How to plan a Santa Clara Valley wine tasting day: routes, reservations, etiquette and the local rhythm.
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
Three to four stops is the honest maximum for a day; this region rewards conversation over collection.
Many rooms here are family-poured with weekend-weighted schedules; check every website the week you travel and reserve where offered.
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.
Designate a driver or book one, pace with water and food, and buy a bottle where you stayed longest. Spring greens the Uvas Valley and fall brings crush along Hecker Pass; summer weekends fill picnic lawns, and the daily-open rooms make even winter Tuesdays workable
Every winery we track in the region, each with its own page.
See the full Santa Clara Valley guide → · Browse all wineries →