Ridge Vineyards

Nice winery to visit. Wines are very good. I’ll go back again!

Updated Review: Hats off to Katie (Hospitality Manager) and Tom (Tasting Guide) who have more than made up for my very unfortunate Ridge experience!
I am so pleased to report that Katie reached out to me after my last review and handled my concerns in a manner that truly conveyed her, and Ridge’s, dedication to customer service values.
As a result, I came back in two more times and had the pleasure of meeting Tom, who guided me and my guests through an engaging and memorable experience. It went *so* well, that I actually added another wine club membership. :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’m ruined for wine after tasting at this place. Everything they do is well crafted and outstanding. The views on the drive up and all around the property are just as good. Watch out for rattlesnakes!

Wow! Talk about a hidden gem in our own backyard! A group of girlfriends and I had a small birthday celebration here over the weekend. The view was INCREDIBLE. Plus, on top of that, the service that we got was impeccable. Our host was friendly, knowledgeable, and helped us take a bunch of pictures so we can remember this moment for a long, long time!
Would highly recommend. The wines we tasted were very drinkable. You can choose between the $ 5 tasting menu and the $ 10 tasting menu. I enjoyed more of the wines from the $ 10, but both had solid selections.
Be aware that the directions on the website are far more accurate than GPS. It’s not too difficult to find, but I’d peruse over the website before heading over. Lots of nice picnic benches to sit on if you want to buy bottles to enjoy outside! Will definitely be back!

The view and wine combination make this a must visit if you live in the area. The views are fantastic. It was a little cloudy on the day we visited but the views were still breathtaking. The wines were also delicious. The Zinfandel wines were my favorite. The Monte Bello Cabernet was good but not sure it fits the $$$ price tag. They allow visitors to bring their own snacks/​cheese/​etc and enjoy them with wine in their picnic area. This is a lovely place to hangout with some friends, drink wine, and soak in the views. Overall very happy with our visit and we will be back on a sunny day to enjoy the scenic picnic area paired with delicious wine.

Extremely rude staff. I asked a question regarding wine processing and received a rude, sarcastic response instead of that person asking someone else on their team who might know. Meanwhile, I stepped outside to sit on a picnic bench while my friends were inside. There were 5 benches, that fit about 10 people each. I was the ONLY person out there and received a patronizing caution from another staffer about the 2 hour limit on the benches.
Aside from the incredibly rude staff and poor customer service, the vineyard is difficult to get to — small windy mountain roads, some one lane with traffic in both directions. I understand this is not the winery’s fault, but very dry and smells like smoke. Not the case during my Sonoma visits

Very beautiful winery. The drive though on the other hand for a winery is kind of different. Don’t know how I feel about driving down that mountain after wine tasting for a couple of hours. It was very packed the day we went, seemed as though there was a huge party. But, we had a great sommelier who gave us the background of the winery and how e enjoys that drive up. I think I enjoyed the grounds and view more than the wine though. I will have to try it again on a slower day.

4* Ridge Winery
17 100 Montebello Rd
Cupertino, CA 95 014
Phone number (408) 867‑3233
Great place for wine tasting on the weekend. Please be considerate about toting your children and animals to the winery. Courtesy and safety.
Two levels of tasting $ 5 and $ 10
$ 10 additional to taste the exclusive Monte Bello wine
The wines themselves are not cheap
Friendly staff
Several tasting stations, indoors and out
Water (and food) for purchase
Great picnic setting with beautiful views
People buy wine and eat at the picnic tables
Would recommend, although the drive up the hill is challenging

The tasting here is really reasonably priced. They have a $ 5 option and a $ 10 option. And the people who serve you your tastings (not sure what they are called) are really friendly and knowledgeable. My friend bought two bottles of wine, which she loved, that only cost $ 30 each. The vineyard itself is beautiful with a gorgeous shaded patio where you can sit, relax, and if you bring your own snacks you can have a bite to eat. I don’t think they serve you food out there though. This was a great stop on our drive up the California coast.

Wonderful winery atop a mountain in Saratoga, with a lodge for wine-​tasting and lots of open space and beautiful scenery. Employees there are friendly and welcoming. It’s awesome to be able to go wine tasting so close to home, without driving 2 hours or so up to NAPA.

Ridge monte bello wine tasting was definitely one of the best wine tasting experience I had. For one it is not as touristy as Napa! I would recommend booking the private wine tasting for a fee of $ 30 ahead of time online, where your group will be served about 6 wines variety of Monte Bello at a seating of a long table in a private room. Usually they will seat two groups, but we got lucky that the other group did not show up, thus it was private for us literally! Also a friendly tip that they have picnic tables outside so you could also plan for a family picnic!

One of the few wineries where I could say all of the wines were amazing. If it weren’t for the crowd, I would have signed up for the wine club right then and there! The tastings were very cheap, $ 5 or $ 10 for the estate tastings (well worth it). Highly recommend a tasting and then bringing food up to picnic up there.

We were invited here by friends. We found the location to be spectacular. You have great views of the bay and down town san jose. They have picnic tables and space for you to bring beach chairs and relax. We were able to take the kids and they had a great time just running around and enjoying the fresh air. While we found the wine to be a bit expensive, the wine tasting was reasonable.
If you have visitors in town and want to give them a taste of wine country but can’t go to Napa, this is a nice place to go. It is also a nice to place to go just to have a picnic and hang out on a Sunday. We plan to return.

Ridge Vineyards was listed #1 for being best winery in the States on Daily Cereal making it a MUST-​SEE for me! I was unfamiliar with this wine region in Cupertino, but I was pleasantly surprised that their wines were lower in alcohol for California’s Standard.
–Basic Facts–
–No Appointment Needed on Weekends («Single-​Vineyard» ($ 5), «Estate Single-​Vineyard» ($ 10), and «Estate Single-​Vineyard w/​Monte Bello» ($ 20)
–Appointment ONLY on Weekdays ($ 30 — includes History, a walk around vineyard, and sit down tasting w/​a small platter)
–Known for Single-​Vineyard Wines
–Organic
The property is beautiful and Ridge holds a lot of events for their members. Unfortunately, they don’t host wedding or big events for outside parties. You’ll just have to bring your own picnic to enjoy this place one basket at a time.
Ridge Vineyards certainly did not disappoint, so let’s start talking about wine!
2012 ESTATE CHARDONNAY — 3.5÷5 (light and crisp/​no Oak bomb here)
2012 RIDGE GEYSERVILLE — ⁵⁄₅ (Zin blend/​medium body/​well balanced and round/​mineral w/​settle fruit; my fave! Very Elegant)
2012 PAGANI RANCH — ⁴⁄₅ (Zin Blend/​Fruit Forward/​Med Acid) per Winemaker’s good aging potential.
2011 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: ³⁄₅ (meant to be drink Young; not my style; lighter Cab)
2011 Monte Bello (Bordeaux Style) — 3.5÷5 (I really wanted to love this wine, but it wasn’t a home run for me. Perhaps, it needs more time? It’s $ 165 per bottle, so make sure you REALLY like it if you’re going to invest)
Here’s a link of the winemaker’s take on the wines:
Overall, I became a fan of Ridge’s Zins after my tasting. Luckily, I live in California giving me access to their wines (e.g Safeway and possibly Costco). Thanks Ridge for a wonderful, private tasting!

A coworker recommended Ridge Vineyards and after checking out some Unilocal photos and reviews I had to see it for myself!
I came here to taste some wines with my boyfriend and his parents. We came at 1:45 and asked to join the 2pm seated tasting & tour but apparently that wasn’t possible since the tour already started 15 minutes early? No biggie, we decided instead to do a small tasting of the Estate flight, which was $ 10 per person (non members). Honestly I was disappointed in the wines we did taste, to me they all had a distinct, sour taste to them and I expected a lot more since the bottles retailed from $ 38 — $ 50.
What’s absolutely outstanding about this vineyard is the location. Yes, the drive up is a bit treacherous, but well worth it with sweeping views of South Bay. There’s a great little area with outdoor tables that would be perfect for picnic! I wish we had brought some snacks since the vineyard does not offer any for purchase.

One of my favorite wineries. Beautiful tasting room, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and a stunning view of the Bay Area.
We had two tastings. The estate and the single vineyard. The estate started off with a really nice chardonnay. Then had a cab, merlot, and a zin from Lytton Springs. The single vineyard was 3 zins and 1 carignane. Definitely the place to go for a tasting if you like big, bold California red wines.
Tips:
— make a reservation for a private tasting on their deck. you get a special food pairing to go with your tasting flight. also a short tour of the vineyards.
— they have a picnic area so you can bring your own food and enjoy a bottle of wine with an amazing view of the bay
— there’s another Ridge in Healdsburg. check it out too if you get a chance! the Healdsburg vineyard is where most of the Zinfandel grapes come from.

Delicious wines, lovely space!
Finally came here after hearing about it for years. Ridge has two locations, one in the hills of Cupertino and one in Healdsburg. Apparently the tasting room in Healdsburg is much more modern feeling, but this one at the top of Monte Bella in Cupertino is the original — there has been a vineyard there for over 100 years.
They built a new tasting room just a few months ago and it’s really, really beautiful. All wood inside — wood floors, wood paneled walls, wood ceiling with rafter beams. Feels like a fancy rustic barn (that may be an oxymoron, but if you go you’ll know what I mean). The garden/​patio/​picnic-​ing area is also really pretty. It’s terraced and has shade umbrellas, so don’t worry about getting too hot!
Oh and maybe I should mention the wine itself? We’ve always loved Ridge wine, although we don’t drink it too often because although the price isn’t outrageous, it’s still more than we’d usually spend for a bottle ($ 35-​$ 50). Tasting fee varies from $ 5 to $ 15 depending on which flight you get. I went for the $ 5 and Ben went for the $ 15 and then we shared them all — that way we tasted nearly everything!
Overall this place is great, the only drawback is the very long winding road to get there!

I’ve been here three times and must say most recently I was even more impressed. The staff here is extremely welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable about their wines. The views here are stunning, and they just recently opened the upstairs to the public for tastings now — it’s more open, airy, and spacious — great for the crowds that always seem to come in on the weekend.
The tastings are broken up into two options — a $ 5 option, or a $ 10 option. You can also do a tasting of the Montebello for an additional $ 10. We decided to go with one of each tasting (and shared between the two of us as a couple) plus the Montebello tasting supplement — it was great to try all the wines!
They don’t take reservations unless it’s a larger party. They do also have some gorgeous picnic tables so if want to enjoy the day here, bring some snacks or a picnic and take your wine outside to soak up their stunning views!
Great for couples, small groups, or even larger groups. Plenty of parking as well.

While the switchbacks on the road to get this establishment can be lip biting and nausea– inducing, the place itself is remarkable. We did a simple wine tasting for $ 10, then spread a small picnic on one of their tables outside to enjoy the view and the sunshine. Afterwards we walked around a little and enjoyed the breathtaking view and hillside of poppies before heading back down the hill.
The staff were friendly and helpful albeit a bit overwhelmed by all the wine tasters brought out by the sunny weather. I really enjoyed my visit, but could take a pass on the windy road to the top.

Their wines are good, but I can’t reeeeally say they live up to all the hype.
It’s kind of a pain in the ass to get to the winery for one thing. A pretty drive, but really long and windy. The parking situation is balls — the lot is too small for the amount of visitors they get on the weekends.
The tasting room is also pretty cramped. But once you finally get a space at one of the bars, the service is polite and helpful. The wines are pretty good, but I’m not convinced they’re worth the price point.
They don’t make a single wine that I dislike, and the grounds are really pretty so why not check them out at least once? Once is enough for me however. I like them just fine but I wasn’t impressed enough to make this a regular haunt when the husband and I are lurking in the SC Mountains.

A FAMILY FRIENDLY WINERY
They are kid friendly! We brought the kids and a picnic lunch up into this beautiful location in the Santa Cruz mountains! The kids loved playing on the hill overlooking the entire valley:
BOOK YOUR PRIVATE TASTING HERE IN ADVANCE
It’s a good thing they are kid-​friendly because I promptly booked a private tasting (based on stellar recommendations by my oenophile friend Glenn G.) which included a vineyard tour… and eventually led to the purchase of an entire case of their wine, which we shipped back home for $ 78/​case:
TO GET THERE
You can hike 2 hrs. Or you can drive 25 min. Either way it will be memorable.
On the map it looks like a simple 25 minute drive from San Jose. HOWEVER, you will be driving on 1-​lane 2-​direction roads (yes, re-​read that again) that force you to go right up to the edge of the cliff. Fun times.
PRICING.
There are many options for wine tasting at Ridge:
FREE — They offer complimentary pours on the weekends (does not include Monte Bello)
$ 20 for a flight of 3.
$ 30 will get you a semi-​private 90min tasting in their tasting room.
$ 65 tasting was a private 90min tasting which included a library reserve Monte Bello. Since we flew 2,500 miles we wanted the good stuff. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.
VINEYARD TOUR
After the private tasting was over, Aaron was a great host and allowed all of us to come on the vineyard tour (even the kids!). We learned a ton about the different grapes they grow, why they cut back certain branches, how they keep the birds and rodents from eating the grapes, and the best part for the kids was picking the grapes (2^nd cropping!) off the grapevines.
GREAT EXPERIENCE
We had 5 adults and 2 children and everyone walked away with different memories of a great time at Ridge. Thank you Glenn for sharing this place with us!