Photo: Charles O’Rear/Getty Images
Spring and summer are usually prime sipping seasons for traveling oenophiles. Unfortunately, with most tasting rooms currently closed, our weekend winery jaunts and vineyard vacations are on hold. That doesn’t mean you totally need to delay your gratification, though: Here are a few of our favorite wineries to visit around the country, which you can order from now to whet your appetite for future flights.
CALIFORNIA – NAPA VALLEY
Napa Valley is synonymous with wine, and there are so many wineries here that it can be almost impossible to choose where to stop—or, under the current circumstances, where to order from. These three should both satisfy the current urge and fit into future plans.
Ashes & Diamonds
This flashy winery has been a big hit among Napa Valley visitors since its 2017 opening, thanks to a mod aesthetic lifted straight from one of Don Draper’s California sojourns in Mad Men. These days, you can’t stay to soak up the ’60s vibe, but you can still order the delectable cabs, which have a lower ABV than most of what’s made in the valley today, in an approximation of a more classic Napa style.
Odette Estate
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval ratings have been on the rise, and that’s without people being able to visit Odette’s futuristic, LEED Gold Certified winery, which counts Newsom and Gordon Getty among its owners. While the appointment-only tasting room on the Silverado Trail is now closed, you can still order bottles from Odette and sister wineries PlumpJack and Cade. The cabs are king, but don’t sleep on Odette’s petite sirah.
Pine Ridge Vineyards
One of the classics of the Stags Leap District, Pine Ridge has been producing top Napa cabs for more than 40 years, and in recent years it has amped up its on-site experiences, with VIP tastings available in the winery’s caves. Until you can book one of those, the website is offering deals on several curated collections, including six bottles of 2016 cab for $350 (a savings of $40), with free ground shipping. Members get an extra 20 percent off.
CALIFORNIA – SANTA BARBARA
The American Riviera is Southern California’s favorite wine region—there’s a reason Jack and Miles came here in Sideways—and it offers an appealing variety of tasting rooms, from the vineyards tucked in the hills around Santa Maria to the urban wineries in Santa Barbara’s hip Funk Zone.
Firestone Vineyards
In operation since 1972, this Santa Ynez Valley winery is one of the Santa Barbara region’s standard bearers. (The barrel room even made a guest appearance in Sideways.) Highlights include the malbec, the cabernet sauvignon, and the Proximity Twenty Six Red (the 2014 vintage is currently going for more than 50 percent off).
Margerum Wine Company
With tasting rooms at its Buellton winery and at the Hotel Californian in downtown Santa Barbara, Margerum offers sipping opportunities in the city and the country. For now, try a stay-at-home, DIY tasting with one of the samplers on sale: The Staff Favorites offering includes a sauvignon blanc, grenache, and syrah, while the Estate Trio includes a table white, a viognier, and a syrah. Shipping is free on orders by the case.
Santa Barbara Winery
This classic spot has been a mainstay in downtown Santa Barbara since the ’60s. (I doubt there’s a restaurant on State Street that doesn’t have the chardonnay on its menu.) The winery asks a three-bottle minimum for shipping but is currently offering 10 percent off on a number of packages, including a collection of rieslings and an assortment of Italian-style reds.
OREGON
Just south of Portland, the Willamette Valley has been keeping PDX’s acclaimed restaurants stocked with fine pinot noirs and chardonnays for decades. After trying these three, you’ll be ready to book a trip to the Beaver State.
Antica Terra
Maggie Harrison is one of the Willamette Valley’s most beloved winemakers. Her artisan pinot noirs, chardonnays, and syrahs aren’t cheap (the least expensive bottle available online is $95), but after just one sip you’ll be glad you paid the premium. Antica Terra hosts lovely lunches and dinners in the vineyard and at the winery during the summer, and if you purchase wine now, you can help some food purveyors: The winery is donating 25 percent of all its orders to The James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon
For more than 30 years, this 225-acre Dundee Hills estate has been putting out fine Burgundy-style pinot noirs and chardonnays—which makes sense, as it’s owned by a Burgundian family. Until the winery reopens for tours (on which you can see the four-level, gravity-flow winemaking process), you can purchase bottles online, with a 10 percent discount on orders of 12 or more.
Southeast Wine Collective
Since 2010, Portlanders who want to go wine tasting but don’t care to venture from the city limits have been coming to this charming urban winery in the middle of Southeast Division Street’s formidable restaurant row. (Ava Gene’s, Pok Pok, and Bollywood Theater are all within a couple of blocks.) Until the Rose City is back in bloom, you can order from the online bottle shop. Try the gamays—co-owner Kate Norris is so fond of the varietal, she started a festival in its honor.
TEXAS
Around 50 wineries can be found in Texas Hill Country, north of San Antonio and west of Austin. In fact, the region is home to the third-largest American Viticultural Area in the U.S., at more than 9 million acres. But we’ll keep things simple for y’all: None of these wineries is much more than about an hour’s drive from Austin.
Becker Vineyards
The vines were first planted at this Fredericksburg winery in 1992, and since then Becker has grown into a facility that produces 100,000 cases a year and had its wine served at the White House. Visitors to the estate will see 56 acres of vineyards and an event center that’s a replica of the barn at the Johnson Settlement (where LBJ grew up). While the estate is closed to visitors, order one of the many award winning wines, which include cab franc, chardonnay, cinsaut, and dolcetto. Becker is also doing virtual tastings through Facebook Live, with a corresponding three-bottle pack available for each one.
Duchman Family Winery
Founded in 2004, this winery in Driftwood, about half an hour from Austin, specializes in Italian varieties. Normally, picnics on the grounds outside the stone facility are encouraged, but for now the winery is offering curbside pickup of family-style meals. If you’re too far to make the drive, order a gold medal–winning vermentino online.
Pedernales Cellars
This winery, which opened in 1995 in the town of Stonewall, sits on a 145-acre estate in the scenic Pedernales River Valley and specializes in Spanish and Rhône varietals. Try a crisp viognier, albariño, or vermentino, or an earthy tempranillo or malbec. The three-bottle bundles are a great deal, and shipping is free on orders over $100. The winery is also doing virtual tastings on Facebook Live.
VIRGINIA
Just minutes from Dulles International Airport, D.C.-adjacent Loudoun County is arguably America’s most convenient wine region, with around 40 wineries clustered among the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Potomac River.
The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards
Located in a 100-plus-year-old barn on a refurbished dairy farm in Hamilton, this is one of the most attractive tasting rooms in Loudoun County. The wines are Bordeaux-style (petite sirah, cab, an award-winning Meritage) and are currently available at a discount, ranging from 15 percent off for three bottles to 30 percent off for two cases. Plus, you can order pre-made Bellinis and sangria.
Breaux Vineyards
At 404 acres, this estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the historic small town of Hillsboro is one of the largest, most scenic winemaking properties in Virginia. Breaux is doing virtual tastings on Facebook Live, but if you’re livestreamed out, do a mix-and-match special and get 40 percent off on a few select bottles as part of a 12-bottle order and go your own way. Shipping is also free on orders of six bottles or more.
The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek
Not far from the banks of the Potomac River, this beautiful 50-acre sustainable winery outside Leesburg is popular for its culinary experiences, such as the four-course Saturday night Tasting Table dinner. Those in the area can now order takeout and delivery meals on the weekend; if you’re farther flung, shipping is currently free on orders of three bottles or more. Try the award-winning 2017 cab franc.
