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 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center is new and modern and a scene from Sideways was filmed there (the scene where Miles learns his book will not be published).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
Posted by Scott on 24 Apr 2009
Mosby was one winery we wanted to visit during our Santa Barbara wine tasting trips. The winery has a nice, quaint tasting room with a very friendly "down home" feel. The tasting room features shirts, gourmet items, and of course, wine. I was intrigued with the Mosby cross/crest (which added a personal note) and the various wooden boards on the walls with all kinds of witty sayings and philosophizing on the nature of wine. Our host, a fellow originally from Kentucky, touted the virtues of Mosby's wines. He told humorous stories while he served us around 6 pours. Of these, I enjoyed the 2007 Mosby Cortese (grown in California from imported Italian grapes), and the 2005 Mosby Ossessione (imported from Italy). Both were deep, rich, and very tasty. I purchased a bottle of each, as well as a bottle of the 2006 Mosby Sangiovese without trying it based upon the recommendation of our host (you see…I love Sangiovese). Not to be missed was Mosby's "Sophia," a raspberry dessert wine. This was delicious. We bought two bottles—one for drinking later with dessert and one to be used as a dessert (I am thinking poured over vanilla bean ice cream). Finally, if you go there, you have to at least visit (or use) the restroom. It's literally a HUGE, old oak barrel with restroom inside. Not to be missed. All of this lends itself to a fun, relaxing, and very enjoyable winery visit.
This winery is located in Buellton, CA, USA
Posted by Scott Heimendinger on 17 Apr 2009
DeLille »
DeLille just happens to make some of the finest wine in all of the Pacific Northwest. However, it is the charm and cozy elegance of their tasting room that makes this winery a must-visit. From the oversized fireplace to the welcoming sound of the piano, there's nowhere else I'd rather be on a gray Seattle afternoon than tasting at DeLille. If possible, visit during the Christmas season to see the tasting room festively decorated.
This winery is located in Woodinville, WA, USA
Posted by Susan Flint on 20 Apr 2009
Winery is atop the ridge in the Santa Cruz mountains with vistas to the bay and San Francisco (30 miles north). Wonderful wines esp. the 2006 Gewurztraminer but also the Fiddletown Barbera 2004 and a host of others. They have an un-oaked chardonnay 2006 which was light and tasty. Their sparkling wine is OK but too dry for my uneducated taste buds.
Our daughter will be married there in May as the setting is so beautiful. Landscaped gardens, nice tasting room, small lake (I think the swans flew the coop).
This winery is located in Woodside, 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 Tim on 04 Feb 2009
This vineyard is easy to miss along Alamo Pintado Road, but it is well worth the stop. The tasting room is small, but personal and somewhat homey. Their Chardonnay is amazing -- it rekindled my affection for white wines.
This winery is located in Solvang, CA, 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 Tori Correll on 09 Nov 2009
Ravenswood Winery was our third stop during our first trip to Northern California wine country. We still weren't sure what we were doing and were really searching for a welcoming atmosphere that offered education and excellent wines. We found both at Ravenswood plus excellent customer service. Our server allowed to sample a number of wines (beyond what we paid for), offered education beyond what he was required to give us for the price, and excellent wines.
This winery is located in Sonoma, CA, USA
Posted by Urvi on 05 Feb 2009
Turnbull is a small vineyard that really deserves a visit. We rarely go to a winery where we actually think each and every wine we've tasted is fantastic. Turnbull has been the only winery we've been to that fits that description. I encourage you to go to the reserve room. There were delicious wines and there was even a photography exhibit being featured!
This winery is located in Napa, CA, USA
Posted by Urvi on 09 Feb 2009
St. Supery is a great place to take guests who want to take in California sunshine and great wine. The grounds around the winery make for an amazing walk. There's a beautiful farm house on the property that gives you a nice view of what old Napa looked like. Inside, there's a self-guided tour where you learn more about what goes into the varietals and you can see St. Supery's casks as the staff works away in the warehouse.
There's a private room where you can set up tastings for large groups and at the end of the walking tour, you arrive at the tasting room, which is incredibly intimate and yet unpretentious. I thought the staff was incredibly helpful and well-informed about the surroundings, giving us a great lunch recommendation nearby (Rutherford Grill). I highly recommend the Sauvingnon Blanc, which is the best I've had in Napa.
This winery is located in Napa, CA, USA
