California's Best Tasting Experiences

By Food & Wine
Updated June 16, 2016
Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia
The owners of Oakland’s Bay Grape wine shop, Josiah Baldivino and Stevie Stacionis, share their favorite travel and tasting experiences up and down the coast.
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Legendary Cabernet Sauvignon, Charles Krug, St. Helena, Napa

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

Charles Krug’s 153-year-old winery is a California Historic Landmark. At its Redwood Cellar tasting room, we shared a “family reserve” flight and loved the 2010 Vintage Selection Cab, an Old World–influenced New World wine with restraint in the rich fruit. http://charleskrug.com

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Sour Beer, Woodfour Brewing Company, Sebastopol, Sonoma

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

After a day in wine country, we inevitably crave a beer like the Sour Farmhouse Ale, a mild introduction to the sour beer category (wild yeast makes them funky). Woodfour’s restaurant has some gorgeous salads, too, like Little Gem lettuce with nori and sesame ranch dressing. woodfourbrewing.com.

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Rosé on Tap, Shed, Healdsburg, Sonoma

Credit: Photo courtesy of Shed

The HomeFarm rosé on tap—a zippy Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend from the owners’ vineyards—oddly tasted great with an egg sandwich, the yolk oozing all over charred greens and prosciutto. healdsburgshed.com.

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Big Red Zinfandel, Bump Wine Cellars, Sonoma

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

This small tasting room is set up as a midcentury modern living room. The 2009 Zinfandel from the HB Family Vineyard is a great example of what the grape should be: bold, sweet and spicy. bumpwine.com.

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SoCal Sauvignon Blanc, Les Marchands, Santa Barbara

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

This wine shop and bar reminds us of a bistro on a Paris side street, but with a California touch—bunches of local wildflowers and people wearing flip-flops. The owner’s 2011 Lieu Dit Sauvignon Blanc walks the line between French and superfruity California styles. lesmarchandswine.com.

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White Pinot Noir, Lichen Estate, Boonville, Mendocino

Credit: Photo courtesy of Lichen Estate

The new tasting room is in a little bungalow with an adorable front porch—and a hammock! Doug Stewart’s white Pinot Noir (made by immediately pressing the juice off its grape skins) is all white peach and acid. lichenestate.com.

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Affordable Sparkling Wine, Sweet T’s, Santa Rosa, Sonoma

Credit: Photo courtesy of Sweet T's Restaurant & Bar

The fried chicken here nails that crunchy outside/juicy inside thing. On Sundays, it comes with waffles, making it Champagne-brunch territory. The Roederer Estate sparkling has a hint of nuttiness and is just $24 a bottle. sweettssr.com.

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Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Torc, Napa

Credit: Photo courtesy of Torc

Chef Sean O’Toole took over the old Ubuntu restaurant and yoga space, replacing the vegetarian menu with a lot of meat and seafood. We tried Benjamin Dagueneau’s Silex, a superminerally Loire wine, with a crab salad. Perfect pairing. torcnapa.com.

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Spiked Snow Cone, Industrial Eats, Buellton

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

When we heard this restaurant/butcher shop made snow cones with Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco, Josiah insisted we get one. The blueberries in the syrup on top come from Forbidden Fruit Orchards. industrialeats.com.

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SoCal Pinot Noir, Public Market, Santa Barbara

Credit: Photo © Luis Garcia

We could stash a little cot in a closet in this market hall and live very happily. It’s an oasis of everything sustainable and artisanal; they host winemaker dinners and cooking classes, plus there’s the Wine + Beer bar. We get a Santa Barbara County Pinot; the 2011 Three Sticks Head High shows the bright and sunny, fruity pop of flavor we love from the local wines. sbpublicmarket.com.

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