Are there any (decent) wineries within a 1 hour drive of Palo Alto? We’re looking to entertain some people for an afternoon. Thanks.
Hard to think of a better option than Ridge Monte Bello. The ride into the mountains might be a little hairy but it would be beautiful.
Rhys
Ridge is a beautiful place and highly recommended. The drive is not that bad but be sure to have a designated driver. If you want to sit in the vineyard with a fantastic view and have some wines I would go there.
If you want an entertaining tour (and also a scenic place to visit), Rhys should be great. I haven’t had the full tour but Jeff Brinkman gave a fun mini-tour at the recent pick-up tasting.
Ridge has already been recommended. I think Varner is close, but I’m not sure about their tour/tasting avails. You might also be able to get to Mount Eden in an hour if you avoid driving in rush hour.
I’ll also go with Ridge. Can’t speak for Rhys but would love to go some day. A word of caution about Mount Eden if you a leaning that way is have an SUV, the driveway up the mountain is a challenge. Another option would be Thomas Fogarty.
Edit to add Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association web site has maps and contact info for many wineries at www.scmwa.com.
If this is soon, I might not go up there. We’ve had some crazy rain and some of the dirt roads are in very poor shape. I was riding my mountain bike yesterday and had to squish on foot over a mudslide, and in another place I saw ruts in the mud from a ranger’s truck that must have been almost a foot deep.
This restaurant mainly carries local wines- here is a list of nearby wineries if you want to contact them.