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.
Warning: mysql_real_escape_string(): No such file or directory in /data/1/0/59/61/59224/user/60390/htdocs/wineimbiber/wp-content/themes/wineimbiber/wi_survey_results.php on line 95
Warning: mysql_real_escape_string(): A link to the server could not be established in /data/1/0/59/61/59224/user/60390/htdocs/wineimbiber/wp-content/themes/wineimbiber/wi_survey_results.php on line 95
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 Jim Morrison on 23 Apr 2009
This winery is one of the best in New England. A beautiful
tasting room with a large stone fireplace and large windows looking out into manicured vineyards and a picture perfect postcard of quaint barns and old stone walls.
Then there is the wine! Delicious brooding reds and delicate whites. Don‘t be surprised if John Edwards joins you with a taste in between his wine making duties or better yet invite you to a barrel tasting.
All and all this is a fabulous little winery that will enchant you and most likely "WOW"
you! It‘s a must visit if your staying a couple days at one of the nearby casinos.
By the way I have no personal
affiliation to this winery…I just think it‘s a well kept secret
with locals and visitors that love this place…like myself.
This winery is located in N. Stonington, CT, USA
Posted by Matt Tompkins on 22 Apr 2009
Paolo Bea is a small, family run organic winery in Umbria. Giampiero, one of the sons, gives a lovely tour—as long as you'd like. Only want to taste? No problem, into the tasting room we go. Want to feel the earth between your toes where the vines grow? Let's walk out back. They'll tell you all about their wines and how it's made without technology, over 2 wonderful hours of tasting. All grapes and olives are harvested by hand and their creative labels are individually numbered. The sagrantino grape is deep in color and the wine bursts with flavor in your mouth.
We communicated directly with Giampiero by email and 6 of us visited in June 2006, during the World Cup. I asked him what he would drink to celebrate, if Italy won (which they did), and he proceeded to let us taste a wine, poured by his mother, that had been fermenting for years, which they weren't selling at the time. Very personal.
This winery is located in Montefalco, Umbria, Italy
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 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 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 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 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
