Visiting Contra Costa & Lamorinda wine country for the first time: where to start, what to expect and the mistakes to skip.
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
Expect ancient own-rooted Mourvedre, Zinfandel and Carignane alongside Brentwood estate reds and Lamorinda hillside wines, poured mostly by people close to the winemaking.
Evening tasting hours in downtown Lafayette and Brentwood's walk-in rooms keep the county's wine affordable and spontaneous; no bridge tolls, no wine-country markups.
The region sits inside the East Bay, 20 to 45 minutes from Oakland without crossing a bridge; plan the driving and every stop gets better.
Don't overpack the itinerary: three stops with time to talk beats six drive-bys anywhere, and doubly so here. And check hours before every stop; small family rooms adjust schedules seasonally.
Every winery we track in the region, each with its own page.
See the full Contra Costa & Lamorinda guide → · Browse all wineries →