Cheap Wine Tastings in California
It is hard to visit California and not venture out a wine tasting. Whether you are vacationing in California or have lived there for a decade, heading out to the vineyards on a Saturday is an awesome way to spend the day. Some wine tastings though can get a bit pricey and upwards of $50 per person in Napa Valley! Here are a few cheap wine tastings in California.
Sonoma
Just on the other side of Napa Valley is Sonoma. In Napa it seems like everything is pricey and some of the vineyards look more like museums than working grape farms. In Sonoma, often times you will find the wine makers are the ones pouring your tastings and they love to share their passion for wine with you. Head over to Roche winery where you can get the first three tastings for free. If you like what you are sampling, pick up a bottle of wine to take with you. Three of the largest wineries in Sonoma offer free wine tastings and have some delicious wines to boot. They are Sonoma-Cutrer who has one phenomenal chardonnay, Rodney Strong who is known for a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon and Kendall Jackson that has all around good wines at nice price points.
Paso Robles
At EOS Estates you can taste six wines for $5 or do the $8 tasting where you can keep the glass. A great go-to wine is J. Lohr Vineyards and they offer their wines for free to taste. Check out their Zinfandel and Cabernet for great wines under $15. Eberle Winery has free tastings plus you can go on a cave tour! For $10 you can’t go wrong with checking out Croad Vineyards which sits atop a hilltop and has breathtaking views of the Paso Robles valley. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon with a bottle of their wine. If you are hungry, head over to Cass Winery as they offer free wine tastings with lunch. Cass has some delicious wines and the winemaker is happy to sit down with you and talk about his love for wine making.
Santa Barbara
If you are visiting Los Angeles, take the hour drive north to Santa Barbara to enjoy a decadent day of wine tasting. For $5 you can try six wines at Santa Barbara Winery and their bottles of wine aren’t overly pricey and start around $17. At the Deep Sea Tasting Room you can try six wines for $10 and the best part of this wine tasting is that you are out on the pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Out at the Oreana Winery you can enjoy live music with your $10 wine tasting where you will receive 7 wines to sample and the atmosphere here is laid back and very inviting.
There are great inexpensive wine tastings all over California and you just need to search them out. When you are at a tasting see if the tasting fee is waived when you buy a bottle of wine, often times it will be. Enjoy sampling great California wines on your next wine tasting day!
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