Small Vines Wines

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot

  • Tasting fee: $100

There’s nothing I love more than finding a hidden gem winery and Small Vines is one of them! I’ve been hearing about this winery from others in the wine & hospitality industry and was so excited to finally visit. They are a small production family owned winery, but can be found in high-end restaurants like French Laundry!

Tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard and the entire property/ground was beautiful. It almost felt like I was at a winery resort with cute red barn chairs, wine barrels, and a tree swing. I tasted through their 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, 2017 TBH Chardonnay, 2019 TBH Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2018 Estate Cuvée Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and 2015 Baranoff Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and they were all great.

What was more impressive and fun was hearing more about their farming practice while looking at their vineyard and drinking the wine from the same vineyard. They plant their vines close to each other, which decreases yield but increase concentration, and strictly maintain high quality fruits by keeping 2 clusters and 15 leaves per shoot. At the end of the visit, we even got to meet the owner/winemaker Paul (perks of visiting a small winery) and got a sneak peak of their sparkling wines yet to be released.

If you like private visits with great wines and vineyard views, highly recommend!

More about Small Vines : Website

Copain Wines

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Chardonnay, Sonoma coast cool climate Pinots

  • Tasting fee: $65(basic flight) - $85 (with food)

Good wines are a must when I choose wineries to visit but it's always nice to find ones that also have great views and snacking options. I recently got to try a bottle of 2002 Copain Pinot and loved it so I looked into visiting the winery during my Sonoma trip. Their cool climate Pinots tend to be light and complex, more of a Burgundian style vs. Russian River Valley (which I find to be a bit sweeter and darker). I got to try the food pairing flight which included a welcome pour of their rosé, Chardonnay, 2 Pinots, Grenache, and Syrah. Each wine paired so well, my favorites were

  • Carmody & Citrus Pistachios with Chardonnay

  • Cherry gelée & Brie with a light berry focused Pinot

  • Duck breast & Dried blueberries with a dusty earthy Pinot

After seeing how much I loved their Pinots, the host gave me additional pours of 4 different Pinots and I loved them even more. I was clearly a very enthusiastic taster 🤣 My favorites were

  • 2018 Magie Hawk: amazingly light berries, super fresh and smooth

  • 2019 Cote Bannie: Dusty & earthy (from the pairing flight)

  • 2015 Kiser: Last vintage of this vineyard from Copain, took me back to Burgundy

These vineyard designates are only available at the winery, or now at my house! I left with 7 different bottles and a club membership. Highly recommend for cool climate Pinot lovers.

More about Copain : Website

Matanzas Creek Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Bordeaux Blend

  • Tasting fee: $35

I’ve seen photos from Matanzas Creek on social media as the winery in Sonoma with a lavender field so I was excited to finally visit myself. Peak lavender season is mid June-July so the field wasn’t as full/bright but it was still beautiful and was a nice addition to the tasting experience. Tasting flight included Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, 2 different Merlots, and 2 different Bordeaux blends. All of their wines had amazing nose and were easy drinking, great for those who enjoy Sauvignon Blancs and Bordeaux blends from Napa!

They also have outdoor tables ($50 to reserve or waived with 4+ bottle purchase) and bocce ball picnic so great stop for a group, not to mention the affordable tasting fee compared to $40+ in Napa and Sonoma these days.

More about : Website

Canava, Vedema Luxury Collection Resort

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Range of Santorini wines from sparkling, white, red, and Vinsanto

  • Tasting fee: €70

This tasting is a bit unique as it’s provided by the hotel built on an old historical winery. They curate a tasting flight and feature wines from various wineries across the island so it’s a great chance to taste a range of Santorini varietals and wineries. We tasted through

  • Santo wines Brut - Traditional method sparkling made from Assyrtiko, the most common grape in Santorini but not easy to find in a sparkling form! Great easy drinking starter.

  • Gavalas Katsano - blended with 15% Gaidouria, both rare grapes even in Santorini. Enjoyed the refreshing minerality

  • Vassaltis Vineyards Assyrtiko - representative of the most well-known Santorini white wine. Dry and crisp

  • Hatzidakis Winery Mavrotragano - wanted to visit this winery so was happy to see this on the flight! Medium bodied dry red with good tannins.

  • Estate Argyros Vinsanto - If you like dessert wine, Santorini is actually famous for it. Traditional vinsantos are made with white sun dried grapes. Dark amber color with a nice balance of acidity and sweetness.

It comes with a plate of local cheese and honey, loved the pairing with the wines. I enjoyed the entire experience! Wines were all tasty and loved the vibe inside the cave!

More about Vedema Resort: Website

Venetsanos Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Greek whites, reds, and sweet winte

  • Tasting fee: $32-41 tasting flights or $11-15 by the glass

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 3.9

Venetsanos is one of the two wineries in Santorini famous for its views. I’ve read the wines here are bit better (compared to Santo) and it was also closer from our hotel so decided to stop by. We didn’t end up doing the full tasting flight but each got a glass of white (there were 3 of us) and enjoyed them with the view. You can get a taste of traditional Santorini white varietals like Asyritko, Athiri, Aidani, etc. They have 3 different tasting flights and also a food menu. To visit, you can make a reservation for either the main hall or sunset terrace. Main hall has both tasting flights and full menu available (wines by the glass and food) but the sunset terrace doesn’t have wine tasting flight. Both areas have great views!


More about Venetsanos: Website