Found Sunce on Yelp and added to our wineries to visit the week before our trip to Sonoma Valley. We had attended the Harvest Festival at the fairgrounds on Saturday night and Sunce did quite well with awards, so we were excited to visit the next day. It was Sunday and we were the only visitors when we first showed up. The crew was great and engaged with lots of wine talk and plenty of tastings. The owner eventually came in to the tasting room and we spoke a lot about all the different varieties of wines they have. We then took a tour with the owner as it was harvest and they had a large amount of grapes being processed. We ended up joining the wine club and look forward to future visits. read more

Upon entering the tasting room we were approached and immediately hit up to join the futures program. Perhaps it was an off day for them but the two people behind the bar were patronizing and obnoxious. The guy was flip in his descriptions of the wine (as in stating the obvious) and the woman was either drunk or just ill-mannered (she said since she had to open a bottle for us to taste she expected we'd buy one to make up for it). Maybe they think everyone who walks in there is a tourist who will put up with whatever but as a local I won't go back even though they do make some very good wines. read more

If you want 7 tastings and so much variety, come here. Cool little place and the puppy on the property was so sweet! They've won a lot awards but they also have like 30-40 wines or something. Get yourself a mystery bottle for fun. The owner is quirky and can be intense, but I think that she puts her all into her business and you can't fault her for that. read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Visited here a few weeks back, along with friends who are true fans of the place. THE WINE: Sunce puts out an amazing array of varietals and blends, uniformly tasty, if not spectacular. We've done tasting both from the bottle and from the barrel, and you really cannot go wrong. THE STAFF: Knowledgeable, friendly, enthusiastic, great sales folk without being slick or pressuring. THE PLACE: Tasting room is rustic and pleasant. Outdoor areas are decently set up for events. Barrel area is extensive. Views of the surrounding vineyards are nice. OVERALL: Definitely a place worth visiting and tasting at and probably buying stuff from. I would give them 4.5 stars if I could, but I want to reserve the 5 for a few that were even better. But, again, if you only had time for one place in the area, this would be a fine one to stop at. Caution: it is definitely easy to find yourself signing up for the wine club after some of that generous visiting and tasting. Not that that's a bad thing ... read more

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Went back for another visit and had a fabulous time again. The owner is fun to talk to. She has many interesting stories to enjoy. My hosts - Megan and Mike were delightful. I like that it is a chill relaxed vibe. SO many delicious styles of wine to pick from. My favorites this time were the Sauv Blanc and the Viognier dessert wine. There were many others that I enjoyed too. I will be back every time I am in the area. Thank you! read more

I love sunce. I have been going here since 1997! I always love the wine here. They also have meatballs near the bar everyday, they are very delicious. The service is absolutely amazing. The employees work very hard. They also get to know their customers. I would say the Ambiance is so great! Everyone is so kind and talkative. They have many events in the year. And I know this is a winery but, from my experience it is also kid friendly and dog friendly read more

We have visited Sunce several times and always enjoy their excellent wines and hospitality! read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Door to tasting room - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Came in here for a birthday celebration and was not disappointed. They have a great wine varieties, not to mention they all tasted amazing. So either the manager, or the owner(?) approached us and offered us if we wanted to have the barrel tasting, which of course we accepted without thinking any further. Boy we tasted the wine straight from the barrel (duh, it's barrel tasting) and I can safely say it's the most awesome wine experience I've ever had. Their personnel were really nice, friendly, and welcoming. I would say if you ever visit this place (which you should), try Merlot. Their Merlot is AMAZING!! I'd get a whole case next time I'm there :) read more

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What a fantastic winery. The wine at Sunce is outstanding, the grounds are lovely and bocce made it all the more fun! The staff is amazing and the owners are very hands on and friendly. We visited 6 wineries in two days and this was by far our favorite. You can't go wrong with a visit to Sunce! read more

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Bring your own picnic & enjoy their lovely outdoor seating in their garden area. First however taste a flight of their delicious wine. The day we went there was only the four of us. read more

We visited Sunce during COVID in the summer 2020 and had a wonderful experience! My family has been members of their wine club for several years and we were treated as such. We tasted a variety of red wines and enjoyed them all! They also offer barrel tasting with future releases. The staff were wearing masks and social distancing for safety reasons. Nicole and Janeae were super helpful!! There was one other group at the vineyard and perfectly distanced! I felt totally safe with the measures taken. All of the wine was delicious and the property was beautiful! They had bocce and ping pong and friendly dogs. I hope to visit again read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Hands down the best family owned winery! All the wine is amazing! Super friendly people! I have recommended this place to everyone. read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - a sunset over a vineyard - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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This winery is fabulous. My folks have been coming here for years and are club members. Today a pickup. As wine club members we get free tastings. Today was Nebbiolo and Zinfandel old vines. The Nebbiolo transported me to Italy it is a red which is light and floats on your tongue. Amazing. The Zinfandel 2015 is richer and complex. I tasted it and began hankering for beef sauce on pappardelle or pizza. Scrumptious. They have a sweet tasting room. The staff are enthusiastic and generous. You can see all the prizes they have won, 8 gold medals in 2018! This is a hidden gem. read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Vineyard - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Small family winery here in Sonoma County. I've been here a couple times. Great family run experience. We were making plans for Easter. We had family coming up from the South Bay, so we were deciding where to have the party. My BIL and his family said they were going to Sunce for Easter, so we could start there. Excellent idea! Bocce ball, wine tasting, barrel tasting, colored eggs, Easter egg hunt for children AND adults. We brought snacks and enjoyed a few hours before taking the party home. The wines we sampled were excellent. Don't ask me to repeat what they were. Red and White...all very good (I'm bad w/ remembering what I sample). The chardonnay was outstanding. I believe we joined one of their wine programs during our visit (my wife snuck that one in). Good call, close to home...supporting the local businesses. On a side note. My wife's uncle happened to be with us. He pointed out the house in front was his grandmother's house back in the 40's-50's. So it's like visiting family when we visit Sunce. My wife's great-grandfather planted the old vines next door at DeLoach. Anyway, Sunce...excellent small winery here in the Santa Rosa area. Give them a try. read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Easter egg hunting for Easter fun! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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The call of the varietal - many try, but most disappoint; volume is the profit motive, but distinction is lost. Not so at the Vineyard of the Sun, where the Croatian family has created a unique and magnificent offering with the numbers of creations by the two masters quite breathtaking to behold. The staff from Melina, and especially Hailey and Ricky, as well as the masters and owners, provide such an education on the types of offerings they have, which are not only distinct, but appropriate to palates of a myriad of sophistication. The barrel tastings as well are fantastic, and the ability to be part of the new seasons early makes one come back for more (which we will). The temptation is of course to remove this off the map, and keep it all in the family. But we want Sunce to flourish, and continue to offer up their varietals for all of (us) to enjoy. read more

The best find! We love to support local family wineries and this is the best! The wines and the staff were amazing! I promise this is your best stop! read more

The varietals available for tasting and the time taken to provide history is remarkable. With all the choices, deciding what goes in the case for home is a challenge. Great staff, fun ambiance and great value. read more

Best wine at the best prices. We have been members for three years. We love their wine!!! We are members of several wineries and Sunce wines are 90% of my cabinets and the one I always go for on when I want to impress my friends. read more

Came in here today and loved getting to chat with Frano about wine and his Croatian roots. He was very accommodating, even offered us a tasting on a day that they are normally closed on. Their wines are reasonably priced and getting information about the wines from the owner was awesome. We would for sure come back here again and support this family owned business! read more

Super great staff, owner took the time to say hello, great award winning wines, they have bocce ball, ping pong...would definitely recommend a stop. read more

We discovered Sunce Winery a little over a year ago. It's a bit unassuming from the road but when you get off the pavement you find a wonderful little winery with an outdoor and indoor tasting room as well as a bocce ball court and Vineyards close enough to touch. The quality and quantity of the mostly European varietals is top notch and if you're ever in the mood to try wines outside of the standard Sonoma county tasting list, this is THE go to spot. The staff, headed by Melina, is among the most hospitable and knowledgeable in the area. Bring your dog and bring your food. This is what wine tasting should always be! read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - a red rose in bloom - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Stopped here during the 8 days of May Wine Festival and it was so much fun. Nice picnic tables so you can bring your cheese and what nots to nosh while tasting some really great wines. They make a lot of wine and they do a fantastic job with all of them. I like to start with whites and move to reds and you have a great selection to choose from. The sliders with coleslaw they served up were delicious and they were most accommodating and made everyone feel welcome and right at home with all the tastings. Check this place out for a great time. read more

We loved this Winery, everyone was so cheerful and passionate about their wines, beautiful setting and grateful we went there

I try to tell everyone to come here. We've been quite a few times. We are always treated great! The wines are our favorite around. Plus. Shop small. Honestly, I've spent far too much money here. But, it's well worth it! Everyone we have shared wine with has LOVED it. The people who work here are well knowledge and so friendly. Can't wait to visit again!! read more

Sunce pulled out all the stops for Winter Wineland. They had home made clam chowder in bread bowls, blind wine tasting challenge, barrel tastings and Bocce Ball. The event showcased their broad lineup of well executed wines. They have an interesting mix of varietals on offer single vineyard Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Sangiovese. read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Why waste your time trying to find the best wines in Sonoma/Napa area priced affordably? Just go to Sunce. I've NEVER been disappointed. Wines you can lay down and enjoy years from now or drink them now. Dont miss out on a best bet. Start always being amazed. Reasonable prices to bring you great pleasure now and in the future! ENJOY! Julie d read more

If you like good affordable wine and friendly people then you've found your place! Sunce is the best winery in RRV and my favorite in Sonoma county. It just doesn't get any better than Sunce. What's so good you might ask? Well for one they make great wine, I've never had anything bad here and I've been coming here 10+ years. Plus they make so many varietals, sometimes close to 30 a year or more, it's kind of insane, I've never seen anyone else make this many different kinds. Frane the winemaker is such a nice guy too, he always tries something new each year instead of making the same old stuff year and year like other places. They do make the same things that are staples, but it's cool to try new varietals I've never heard of before. One of the other great things is it's affordable, they make many at the $20-30 level that are just as good as $40-50 at other places. I'm not sure how they do that, but they do, you know you'll get a good bottle no matter what you choose. And their higher end ones are great too, just as good as anywhere else and it's more affordable. Their whites are very reasonable too, which makes sense because I've never really wanted to spend $30+ for a Sauv Blanc or Chard that you'll find so many other places, they really know how to do it right here. Plus they're so friendly, Frane and Janae are the nicest people ever, and it's cool that this is their primary business, they are truly a family winery. It's not like they came into a ton of money and thought they'd open a winery, this is what they want to do and it really seems like they enjoy it. You can taste so many different wines here when you come for a tasting, they're happy to let you try anything they have which is the way it should be, they are not pretentious or snobby, I really wish there were more places like this. And if you come during barrel tasting it's a scene, all their barrels available for tasting, it's amazing, they really do a great job here all around and I'm so glad I found them! read more

We loved our experience here. When we arrived we were invited back to the "barrel room" where we did a handful of barrel tastings, then headed into the tasting room for more. Our tasting host was very knowledgeable and it was fun getting to meet the owner/winemaker while we were tasting. Their wines were very good and they have a large variety, including wines I'd never heard of. It's definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area! read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Part of me wants to give them a 1 star review so I can keep this place off the map and to myself. Another part of me wants to reach out to Yelp and request to give them the first ever 6 star review. I've worked at a couple wineries, worked with dozens, and tasted all over Napa, Sonoma and every other CA appellation, so I'm speaking with confidence and some authority when I say that Sunce is my favorite winery in the world. They currently offer 31 skews on their tasting menu and the percentage of those wines that are incredible is way too high. As a plus and perhaps more important to some, this family and their staff are of the highest quality. Frane and Janae are the most salt of the earth people, and Melina is the best of the business behind the bar. Ricky and Kyle are alright too. Another real mark of quality is how many of their grape growers and members end up pitching in and helping out in various aspects of the business from bottling to the tasting room. Clearly I could go on and on about this place, but you should do yourself a favor and try it out for yourself. Just don't blame me when you end up becoming a member. read more

Wine tasting in Sonoma County. The REAL wine region! Lol! Why would anyone want to choose a conglomerate corporation over a beautifully run family winery with easy access to the wine maker and his pretty wife and family. We popped over because it's close to our home, they're neighborly and it's easy to roll in and out. Our intent was to bring something very special to friends we'd were visiting out of the country. The wine tasting room and attendant served up tastes and suggestions that were exactly what we had in mind. Then, we were joined by Frane' - so personable, thoughtful and kindly willing to sign the bottles we bought. The WOW factor was extraordinary. Our friends understood how unique a gift they received. It was served and loved! We didn't get to hang out, yet we had a dish of freshly made stroganoff thrust into our hands! Just because! They have great set up for Bocce Ball and a fun picnic with fun folks! read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - The tasting room. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Great tasting experience. Came here with a group of 8, they have a list of wines available for tasting and we were able to taste as many as we wanted. Good recs / knowledge shared by the staff so everyone could explore the wine list how they wanted. We all ended up buying at 1-3 bottles. read more

Went here today for barrel tasting with a group of 7 total. Some of our party decided to place new futures orders, and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. Some individuals showed up to the winery, misunderstanding how barrel tasting works. Basically the winery closes on a weekend or two in March, between certain hours to accommodate people who have purchased the Sonoma Wine Road barrel tasting tickets. Cindy of Sunce politely and patiently explained the process to a lady, who insisted she simply wanted one drink and not to buy a ticket. While I totally understand the customer may have been disappointed and confused about the rules the wineries have to adhere to in order to be part of the wine road barrel tasting weekend, the customer was extremely rude about the situation and refused to accept the answer. Cindy handled it very professionally, explaining she'd have to return after 4pm, apologizing, and still was able to maintain her focus to help serve other customers! Classy lady, classy winery - very happy with our experiences here! read more

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Small winery, tiny size tasting room. Fun people own & operate. I like the Sunce' whites better than the reds. I think that the wines are overpriced for the quality. read more

This is still my favorite winery! When I come here I feel like family. This is a family owned winery but they have so much variety in the wines that they carry. These wines continue to impress and amaze me. We live here in Santa Rosa and my family and friends come here all the time, and this is the first place we take our out of town friends to show off how good the wine is here in Sonoma County. Not only are their wines good but they also have a bocce ball court, beautiful vineyards and family/kid friendly events. This place is a must see if you are in Sonoma County. read more

We recently spent some vacation time in the Santa Rosa area and visited a couple of breweries & wineries. Sunce was by far the best experience we had on our trip. Not only were the wines exceptional but the variety of offerings ensured there was something for everyone in our group. We waited until the last minute to book a tasting experience but they could not have been any more accommodating. Our only regret in looking back on it was that we didn't spend even more of our afternoon there. Already looking forward to visiting again to pick up the futures we purchased! read more

Looking for a fun winery to have a picnic...play bocce ball and just kick back to chill? This is your winery! Olivet Rd in The Russian River Valley is home to a couple of really cool owners via Croatia and a friendly staff. Check out the mystery grab bag bottles of wine as you never know what goodness of wine fun lies inside...lol...great idea! Grab your dog and friends for a great day in wine country! Cheers! read more

I went during the holidays and it was pleasantly surprised. Upon entering the small tasting room, the aroma of meatballs and wedding soup simmering in a couple crock pots surprised me and brought a smile to my face. Who doesn't like food from a crock pot? I felt like I was walking into someones home; it had that type of feeling. The next thing that surprised me were the mystery bags - $10 whites and $20 reds, each containing a bottle ranging from $20 - $65. What are you going to get?? My wife was thrilled when she found a $50 bottle of some Italian varietal that she had never tried. We looking forward to having it with a lasagna pretty soon. The servers greeted us with a friendly smile and informed us that the tastings were complimentary...another pleasant surprise and showed us the menu. It consisted of typical American styled wines as well as some other Italian varietals. All were very tasty and we left with several bottles. I loved all the Rhone styled wines, the Merlot, and the Cab. Sunce was a great little find on Olivet Rd. Despite having a wide variety of wines, they all tasted great which can be a challenge. This is a great place to stop by on a warm day. They have a nice Bocce Ball court in their yard with some great outdoor seating. The winery is small but comfy. A definite must go for smaller groups; it's too small for party buses but I'm sure that they would accommodate. I'm looking forward to going there sometime soon! Watch out for the rooster! read more

Sunce Winery & Vineyards - Mystery bag... brilliant and fun idea! - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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+ What a nice family winery! + Their wines are decent and cheap! The kind of place where you can buy 6 bottles and not feel guilty. Good random Tuesday wine. Or good wine to make sangria out of. + I really like their whites and port - Since they were so busy, they didn't pay a lot of attention to us. They were still polite, though. read more

Sunce is a must stop!! They have a variety of wines and are always very friendly and informative. They usually let you taste whatever you want without pressuring you to try things. They have great mystery bags as well and we have gotten some rare finds on the grab bags!! The barrel room and futures are a steal of a deal and well worth it!! read more

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Our party of 9 made an appointment ahead of time and each and every one of us were were more than happy with our experience. First the employees at the counter were welcoming and friendly all while busting their butts making sure to interact as much as possible with their customers. After tasting a few of the wines inside we were escorted to the barrels where we were allowed to taste several more of their wines. We're mostly all red drinkers and overall we were happy enough that 6 of us bought a "mystery bag" of wine where for $20 we get a wrapped up unknown bottle of wine. Unfortunately we had another appointment or else we probably would've stayed all day. Thanks Sunce for the great experience. read more