't quite have the hang of describing wines yet, but I'm sure I'll learn with enough practice. All the more reason to visit again! The only drawback was the lackluster food options. I'll probably bring my own food in the future. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - The Isabelle's blush rosé - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

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Service is always amazing! The views of this winery are incredible and it is always a great time!

Decent wine, poor service, okay ambiance. Was my first time visiting Livermore wineries and I really wanted to like this place. After driving by several others in the area, we settled on Retzlaff for their pretty vineyard drive-up, fair priced tasting, quick wait, and promise of live music. Came by around 3:30pm. We were seated inside and had our first pour within 10 minutes. Our staff member was nice and made small talk while explaining each wine as we went through them. Around 4:10pm, we went to the counter area to buy some cheese and crackers to accompany our drinks -- the staff at the counter gave us recommendations and also let us know that while they closed at 4:30, we could stay until 5 which would be plenty of time to enjoy the cheese and the rest of our tasting. We get some cheese and are just finishing our second to last pour around 4:30. At this point, most of the area clears out and the staff starts to clean up. We ask for the final pour, and this is where stuff really starts to go downhill. The staff member nearby (different than our original one), rudely interrogates us on the specifics of what we had already had in order to determine what we needed next. Mind you, my partner and I are by no measure wine connoisseurs. While we knew we had a couple of reds and were on our last pour of the tasting, we knew nothing else. After a full minute of back and fourth, she finally says, "I'm asking because we have an extra pour that's not on the sheet, and I want to know if you're on that one or not". Really don't understand how we were expected to know that and how that warranted her behavior. She ultimately gives us the last pour on the sheet, which is literally -- note I am not exaggerating -- one drop each. Was barely enough to exit the glass for a fractional sip. Huge contrast to the previous pours that were at least enough for two sips (nothing huge either, but that's fine - it's a tasting after all!). Really wish I took a picture, not that there was anything to take a picture of lol. We left feeling cheated and disrespected. I'm disappointed since this was my first time in the area and I really wanted to have a nice time. read more

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I came on a very quiet beautiful day and it was like we had the place to ourselves. There are tables and chairs for seating but we chose the loungers with wine glass holders. Wine selection is minimal but good if you enjoy dry wine. Parking is fun because you get to park in between grapevines. We couldn't decide which wines to try but the lady that helped us was very kind and gave us recommendations. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

We went here based on a recommendation per a friend's co-worker. It was the biggest regret we all had based on the service. Upon arrival, there was no host to seat us. The outdoor area seemed like a picnic area so we grabbed a seat until we found a server. Apparently that was a huge no no and we were asked to check in at the front. (Keep in mind it's reservation only). Anyway, we asked for a tasting to start with. The server was kinda of annoyed and told us it was hard for her to keep up with us all to see which round we were on; not sure how that was our problem. She asked us if we decided on a bottle but we had a hard time deciding. The wines we sampled were horrible. They all had a horrible after taste and were watered down. Because we wanted to sit for a while, we ordered a few bottles but the server took forever to get a bottle opener. The only friendly service we received was from the food truck/stand which seems to be an entirely different vendor. They were all out of charcuterie which was a shame as the winery wasn't going to close for several hours. As we were heading out, we walked past the owner who was counting his cash in front of the customers. He seemed to be in a mood which was not pleasant. It's a huge pass from me and my friends. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

The live band was good and entertaining. They played a mix of jazz, blues and had great energy. The staff was kind and welcoming. 5 per person for picnic table reservation and a minimum of 2 bottles. My party had 3 people. No where before the reservation did it mention a minimum on the bottle. I would of liked some descriptive characteristics of the wine but none were printed on the bottle. I would of liked my reservation fee to count for something. I would of liked the food options to be better. The ambiance, band, and Wine was worth the trip. The cabernet Sav. Was one of the better organic wines I had in a while. read more

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Saturday, music in the vineyard Great sound Charcuterie "to go " is perfect! Food from your choice of Vendor if you like Wine priced well Yummy sparkling I recall a woman named Nicole who was very fun and took lots of pics for us patrons I will return again and again read more

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Some enjoyable wines and a nice outdoor space for tastings. I've been to Retzlaff a few times and I always enjoy it. The last time I visited they had a live band playing in their patio. The staff is always friendly and drinking some wine with a live band playing is always fun. While, I don't usually prefer Rosé, their award winning one is not bad. A fun place to come hang out. read more

We walked in Saturday around 1:10pm. The venue was probably less than half filled so we were able to choose a table that we wanted. Outside seating only. You have to pay for your tastings upfront. Not sure what happens if there's rain or cold weather. There was also live music. We saw other people bring snacks or food. Not sure if they were members or not since the club member states that members were allowed to bring picnic foods for 4 people. It's $5 for additional ones. And only 4 complimentary tastings per quarter. This membership doesn't sound all that great. I hope they don't enforce it these rules and it's just on paper. One of us was debating on becoming club members until we saw these rules and the possibility of outdoor only winery. Very nice and spacious outdoor winery. Our flights were poured in carafes and were generous pours. $30 tasting fee for 5 wines. If you like dry wines, earthy, smooth red wines, then this place is for you. The white wines were either ok or bland. And they have a sweet red port that we didn't care for. Saw 2 restrooms outside but didn't needed to use when we were there. read more

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We attended the Bridgerton event last night. Retzlaff was beautiful decorated and you couldn't ask for a better evening. We were disappointed with the food catered by the Burgundy Rose Tea Room. We spent $120 on dinner for three and left hungry. The entree salad was a handful of spinach with a few strawberries. The tea sandwiches amounted to 4 two inch pieces of bread with little filling for $10. We liked the idea of tea food but it was not the experience we hoped for. read more

I made reservations for my family and a friend who was visiting out of town. The weather could have been better. It would have been fine to bring the children. I felt bad for the vendors who prepared all the BBQ while other patrons brought their own foods. The music was awesome and we enjoyed it very much. I will try again in summer. read more

Came here to have a mommy day out with my sisters. It's nice because when you get there, everyone parks between grapevines. Thought that was cute. The wine was pretty good, as were the Tamales. I don't think the food booth were specifically Retzlaff. I believe it's a woman that just caters the food. Either way, tamales were delicious. This is before everything was open, but when we got there, the hostess wasn't wearing a mask and checking this group in. When we walked up with masks, she did make a point to tell us that they do where masks if their guests would prefer, so she put on her mask for us. The guidelines may have changed for them now, so I'm not sure what it's like now. I know we had to make a reservation for our time. It was also a 2 hour limit and we were asked to leave when our time was up even though there was plenty of space still available. We also had to buy a certain amount of wine. We were already planning to buy 2 bottles, so it's okay. But if you're going just for tasting, it may not be for you to go and know you need to buy some wine. read more

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We had the most lovely tasting this Sunday. Our pourers, Liz and Michel really took the time to make us feel welcome and describe the wines. We loved the blend, highly recommend. The grounds were beautiful, lovely experience. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California

Came here a few months ago for a high school reunion. You park in the dirt between the rows of vineyards, so there's some walking involved. Nice shaded grassy area and a sizable covered patio. Dinner buffet was fine. Good place for an event. read more

Retzlaff is definitely a good winery spot in the area with nice green patches, usually good staff, great music in the weekend, perfect for events and some good port wines! This is pre-Covid.. This review is specifically for the experience during Covid times (February 2020) when most spaces have limited entries, crowds, Retzlaff had more people than their usual With sone folks paying $ and buying a bottle to reserve a "picnic table" while others mostly walk in with tables at the pack in their green area and MANY MANY Vendors that had people moving about, not much social distancing and the food catering or picnic lunch boxes they had were not great either. It's was $55 for a veggies and hummus, and a cheese box. I do want to support local vendors and small businesses but not at this expense and experience. On the contrary we went to a winery in Lodi that had really limited capacity people on their grounds and staff wore Face shields too and enough social distancing to feel safe paying for their wines. Other than that we ended up sitting on a non-reserved table (although we paid $5 per member and bought two bottles of wine) because it was the only one away from all the crowd but we were still asked to leave the table soon because of their 2 hour table reservation hold. Clearly, this was not a great experience during such pandemic days. read more

Retzlaff Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Livermore, California