What makes Contra Costa & Lamorinda wine country distinct: the appellation story, signature grapes, landscape and how to taste it well.
Contra Costa & Lamorinda wine country means Brentwood's farm belt, the sandy old-vine soils of Oakley, Martinez's historic vineyard ground and the residential hills of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. Set inside the East Bay, 20 to 45 minutes from Oakland without crossing a bridge, the region rewards travelers who treat the drive itself as part of the tasting.
The anchor experience is Local Vines in downtown Lafayette, where five Lamorinda hillside wineries pour under one roof with the cellar working beneath the tasting floor, the stop that orients everything else you taste here.
The signature is ancient own-rooted Mourvedre, Zinfandel and Carignane alongside Brentwood estate reds and Lamorinda hillside wines. These are wines shaped by their setting rather than fashion, and the best rooms lean into that identity.
For buying, the local wisdom runs: old-vine bottlings from the county's ancient Mourvedre and Zinfandel ground are the collector pieces, with Hannah Nicole's estate reds the Brentwood signature
start at Local Vines in Lafayette to taste five wineries in one sitting, then take a weekend Brentwood run through Bloomfield's downtown room and Hannah Nicole's estate
Timing matters: Spring and fall suit the Brentwood farm loop; Local Vines pours Thursday through Sunday year-round, making Lamorinda the all-season anchor
Every winery we track in the region, each with its own page.
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