Wine Tasting in Hopland
Located just off Highway 101 in the Sanel Valley and less than a 2 hour drive from San Francisco, Hopland is part of the Mendocino AVA, (although an AVA is currently pending for Sanel Valley). Hopland offers a wine tasting experience off the beaten path and is home to a lot of certified organic and bio-diverse wineries and tasting rooms.
Wine tasting in Hopland is down to earth and much less commercial than wine tasting in many other places. There are numerous tasting rooms right in town off 101 and also scattered around and along Highway 101.
Brutocao is in the old high school and then Graziano, Cesar Toxqui, McDowell, McFadden and McNab all have tasting rooms right in town just off highway 101. Campovida has beautiful grounds, an organic garden and bocce courts and is a great spot to relax enjoy wine and bring a picnic. Jeriko has lovely outdoor seating and beautiful views of the Sanel Valley and Nelson has a nice shady Redwood Grove great for a picnic or just to sit and relax for awhile. Parducci has a tasting room in the Solar Living Center, a place with interesting exhibits on solar energy and solar living
Clearlake is only 30 minutes away from Hopland and there are also several Indian gaming casinos offering food and lodging options close by.
Once a year on a weekend in May, Hopland hosts a Passport event which with a ticket allows access to wine tasting at 16 wineries and tasting rooms over the course of 2 days. Each winery offers food paired with its wines, some have music and there is the option to take a shuttle to all of the wineries so you don’t have to drive.
I highly recommend a stop in Hopland, especially the weekend of Passport. Due to the diverse terrain there is a large variance of both white and red varietals and the atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable. Check it out and if you do go, let me know what you think.
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Tags: Brutacao, Campovida, Cesar Toxqui, Clearlake, Graziano, Hopland, Hopland Passport, Jeriko, McDowell, McFadden, McNab, Mendocino, Nelson Family Winery, Parducci, Sanel Valley
