Visiting Santa Clara Valley wine country for the first time: where to start, what to expect and the mistakes to skip.
start at Kirigin Cellars, bonded 1916 and open daily, then run Hecker Pass west through Solis, Fortino and Sarah's before finishing among Besson's 1910 vines
Expect century-old Grenache, Italian-family estate reds and easy-going daily pours from cellars bonded before Prohibition, poured mostly by people close to the winemaking.
Fees stay modest by Bay Area standards, several rooms pour daily without reservations, and picnic grounds turn one tasting into an afternoon; Hecker Pass is the best-value serious wine road in the region.
The region sits 30 to 50 minutes south of San Jose via US-101 or Hecker Pass Highway; 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 Santa Clara Valley guide → · Browse all wineries →