When it comes to wineries and tasting rooms in San Diego, there are some well-known favorites and a few hidden gems. There are wineries and tasting rooms throughout the city, from the beautiful California coastline to the rugged eastern part of the city. Most local wineries and vineyards are small, family-owned endeavors, with tastings and tours from friendly owners who are happy to teach wine lovers the art of winemaking. Grab your glass! Here are some wineries and tasting rooms in San Diego that are worth a visit:
Abnormal Wine Co. (San Diego)
Abnormal Wine Co. is a warm, welcoming environment that loves to expand your knowledge of wines. The Cork and Craft restaurant is a perfect spot to learn and grow. The tasting menu is delicious, too. Unique wine and beer dinners make for a beautiful evening in downtown SD.
Baily Winery Estate Club Tasting Room (Temecula)
Baily’s is the second oldest winery in the valley, specializing in cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, merlot, sauvignon blanc, and Semillon for over 30 years. Tastings cost $20 and come with six different sips. The reserve tasting format for $40 gets you six years of a single variety and small bites.
Bernardo Winery (San Diego)
Bernardo Winery is the oldest continually operating winery in SoCal, founded in 1889. Here, you can view more than 2,500 vines, browse a dozen shops, and access the tasting room. The tasting room offers more than 30 local wines that you can sample.
Blue Door Winery (Julian)
Julian’s old livery stables have been transformed into a charming (and dog-friendly) tasting room near Main Street. Blue Door keeps its eyes set on red varietals, many of which you can taste seven days a week from 12-5 p.m. If you can’t make it to Julian, visit Blue Door’s sister store on Morena Boulevard and tour the brand’s entire production facility.
Brooking Vineyards (Vista)
This family-owned vineyard offers educational tours and tastings if you call ahead. The tour last about two hours and provides an in-depth look into the county’s steeped history of winemaking. You can learn about Brooking Vineyard’s Old-World winemaking techniques that lead to its award-winning vino. The patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a wonderful spot for a tasting!
Cactus Star Vineyard (Ramona)
Cactus Star Vineyard at Scaredy Cat Ranch is a boutique winery in Ramona Valley. Established in 2001, the winery crafted its first vintage in 2004. It’s one of the smallest wineries in SoCal, producing about 200 cases annually. All wines are bottled on-site, using estate-grown grapes and occasionally other Romana Valley grapes.
Callaway Vineyard & Winery (Temecula)
Callaway is well-known in the world of golf, but in Temecula, it is making its name in wines. The winery, owned by the Lin family, crafts deliciously bold red and soft whites and sweet rose and sparkling wines. The winery is open every day, and tours are $20. For an additional $20, you can sample several wines in the tasting room.
Carruth Cellars (Solana Beach)
The artsy enclave of Solana Beach is home to this fully operational winery on Cedros. Situated in an urban setting only a few blocks from the ocean, Carruth Cellars sources its grapes from NorCal vineyards. Still, everything is crushed, pressed, fermented, barreled, and bottled in Solana Beach.
Charlie & Echo (San Diego)
Charlie & Echo specializes in mostly sparkling red, rose, white, and dessert wines using local grapes. The winery and tasting room in the Maralani Makers’ District on Miramar Road is open Thursday and Friday for tastings and tours.
chuparosa VINEYARDS (Ramona)
Located on 5.5 acres in far north San Diego County, chuparosa VINEYARDS has seven wines and an outdoor patio tasting room. Chuparosa means “hummingbird” in Spanish. It also means “one who flies from person to person stealing kisses,” according to its website.
Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum (Escondido)
Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum in Escondido offers three distinct vibes: a winery, a vintage auto museum, and a shrine to all things Barbie. There is a slew of wines to buy and sample on the wine side, with affordable tastings on site. (Guests can sample sips for free.)
Domaine Artefact Vineyard & Winery (Escondido)
Overlooking Escondido’s San Pasqual Valley, Domain Artefact Vineyard & Winery has Rhone wines in a peaceful and rustic setting. The charming outdoor tasting area is excellent for sipping, picnicking, and taking a stroll through the vineyard garden.
Estate d’Iacobelli (Fallbrook)
The 15-acre Estate d’Iacobelli is a vineyard and tasting room with a wine club for guests. Membership fees are under $100 annually. Club members receive 20% off purchases, three bottles shipped four times per year, and two wine glasses and invitations to special on-site events. There is live music every other Saturday.
Forgotten Barrel Winery (Escondido)
Forgotten Barrel is a historic winery in San Diego County, only minutes off the freeway in Escondido. The winery has been fully renovated in the former Ferrara Winery space. It now serves award-winning wine from San Diego County and the vineyard’s sister winery in Napa Valley.
Gianni Buonomo Vintners (San Diego)
Gianna Buonomo Vintners is a fully operational winery that only steps from Ocean Beach’s core. Even though it’s only steps from the Pacific surf, it’s easy to tell this winery and tasting room has a genuine passion for winemaking. The tasting room is again filled with the unmistakable scents of fine wine in French oak barrels, and all the wines are on point.
Hawk Watch Winery (Warner Springs)
Situated near Warner Springs in the mountains, Hawk Watch Winery focuses on Old-World winemaking to craft full-bodied, bold reds and elegant, crisp whites. You can learn the entire winemaking process at the vineyard, from crushing fresh grapes to bottling the finished product. After your educational session, relax with a glass outdoors and take in the sweeping mountain views.
Highland Hills Vineyard and Winery (Ramona)
Highland Hills Vineyard and Winery has a tasting room over on the weekends, where you taste their wares on a beautiful and scenic tasting patio. Schedule your wine tasting and tour for $20 online. A wine club offers discounts on wine purchases, complimentary tastings, exclusive member events, and first-serve access to new vintages.
Highland Valley Vineyards (Escondido)
Located on a hill overlooking Highland Valley, Highland Valley Vineyards is a boutique micro-winery that crafts perfect Bordeauxs and award-winning full-bodied reds. Owners Ray and Jeannine started as home vintners but today have one of Escondido’s hippest and tastiest craftsman-style sampling rooms.
Hungry Hawk Vineyards and Winery (Escondido)
Specializing in estate-grown Bordeaux, Rhone, and Spanish varietals, Hungry Hawk Vineyards & Winery in Escondido offers 15 different tastes. You can learn about winemaking and see how it’s done – from vine to bottle – on the scenic 10-acre property while keeping an eye on sustainable farming.
Keys Creek Winery (Escondido)
At Keys Creek Winery, sample Muscat Blanc, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel varieties in the oak-shaped tasting room tucked in the stunning northern hills of Escondido. This is a terrific spot for a tasting and picnic. Tastings are $15, but there are no fees if you purchase a bottle. Club members get 25% discounts on wines.
Koi Zen Cellars (San Diego)
Koi Zen Cellars crafts small-batch, handcrafted wines from award-winning grapes from Lodi, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara on Carmel Mountain Ranch. The winery typically produces five to six tastes at a time, available for around $10 per sample directly from the barrel. The winery also allows you to craft your own custom blend a few times per year.
La Finquita Winery and Vineyard (Ramona)
La Finquita means “small farm” and has been cultivating 8 acres of land in Ramona since 1988. Charlie and Jess Koehler – Ramona’s youngest winemakers and winery owners – produce a range of red, white, and dessert wines.
Leoness Cellars (Temecula)
Founded in 2002 by Gary Winder and Mike Rennie, Leoness produces wines such as Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Blanc Merlot, Muscat Cenelli, and Cinsault Porte. Various tours are offered, including artisanal wine and cheese pairings and vineyard tours and tastings, available every day of the week.
Menghini Winery (Julian)
Julian’s Menghini Winery sits at the foot of a volcano, surrounded by apple orchards and six acres of vineyards. They produce 4,000 cases of wine a year, which can be tasted outdoors or in their elegant tasting room.
Milagro Farm Vineyard and Winery (Ramona)
Located in the Ramona neighborhood of East San Diego, this boutique winery has been in business since 2006. With more than 10,000 vines in Milagro Farm Vineyard’s fields, only a few thousand cases of outstanding home-grown wines are produced each year, including reds, whites, and even the unusual Aleatico. Renowned Mexican winemaker Hugo d’Acosta currently oversees the vineyard.
Négociant Winery (San Diego)
Founded in 2015 in the heart of North Park’s Boulevard district, Négociant Urban Winery relocated to Hillcrest’s Uptown in 2021. Négociant joins the rapid influx of corporate and housing developments in the Uptown Hillcrest community. Festivals, boutiques, cafés, street festivals, and events in the area invite you to stroll and stop in Négociant for a delightful afternoon of wine tasting.
Orfila Vineyards and Winery (Escondido)
Orfila Vineyards & Winery is one of the largest producers in San Diego. Nestled in the scenic San Pasqual Valley in downtown Escondido, this winery produces a wide variety of premium wines, including award-winning Rhone-style reds and delicious Pinot Noirs. The large tasting room and expansive terrace overlooking the mountains and 70 acres make Orfila a particularly charming spot.
Pali Wine Co. (San Diego)
Located near the center of Little Italy, Pali Wine’s tasting room offers Pali wines from its second brand, Tower 15, a blend of Bordeaux, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Rhone. Enjoy a drink on the backyard or rooftop patio overlooking timeless Little Italy.
Ponte Winery (Temecula)
Ponte’s beautiful tasting room and adjoining hotel are positioned on 300 acres of vineyards in the heart of the Temecula wine region. Since 1984, the region’s winemakers, the Ponte family, are considered boutique producers with classic single-variety ranges: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sangiovese. There are also blends, bottled sparkling wines, sweet whites Moscato, and other dessert wines.
Poppaea Vineyard (Ramona)
The six-acre Poppea Vineyard, named after Roman princess Poppaea, features a scenic tasting room overlooking Mount Woodson. There are two other outdoor seating areas and an à la carte menu, and the winery and vineyard also offer a wine club for their loyal following.
Quigley Fine Wines (San Diego)
Quigley Fine Wines, an exclusive supplier of fine wines from sustainable family vineyards, imports artisanal wines from sustainable, small-production vineyards in Italy, France, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. The winery gives customers unique grape varieties from around the world in an accessible and educational environment. The tasting room is the first of its kind in San Diego and is designed to be comfortable and inviting.
Rock Canyon Vineyards (Alpine)
Located at 3,000 feet above sea level, Rock Canyon Vineyards specializes in red wine. The company is available for tours and tastings by appointment and is considered a boutique winery because of its small size. Small operations lead to greater quality control, greater attention to detail, and a genuine love of winemaking. Rock Canyon offers nine different wines, an art gallery, and donkey rescues on site. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
San Pasqual Winery (La Mesa and Seaport Village)
San Pasqual Winery is an urban microbrewery in La Mesa and downtown San Diego. Winemaker Linda McWilliams (also president of the San Diego Vintners Association) uses grapes grown in local vineyards to create full-bodied, approachable, easy-to-drink, and perfect for warm outdoors (especially rosés!).
Shadow Mountain Vineyards (Warner Springs)
Near Warner Springs, Shadow Mountain Vineyards is a third-generation family-owned winery and distillery, first planted in 1945. The winery specializes in limited production of white and red wines made from the estate’s grapes and many sparkling and dessert wines.
Sunshine Mountain Vineyards (San Marcos)
Sunshine Mountain Vineyard is perched on top of a hill with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. The website states that the winery stores its wines in three earthen caves dug out of the mountain, which hold more than 100 wines in oak barrels. Sample cabernets, Syrahs, and more.
Vindemia Vineyards and Winery (Temecula)
Retreat to Vindemia Vineyards and Winery for spectacular views, superb gardens, and varieties such as Wendemia’s popular “More Cowbell” Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, and Syrah.
Volcan Mountain Winery (Julian)
To visit Volcan Mountain Winery, you must drive past the volcanic mountain on the same road. This small family business is now managed by seasoned winemaker Jim Hart, whose family has a long history in developing the Temecula and San Diego wine regions. Hart produces a wide selection of red and white wines (Syrah is outstanding) at this 4,200-foot estate, one of the highest vineyards in the state.
Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards (Temecula)
Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards is in SoCal’s Temecula Valley wine country. Family-owned since 1996, Wilson Creek is known for its almond champagne and chocolate ports.
Witch Creek Winery (Carlsbad)
Witch Creek Winery is located off historic Highway 101 in the heart of Carlsbad Village. It produces (primarily red) wine from grapes from other regions and is bottled at its location in Carlsbad. Its Carlsbad tasting room, just one block from the beach, has a coffee bar.
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