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 Joanna Walters on 20 Feb 2009
Robert the winemaker, owner, and wooden-shoe afficianado is often found pouring his delicious reds at the tasting room. He prides himself on selling his wines only when they are ready to drink so you don't have to be patient to enjoy them. You can find the winery by looking for the driveway fence topped by yellow wooden clogs.
This winery is located in Fair Play, CA, USA
Posted by William Limburg on 14 Feb 2009
The owner/winemaker creates some of the best wines in the Sierra Foothills and the tasting experience, with frequent barrel tastings, is always enjoyable. The winemaker, Robert, along with his father (during the half of the year when he visits from the Netherlands) engage visitors at a personal level, while also being highly knowledgeable about all aspects of winemaking & enjoyment.
This winery is located in Fairplay, CA, USA
Posted by Jessica Louie on 05 Feb 2009
This was the first tasting room we stopped in when we got to Healdsburg and it sure set the standard for the day! The wine was fantastic, I especially loved their rose, and to top it off the people there were so friendly and helpful! They recommended a few wines for us to try with the dinner we were cooking that night and it was a great pairing.
This winery is located in Healdsburg, CA, USA
Posted by Walt Spevak on 16 Feb 2009
J »
Great Vintage Brut. Also pinots, chardonnay, dessert wines and others...all in a spectacular setting with an outside terrace for basking in the warm sunshine. Stanford alums may enjoy knowing that owner, Judy Jordan, played on Stanford's 1981 NCAA championship tennis team.
This winery is located in Healdsburg, CA, USA
Posted by Gregg on 13 Apr 2009
This is a small boutique winery located in the Dry Creek Valley area of Healdsburg. It's a spectacular setting to enjoy a bottle of their award-winning chardonnay with a sandwich from the local General Store (they have picnic tables out back with a view of their vineyards and the valley). Kudos to the staff for being very knowledgeable, friendly and best of all, not pushy! All in all, a great winery experience that we plan on returning to when we're in the area again.
This winery is located in Healdsburg, CA, USA
Posted by Dottie on 31 May 2009
Twomey Cellars has two tasting rooms, one in Calistoga and one in Healdsburg. I've only been to the one in Healdsburg. It is absolutely stunning. The tasting room is spacious and modern. You stand at the tasting bar and look out through a huge bay window onto the vineyards and parts of the Russian River Valley. The staff is friendly and the wines are tremendous. I especially love their Pinot Noirs. Surrounded by the amazing view, the stunning tasting room and nice people, enjoying some fantastic wine. What could be better than that?
This winery is located in Healdsburg, CA, USA
Posted by Leeann L. on 09 Feb 2009
Herman is a small rustic town with a lot of local shops. The winery itself had a beautiful quaint restaurant on site. They have several tasting rooms and they offer tours for next to nothing. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. The wine is great. If you like sweet wine I recommend the Vinscatto.
This winery is located in Hermann, MO, USA
Posted by Blind Muscat on 17 Apr 2009
This has to be one of the funkiest, most unusual tasting rooms on the planet, plus they make some darn good wine--Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, red blends, unusual grapes like Negrette.
But ah, the tasting room. DeRose is located in one part of the old, nearly abandoned Heublein monster complex in San Benito County (that's the county east of Monterey County). Besides the usual tasting bar and cash register, it has the San Andreas Fault running right through it -- visibly -- complete with cracks in the floor and the walls and the ceiling, and a plaque from the Coast and Geodetic Survey folks indicating it's one of the best places to stare the San Andreas straight in the face.
Plus, Pat DeRose has the best mustache in the wine business -- you can see it on their website.
Until a few years back the tasting room was furnished with used, reconditioned airline coach seats, from a repair facility across the highway, which made lounging along the fault line even more amusing. They finally took the seats out, because too many folks were just spending the day lounging around and not buying wine.
Still, more than worth a trip -- and a fine introduction to the wineries of this overlooked little growing and winemaking region.
This winery is located in Holister, CA, USA
Posted by Susan Flint on 16 May 2009
We bought this wine at our local grocery store strictly because of the name since it is the same as ours and we thought maybe we could pass it off as our personal label. Well the '04 pinot noir turned out to be delicious so we went to the winery and bought 6 cases of it. Scott Flint, the owner and vintner was previously the winemaker at Calera Winery. He also makes a Syrah and a Zinfandel which are also quite wonderful. This winery is very small and tasting is by reservation only but Scott is always glad to show off his wine.
This winery is located in Hollister, CA, USA
Posted by Jennifer Endicott on 21 Nov 2009
This winery is off the beaten path and the tasting room has a cute, homey feel. We were camping in the area and I saw a sign on the side of the road for it. It is basically set in the middle of no where and you drive up a one-lane gravel drive surrounded by grape vines. I had my one-year old with me since we were on a family vacation and they were so attentive to him in the tasting room--they gave him all the pretzels he could eat. They have a great Merlot! Sandhill cranes (the birds) are very prominent in that area--hence the name. We saw a bunch of them driving the back roads.
This winery is located in Jackson, MI, 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 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 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 Robert on 11 Sep 2008
Palmina »
Palmina is quite the find, smack in the heart of the "wine ghetto". After you've fiqured out that you are indeed at the right place and are happily sampling some of Santa Barbara's finest wines, you'll quickly figure out that it doesn't matter where they are located. They've transformed their tasting room into a little enoteca, complete with cheese, breadsticks and homemade salami to sample along with the wines. The owners (Steve and Chrystal) believe wholeheartedly that wine is an extension of the plate and an important ingredient of a meal. That's why they offer the above-mentioned samples to try with their wines. They want you to understand why their wines taste so good with food. It wasn't just a wine tasting experience, it was a unique learning experience. I highly recommend a visit to Palmina for that reason above all else.
This winery is located in Lompoc, CA, USA
Posted by Scott on 06 Apr 2009
Sanford »
Sanford was selected as one of several wineries which we visited as part of a wine-tasting weekend in Santa Barbara County. FYI--visit LaFond and Mosby too. I had previously heard that the tasting room was a small old barn and was surprised to see that, in fact, the site has a beautiful, state of the art, wine-tasting facility with beautiful grounds. This area is known for its Pinot, so we tasted these with interest. The Santa Rita Hills Pinot (2007) was quite nice and cost about $40. I bought two bottles. Their premium Pinot was a bit better, but cost $60 per bottle and I thought it was bit pricey. In terms of the whites, their Chardonnay was good and I bought two bottles as well. Overall, this was a nice winery with nice Staff on a lovely site (complete with the very big cat who sleeps outside and allows all visitors time to pet).
This winery is located in Lompoc, CA, USA
Posted by Alex on 13 Apr 2009
Beautiful winery that looks like a Mediterranean villa. We checked this place out during the 2008 Santa Barbara Vintner's Festival. Wines were all good. They were even serving complimentary hors d'oeuvres that rivaled anything you could order in a restaurant (though I think it was only due to the festival that weekend). A bit crowded that day, but still a pleasurable experience. One of Santa Barbara's wine legacies.
This winery is located in Lompoc, CA, USA
Dierberg's winery is also home to their Star Lane Vineyards label. Dierberg produces cooler climate Burgundian wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) with grapes mostly from Santa Maria Valley (and from Happy Canyon for their Syrah). Star Lane produces warmer climate Bordeaux varietals (Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet) from their Happy Canyon vineyards. Their beautiful tasting room is set on a vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills on Drum Canyon Road, just off Hwy 246 that connects Lompoc to Solvang. The setting is relaxing and the wine is delightful. Don't miss a chance to visit them.
This winery is located in Lompoc, CA, USA
Star Lane Vineyards is related to Dierbert Estate Winery. Star Lane produces warmer climate Bordeaux varietals (Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet) from their Happy Canyon vineyards. Dierberg produces cooler climate Burgundian wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) with grapes mostly from Santa Maria Valley (and from Happy Canyon for their Syrah). Their beautiful tasting room is set on a vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills on Drum Canyon Road, just off Hwy 246 that connects Lompoc to Solvang. The setting is relaxing and the wine is delightful. Don't miss a chance to visit them.
This winery is located in Lompoc, CA, USA
Posted by Scott on 06 Apr 2009
We visited this winery to check out the scene. For those of you who don't know, Fess Parker is an 1950s actor/singer who played Davy Crockett on television. He and his family have since gone into the wine making business (he is still alive) and, from what I have seen, this generates a lot of income. The wine-tasting center is new and modern and a scene from Sideways was filmed there (the scene where Miles learns his book will not be published). There is a huge lawn area which adds to the charm of the site. Inside, there are wine tasting areas as well as shelves devoted to gourmet items, oils, food, etc.--even a coon skin cap if you're so inclined. Overall, I would have to say that the wine at Fess Parker is not very good. In fact, I did not finish any of them. However, I did buy some "White Lightning" bbq sauce from Kentucky and some terrific champage dipped chocolate strawberries. If you're looking to find a place that has a nice atmosphere and you don't care about the quality of the wine, this is the place for you. Even though we do care about the quality of our wine, the place was fun and I would recommend a visit there.
This winery is located in Los Olivos, CA, USA
Kaena's tasting room is on San Marcos Avenue in Los Olivos. Mikael Sigouin, the winemaker/proprietor (who has also been a winemaker at Fess Parker and is now also head winemaker at the iconic Beckmen), is often on hand to pour his wines as he also pours out his winemaking expertise and information about his wines (and those of others in the area if you ask). Kaena has a Hawaiian theme (Mikael was born and raised in Honolulu). He has a focus on Grenache, and he also produces a wide range of other delicious wines. The tasting room is often busy, but no matter--he's ready to engage with everyone.
This winery is located in Los Olivos, CA, USA
