Welcome to the Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Spit Winery Resource! This community resource is the result of recommendations made by a variety of wine aficionados. It is intended to provide people in search of good wine tasting experiences with recommendations on various wineries and tasting rooms around the world. Entries are made by going to the Entry Page. The results shown can be sorted in various ways by using the “sort by” links below. You can also search by key words using the filter to select the entries of interest to you. We welcome your entries and your feedback. Of course, the opinions expressed are those of the people making the recommendations. Enjoy!
We also have our own list of wineries at our Wineries page.
Posted by Esmeralda on 03 May 2009
The winery is dog friendly, with a picnic area and gardens. They practice sustainable farming and are located on a beautiful piece of property. Napa Valley is just gorgeous and easily accessible from San Francisco. The staff here was very friendly and took the time to introduce us to their wines. It was fun to sample the wines and then be able to sit outside in the picnic area and enjoy a picnic on a beautiful summer day.
This winery is located in St. Helena, CA, USA
Posted by Kathy Lee on 05 Feb 2009
beautiful
This winery is located in Napa, CA, USA
Posted by Erica on 12 Sep 2008
Bedell Cellars is one of the oldest vineyards on Long Island's North Fork, producing truly wonderful original blends on their gorgeous grounds in Cutchogue. I treated myself and my partner and parents to a VIP tour of the vineyard and winery for my birthday this year, and couldn't have been more pleased with the experience.
Our guide, Matt, was friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable, and the tour and tasting was shockingly generous. We were given a glass of their Taste White to enjoy during the tour itself, which led us down among the vines themselves, then into the barrel rooms and bottling room, and lasted approximately an hour. Matt gave a great overview of the wine-making process at Bedell, and was very good-natured about answering our sometimes-stupid questions. Then we were led into the owner's private garden for an incredible wine and cheese tasting - 6 different wines and what must have been over a dozen kinds of cheese plus accompaniments over the course of about an hour and a half, all of them delicious. And at the end of the day we were given an extra discount on our inevitable wine purchases, as well as a percentage break on part of the cost of the tour itself, supposedly due to "the heat in the garden" that day. Perhaps they were only being generous, or perhaps this is their standard procedure to get people too come back, but either way it worked - I am now a dedicated customer of Bedell and will absolutely be going back.
One word of caution - avoid the North Fork during harvest season if you can (early fall) and think twice about visiting on summer Saturdays when the weather is perfect, because rest assured that many, many people will have had the same idea you did and the wineries will be crowded. It can get a little wild out there when there's too many people around.
I've written a more thorough review of our visit to Bedell in my blog, "Table for Two?" - you can read it at http://tabletwoblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/we-3-wine.html
This winery is located in Cutchogue, NY, USA
Posted by Gerry Gollwitzer on 21 Mar 2009
A large variety of wines to taste included with the admission to the Biltmore Estate. They often have entertainment. Visiting the Bilmore Estates is always a great time.
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This winery is located in Asheville, NC, USA
Posted by Carolyn Gonzalez on 31 Mar 2009
Biltmore Estates »
I recently moved to NC and so a friend gave us a few bottles of this wine and it was delicious.
This winery is located in Asheville, NC, USA
Posted by Mary Gollwitzer on 02 Mar 2009
We stopped at Black Wolf at lunch time. We had a personalized tasting right at our table before ordering lunch. Our waitress was knowledgable about the wines, the winery, etc. The wines were reasonably priced and delicious, as was lunch.
This winery is located in Dobson, NC, USA
Posted by Carla on 22 Apr 2009
This winery is a complete experience. From their website, to their handcrafted fine cheeses, to their exquisite wines the whole experience leaves you wanting more. I have been looking in the Seattle area for a Tannat wine, as they are very hard to fine. Only today did I bring my prize home; the only disappointment, it is not from Narbona. I have yet to see a winery equal to Narbona. I challenge you to head south to Uruguay and taste for yourself.
[Ed Note: See also www.fincaygranjanarbona.com]
[Ed Note: See also www.fincaygranjanarbona.com]
This winery is located in Puerto Carmelo, Uruguay
Posted by John Kibler on 09 Feb 2009
Brokenwood deserves a visit for four reasons. First, it sells some of the best red wines in the Hunter Valley, an area not well respected for reds. Second, it maintains the small-winery, homey tasting room ambiance in an area overrun with the mega-winery tasting rooms. Third, the servers are personable and knowledgeable. A fourth reason is that they do not allow tour buses, which keeps the crowds down too.
This winery is located in Cessnock, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Posted by Daisy Penzo on 18 Feb 2009
This family owned estate makes a fantastic Pinot Noir. Oltrepo Pavese (in Lombardy) is known for Pinot's and champagne-like wines.. so make sure to taste their Pinot Nero Rose' brut !! The Scarani family is very friendly and their son Alberto speaks English so you won't feel completely lost :)
This winery is located in Cigognola - Pavia, Oltrepo Pavese, Italy
Posted by Rosemary Bluhm on 30 Mar 2009
Welcome to the Sierra Foothills of California
This winery is located in Mt Aukum, CA, USA
Posted by Violeta on 30 Mar 2009
Cambiata »
Their central coast Albarino is delicious, one of my absolute favorites.
This winery is located in Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Posted by Sarah on 23 Nov 2009
We took a wing ding tour of Italy trip as a "last hoorah" before we started our family. On that trip we took a tour of the castle and winery, Castello Del Trebbio. It was followed by a wine tasting. We couldn't understand much of what they were saying but it was wonderful, tasty wine and gorgeous scenery. What more can you ask for?
This winery is located in Pontassieve, Firenze, Italy
Posted by Esping on 14 Sep 2008
Cechetto »
The Piave district is one of the lesser known DOC's in Italy. And for a good reason too. In this zone in eastern Veneto a lot of wine is produced. Not bad but mostly it's unremarkable. The Piave district is right in the middle between the famous red-wine district of Valpolicella and Italys best white wine region, Friuli. But the Piave district has one great asset, the Raboso grape. And if you are looking for good Raboso, and if you haven't tried this great variety you definately should, look no further.
Cechetto started the Raboso revival a couple of decades ago when the grape was on the verge of extinction and is now leading the campaign for giving Raboso di Piave DOCG-status. So if you visit Cechetto winery you will meet one dedicated winemaker with a very strong vision.
Raboso is a tough a grape with a lot of character. In the hands of a winemaker who doesn't know how to handle it you will get a wine with a volatile acidity, very rough tannins and not very much else. Cechettos wines are full of berry-fruits and cherries with hints of violets and tobacco. It's full bodied with food-friendly acidity and a long nice finish. Cechetto also produces Gelsaia which is made from semi-dried grapes. A dry wine but with more of everything compared to the normal bottling. There is also a passito, a sweet wine made from Raboso that I have yet to try.
You will recieve a warm welcome at Cechetto and meet a very proud and dedicated winemaker. There are also a couple OK whites and a very interesting and promising Merlot to try.
This winery is located in Tezze di Piave, Veneto, Italy
Posted by Gerry Gollwitzer on 31 Mar 2009
A visit to this small vineyard is like visiting the wine makers in their home. The production is in their lower level. The Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon were wonderful.
This winery is located in Kings Creek, NC, USA
Posted by Tim Nagel on 26 Jan 2010
This small winery north of Jackson Michigan is located on a private grass landing strip. So if you have a small private plane, you can fly in to visit the tasting room. Directions by air are given on the winery's website. The tasting room is new and the owner is there to discuss his wines. He produces his wines in his airplane hangar next to his private plane. The winery is open weekends for tastings.
This winery is located in Jackson, MI, USA
Posted by Rich on 23 May 2008
Chateau Montelena is a gem located at the Calistoga end of Napa Valley wine country. The old stone Chateau is a beautiful setting. The wines are delicious (after all, Montelena's '73 Chardonnay was the winner of the infamous 1976 Paris tasting that put them on the map internationally). The tour is an interesting one, so consider taking it if you have the time.
This winery is located in Calistoga, CA, USA
Posted by Jim Morrison on 29 Apr 2009
We went to this winery recently and instantly I felt like I was transformed into one of the wineries in Rhone Valley. Beautiful grounds and beautiful vineyards with a unique rustic touch...The winery is located in a mountainous area right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Small hills and rock filled vineyards form the terroir of these concentrated wines all named after the wine maker‘s dogs that seem to have free range of the place.
By the way there is an excellent bistro in the winery that
can‘t be missed. We had a mixed cheese plate and some
great wines to pair with for little cost. This place is hard to find and probably off the beaten path but well worth the
find. Great wines...Great food...Great scenery...
This winery is located in Blue Ridge Parkway, VA, USA
Posted by Christian Staples on 17 Apr 2009
The 35,000-square-foot facility at Childress Vineyards is poised to become a destination for visitors and North Carolinians alike. Designed by Winston-Salem, NC architect Kyle Troxell, the stone and stucco building, with its ornate terra cotta roof is inspired by the Italian Renaissance architecture of rural Tuscany. The winery's opulent interiors are the creation of Wolf Design Group in Atlanta, GA.
This winery is located in Lexington, NC, USA
Posted by DK on 05 Feb 2009
Small winery, kind of tucked away in the hills of the East Bay, CA. But really a gem of a place, especially in the summer. The 2003 cab is a winner in my book - very easy to drink, as my wife can attest! I like to bring the whole family here, and let my kids run around and enjoy the place, while my wife and I sample the wines. Also try the Riesling.
This winery is located in Castro Valley, CA, USA
Posted by Beverly on 10 Feb 2009
The winery was very laid back and relaxing. The staff was very attentive and interacted with us. All of the wine was great and we were offered full glass samples at no charge. They also have a great store that sells cheese, meats, etc. We bought some snacks and had a great picnic on the property.
This winery is located in Sonoma, CA, USA
