SFGate: The Tasting Room

From SFGate.com: the Bay Area's home page, online home of the San Francisco Chronicle and much more.

• Highway 12: Road to tasting room through boutique
  Some stores post signs requesting customers not bring any beverages inside. At Highway 12 in downtown Sonoma, it's not only allowed, it's encouraged, with an on-site bar offering free drinks among the stylishly displayed merchandise. In a novel combination,...
  
  
  
• Arista Winery specializes in Pinot Noir
  "Feel free to ask questions, we're here to explain," said the Arista tasting host cheerfully, pouring wine for a guest. Then he went on to describe the 2009 La Cruz Pinot Noir ($52) in our glasses, including the influence of cool breezes on its Petaluma Gap...
  
  
  
• MacRostie Winery: laid-back, but no frills
  I usually pride myself on my sense of direction, but the MacRostie Winery tasting room had me befuddled. I was standing at what I figured to be the front door in an industrial warehouse lot just southeast of downtown Sonoma. It was locked, and peering through...
  
  
  
• Saintsbury winery appealing - with reservations
  When some wineries say visits are "by appointment," it's a loose request. It refers to a use permit that limits tasting-room visits to control traffic, yet a quick phone call at a tasting room driveway often can be the solution. At Saintsbury in Carneros,...
  
  
  
• Buena Vista winery, state's oldest, freshened up
  Sometimes, even a landmark needs updating. And so Buena Vista, the oldest commercial winery in California, has been getting a little refreshing. It has gone through numerous ownerships over the years, but last April owners Ascentia Wine Estates sold the 1857...
  
  
  
• Ram's Gate Winery has a chef, but no restaurant
  When Ram's Gate opened in September, its marketing team specifically noted in its press materials that it does not include a restaurant. It employs an executive chef - Jason Rose, who previously worked for Delfina Restaurant Group and Tyler Florence's...
  
  
  
• A taste of Italy - but with weekly happy hour
  The D'Argenzio family had a dream for their little Santa Rosa strip mall, off a side street in an industrial area within spitting distance of Highway 101. When they bought the property in 1979, they had planned to house their cabinetry business. Instead they...
  
  
  
• Claypool Cellars primed by Primus' Les Claypool
  Some winemakers get a little recognition, and suddenly, they think they're rock stars. Then there is Les Claypool, owner of and winemaker at Claypool Cellars in Sebastopol. He's been in the spotlight a bit since opening his new tasting room last summer. But...
  
  
  
• Judd's Hill: Try their wine, or blend your own
  Visitors to Judd's Hill may wonder why there are Hawaiian props like palm trees and tikis in the barrel room of the Napa Valley winery. Or why winemaker Judd Finkelstein is sometimes seen, and heard, strolling the property strumming a ukulele while singing...
  
  
  
• Beaver Creek Vineyards tasting room review
  I admit that as I pulled into the dirt driveway of Beaver Creek Vineyards in Middletown, I had hesitations. The winery, on Highway 29 in rural Lake County just north of Calistoga, looks abandoned. Its sign is just two lime-green-painted wine barrels sitting...
  
  
  
• Calistoga: Twomey Cellars lets wines do the talking
  If you're meeting anyone at Twomey, it is important to be clear on which one. Because in fact, there are two Twomey Cellars, one in Healdsburg and one in Calistoga. They're both very nice. The Healdsburg property features glass walls showcasing views of Mount...