Comments on: Free wine tastings in Napa Valley

By: Tracey

Tracey — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 04:20:27 +0000

Like everyone has said most of the wineries are charging now, but if you go to the chamber of commerce and ask for some suggestions. They usually have free tasting coupons. I love the Napa Valley!

By: ISIK TABELA

ISIK TABELA — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:08:51 +0000

Heitz Cellars is clearly a place to go if you plan to buy their wine. Going there with the intention to sample free wine…:)

By: mimar

mimar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:37:43 +0000

McClelland-Priest, and the owner- Celeste Carducci, has arrangements for free tastings with many great wineries

By: Foton

Foton — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:16:34 +0000

Bursa otelThanks fot post. McClelland-Priest, and the owner- Celeste Carducci, has arrangements for free tastings with many great wineries

By: Carol B

Carol B — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:33:43 +0000

WOW. We just got back from our first day of “real” Napa. Some was quite disappointing. HERE are the really cool things though:
–Sutter Home is STILL FREE!!! I like their style of wine, and they were fabulous. Ended up with Muscat and Port to take home.
–V Sattui was also great. Only $5 to taste wines, but I think we did more than we were supposed to and it didn’t matter too much. The Madeira was fantastic and we loved their Gamay Rouge which won a number of awards.
–Didn’t like Louis M Martini – for our $45 in tasting 6 wines (2 tastings), they have very dry selections if you like that flavor. Tannins too.
–Charges for Frank Family & Graeser, so we did not go.
–Still looking to try a few more tomorrow.
Thanks for all the info!!! It gave us a starting point anyway

By: BJ

BJ — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:08:14 +0000

We just returned from a trip to Napa. Most wineries do charge for tasting, but there are some coupons available. We stayed at a fantastic B&B, McClelland-Priest, and the owner- Celeste Carducci, has arrangements for free tastings with many great wineries. We felt like it added an incredible value to our stay. GREAT trip!!!

By: Napa Wedding Photographer

Napa Wedding Photographer — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:34:08 +0000

Thanks for the list! I actually don’t mind paying to taste though. If I don’t find something I love, I don’t feel pressured to buy a bottle just because I’ve tasted. My favorite set up is a paid tasting, but the ones where they apply the fee to your first purchase.
~Amanda B.

By: Devona Saul

Devona Saul — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:48:04 +0000

I am travelling to Sonoma valley in the fall and want to try both free and pay for wine tastings. My husband and I are travelling with another couple who are not into wine which is why I wanted to hit some free places I love wine and am looking forward to trying some california wines I am from Canada and the selection is limited but they will order anyting we want I just need to find out what I want. Are there any free wineries left or should I let the other couple know we will be paying which is okay too. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

By: Kyle A.

Kyle A. — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:21:05 +0000

V. Sattui – $5 for tasting of 6 wines (didn’t know about a coupon); Louis M. Martini – $10 for tasting of 3 wines; Folie a Deux – $10 for tasting of 4 wines; Raymond $10 for tasting of 4 wines. After having to pay at every winery we stopped at, I finally asked a server (at Martini) why such a change in the five years since this list was first published. She explained that the tourists that were coming up and just getting drunk for free had become such a nuisance that almost all of the wineries now charged to keep that element away. The drunks weren’t there to buy anyway, so it was self-preservation to deter them from even showing up. The wineries figure that whatever they lost in sales they are making up for in tasting fees and having a better atmosphere for the serious consumers to find something they’ll purchase. I still had a great day (6 wineries in 6 hours), but be prepared to spend some cash, TNSTAAFL.

By: DH

DH — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:16:34 +0000

Heitz Cellars is clearly a place to go if you plan to buy their wine. Going there with the intention to sample free wine is not a good idea. Its a small and almost private setting, which makes you feel kinda obliged to buy the wine, after you taste it.

By: Karyl Oules

Karyl Oules — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:41:17 +0000

9/10: V. Sattui still has free tasting…they will mention charging but just tell the server that you can’t find your coupon….we and several others around us said and received wonderful treatment….

By: Nicole Burnett

Nicole Burnett — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:35:25 +0000

fyi: v. sattui no longer offers free tasting

By: Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Travel tips for Napa

Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Travel tips for Napa — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:42:47 +0000

[...] do have a few tips for the frugal epicurean (included this now dated list of free wine tastings in the valley), but not many. Some things that leap to [...]

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:18:35 +0000

I just transferred this page over with my new URL. The page was written in 2003 so please contact the winery first to make sure that they are still doing the free tastings as policies may have changed.

There is also the ability to post a comment on this list now so if you see something out of date, just post here and I will edit the page as necessary. Thanks for your feedback — and happy travels!