Friday, April 17, 2015

Our First Trip to Livermore - Planning

Our good friends Bob and Caroline moved to the east bay last year. I have been meaning to check out Livermore Valley Wine Country for years now, but this was the catalyst I needed to get something organized.

Sources


Google



Recommendations from Friends

  • Michel
    • McGrail Vineyards & Winery
    • White Crane Winery
    • Concannon Vineyard
    • Los Positas
    • Wente Vineyards
  • Brian
    • Wente Vineyards
    • Concannon Vineyard
    • 3 Steves Winery
    • Fenestra Winery

Initial List


  • McGrail Vineyards & Winery
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • #1 on best of list
      • Good Yelp reviews (4 stars)
      • Their Merlot and Cab won gold in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
      • Decent variety of wines, mostly red
    • Cons
      • Not a lot of images on the website of the tasting room.
    • Details
      • Address
        • 5600 Greenville Road
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 215-0717
      • Open 12 - 4:30
      • $10 < 8, $20 8 or more (includes a table)
  • The Steven Kent Winery
    • Pros
    • Cons
      • Wine looks expensive
    • Details
      • Address
        • 5443 Tesla Road
        • Livermore Valley, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 243-6442
      • Open 12 to 4:30
      • $15 Barrel Room Tasting
      • $25 Merlot & Malbec Retrospective in the Reserve Room
      • Advanced Reservations via CellarPass, Will accommodate dropins with next available slot
      • 6 or more need an appointment
  • Las Positas
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • Their Cab won double gold, and Tempranillo and their blends won gold in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
    • Cons
    • Details
      • Address
        • 1828 Wetmore Rd
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 449-9463
      • Open 11:30 - 4:30
      • Need a reservation for 12 or more
  • Wente Vineyards
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • #5 on best of list
      • Good Yelp reviews (4 stars)
      • Three of their whites won gold in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
      • Website makes it look like a very nice place
    • Cons
      • Their 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition were all very inexpensive
    • Details
      • Address
        • Which tasting room?

      • Open 11 - 5
  • Concannon Vineyard
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • #7 on best of list
      • Good Yelp reviews (4 stars)
      • Their Petit Syrah won gold in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
      • Good amount of reasonably priced wines
    • Details
      • Address
        • 4590 Tesla Road
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (800) 258-9866
      • Open 11AM - 8PM
  • White Crane Winery
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
    • Cons
    • Details
      • Address
        • 5405 Greenville Road
        • Livermore CA, 94550
      • Phone: (925) 321-5463
      • Open 12 - 4:30
  • 3 Steves Winery
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • Good Yelp reviews (4.5 stars)
      • Their Merlot won Best of Class in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
      • Decent variety of wines
    • Details
      • Address
        • 5700 Greenville Rd
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 997-7736
      • Open 11:30 - 4:30
  • Fenestra Winery
    • Pros
      • Recommended by friends
      • #12 on the list
      • Their Cab won gold in 2015 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
      • Numerous wine varieties both white and red
    • Cons
    • Details
      • Address
        • 83 Vallecitos Rd
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 447-5246
      • Open 12 - 5
      • $10 tasting fee
  • Darcie Kent Vineyards
    • Pros
    • Cons
      • Not on the list
    • Details
      • Address
        • 7000 Tesla Road
        • Livermore, CA 94550
      • Phone: (925) 243-9040
      • Open 11 - 4:30

The Plan


These 9 wineries will need to be paired down to 3 or 4, with one audible, just in case.