Laguna Canyon Winery

Both servers were friendly and helpful. They serve the tastings with crackers ($ 2 per 1 ounce pour; reserve wines $ 4 per 1 ounce pour) and the dessert wines with dark chocolate. I was impressed with all the wines. Id suggest going straight for the reserve wines as they are much more complex and interesting. Glasses with logos are sold for $ 10 each.

Excellent service and choices of wine, friendly staff and the canyon location are a few of the reasons I love this charming place. The Petit Verdot entices, and the Reserve Merlot is a must try. Silky smooth and delightful.

They are super friendly and smiley (and they actually answer the phone). The facility is so clean and atmosphere is just wonderful. Clean, fun, well-​organized, decorated like a winery with barrels, and just smiles on everyone’s faces. I fell in love with their purple paws (name of the wine). Definitely will be back with some more friends and I encourage people to give it a try. I have no doubt that you will love your experience :)

We were using a Groupon and despite what we read in the other reviews we were given great service. The wine was excellent, and the bottles we got to take home were quite good. We even bought an additional bottle of their sparkling wine and delicious port. We need to go there more — highly recommended.

We made a reservation for our large group via e-​mail weeks before, but when we got there we talked to 3 separate people, and no one seemed to have any idea what we were talking about. One person set us up at the counter, the second woman said she would ask, then a third person moved us to a table that other people were already at. Which was not only rude to the people they had just put there 2 minutes before, but also defeated the purpose of a reservation. Once we were settled the woman who poured did not know the cost for a group tasting (which was quoted to me and is on their website), she did not describe the wine at all while pouring, and she did not seem to have any passion of the wine she was serving.
To add insult to injury, the wine was not good. This was the consensus from those of us that have a passion for wine all the way down to those that don’t have any sort of wine knowledge at all. For the price they were asking, you could get a fantastic bottle from Willamette or Paso Robles. As you can guess, not a single one of us bought a bottle and then they had the nerve to charge us a fee for the service for our large group reservation. What exactly was provided over the normal tasting if we had just walked in instead?
Please don’t bother with this place unless you just want to get drunk. It was not the experience we were hoping for and it just felt sad to be there.

Went here twice, once to check it out and paid for about 6 tastings (they’re $ 2 each), and then one time went back with a deal I’d bought ahead of time that was running out, so I needed to use it…
In general their wines are worth trying, and if you’re going to drink wine with dinner in Laguna this is a cheap stop and you can booze up ahead of time. Nothing says you can’t still order a glass of wine or beer with your meal, but if you don’t mind saving a buck and like good wine then why not come here also?
If you use the *oupon it’s a ridiculously good deal. Got 10 wine tastings, included in the price (our guy did 11 – 12 pours because we were the only ones there on a Thursday 5pm). In addition to that, you get 2 bottles of red wine to keep (one blend, one zin) and for your 3^rd bottle, can pick between a red/​white that supports pet causes, which isn’t a bad one either. Then on top of that, they gave me the two etched wine glasses to take home. All for less than the price of one bypass surgery or DUI…
I was so happy (not just from the wine, genuinely happy), I tipped the guy who helped us $ 10 without hesitation. He even «blended» a glass right in front of us, and told us this is the next one they’re coming out with, going to be entered into a competition, but it wasn’t bottled yet so he «made» it on the spot for us to try.
Plus, 2 of their wines have recently won major awards at the largest wine festival, held annually at the Orange County Fair, which is reason enough to go.
Recommend going with groups of 2 – 4 for optimal enjoyment. Hours are like 10 – 6. So be timely, they close before the sun goes down most days.
Tip your bartender if they give you good service. and don’t forget to dial a ride if you’re a lightweight, or just to be safe!

I went wine tasting here with some friends. It was quite a nice place and of course located in a lovely area. But I definitely agree with somebody else’s review here: I think it might make for a more welcoming environment if somebody warmly greeted customers when first entering. At first it felt a bit like a cold environment, however, I soon found the staff to be kind enough — perhaps they were just busy when I entered. Loved the wine of course!

Prepare to be underwhelmed. We went last night for the Friday night tasting. We were happy to receive 10 one, precisely one once tastes for $ 40. But prepare yourself to be elbowed by retirees from Aliso and Leisure Village fighting to get their fair share of the Costco Superbowl platter meats and cheeses. Be wowed by the quality of the paper plates and plastic cutlery. Make no mention of the hot treats… hand passed frozen Flautas and mushroom and meat blobs. All in all, if you are new to wine tasting or feel the need to fill up on all-​you-​can-​eat Hormel meat and cheese, come on down to the Laguna Canyon Winery.

The wine was very good. We had a groupon deal and one guy seemed to be irritated about it because I heard him say to another groupon person «Oh, great… another groupon.» He sounded sarcastic. I’m not sure of that guy’s name, but everyone else was super nice. So when the not so friendly guy helped us with the second part of our tasting, we were sort of over it and decided to go early.
Update ²⁄₂₉: I wanted to elaborate on my previous review and I also realized I forgot to mention that the guy who was serving us I think tried to short us on two of our tastings. A very nice guy started us off on our tastings (10 total). He explained the menu and everything and was nice. After he gave us our first two (one for me one for my husband) he had to attend to a large party that had come in. When the other guy came over, he got us another two tastings each (at this point 6 of 10) and says, «ok you have two left.» So we told him that we had 4 left. He clearly didn’t believe us so we gave a recap of what was served and in what order. He kind of rolled his eyes and didn’t apologize or anything. That’s why we were just over it. And by the way, even though a groupon offer may be a pain in the rear, the whole point is to try to get new bodies in the door to get more business. Thanks to this guy (I wish I knew his name!) we really didn’t want to give our business. I gave three stars though because we actually did buy one bottle of an amazing sparkling wine.

I’ve tasted Laguna Canyon wines several times over the years and while I liked it 8 years ago, they have improved considerably since and make really outstanding wines.
I think this place is a gem being in SoCal — Temecula is great but more so an out of the way destination. Great that you can go to a tasting room with great ambience and get the quality you expect in a great wine. They get there grapes from Napa and Sonoma and do their bottling down in Laguna Beach. Best of both worlds. And I rather liked both of the guys here that I met — Marlowe and Darren. Both solid hard working people. It’s a tough business. You work your butt off all year to make your product, then bottle it, market it, trying to create something delicious by itself and with food. I also really appreciate the packaging — the corks are 100% recyclable — natural corks are not fyi, and I’ve never opened a corked wine because of the closures. Outstanding job.
I don’t understand the complaining on these reviews — seems like the guy that writes 5 pages because he wishes he were richer? and has done 3 reviews. I tend to trust the people that have more reviews and are in the business of rewarding a great experience rather than getting their revenge because they bought a groupon and don’t think a 500ml bottles counts as a full bottle. Seriously Hilarious self entitlement.
I would highly recommend this as an excellent stop to enjoy some well made wines by a proprietor that’s been in the business a long time and continues to improve on creating beautiful balanced wines each year. Take your time and just enjoy. Turn off your critical
eye and take it in.

The wines were good but we we’re pretty disappointed in their Groupon. It’s misleading because it says take home 3 bottles of wine. It doesn’t say that the bottles are pre allocated and you don’t get to choose the bottles. My mom and I do not drink white wines so we were hoping they would swap the white out for us and they said no, even when we offered to pay an upgrade. Also, one of the bottles is a half bottle, so in reality, you’re getting 2 and a half bottles. I don’t like when places are misleading.
Update: we just tried the «free half bottle» which is they’re late harvest blend and we don’t care for it. Disappointed.

My experience was bad enough for me to write an entire essay. Read it if you like, move on if you don’t care. I’m passionate about my wine… and I’m taking the time to critique my experience. I’ve read quite a few reviews here and they are related to getting great deals via Groupon or Amazon Local, nothing wrong with that, I can appreciate a good deal myself. However, my review is not based on getting a great deal on wine tasting. My wife found this spot and thought it would be a fun stop on the way back from lunch at Laguna Beach.
Upon entering, we saw a large group of early twenty guys and gals having a great time, festive and fun! We walked up to a tasting station and waited patiently. My wife and I made several friendly eye contact with the staff and so… here goes the review:
1. If you’re serious about greeting your guests, come up to them, smile and shake their hands and welcome them into your tasting room. Instead, the staff would keep walking by… and performed a «walk by smile» with a trailing… «I’ll be right with you» as they keep on walking. I’m a general manager in my profession, I would fire your staff in a heartbeat.
2. One of the owners finally came by and asked, one glass or two. we said one, and immediately, I could tell by the expression on his face. «man these guys are cheap». Let me tell you something, though I’m not a sommelier in practice, I have been to over 100 wineries in my life time. I can take two sips. and know if I like the wine or not. Next time you have that look on your face. do it to some college kids who «groupon’ed» your winery and has no money to spend on wine.
3. My wife has exceptional palate, and we don’t care to taste our wine in order. To the owners insistence, we went on the order of tasting he insisted. Ok, I can live with that. The whole time. he eyes darted around. checking on that big group of 20 year olds who probably didn’t buy a single bottle. VERY poor customer experience when the owner wears this looks… «geez. are you guys done?»
4. So I’m a professed wino, I asked for a new glass from the WHITE to the RED. To which the owner said, «oh you don’t need a new glass». «Einstein» here thinks he knows what I need or don’t need… you MISSED the point entirely. It’s not about whether or not you should use a new glass from white to red. All you needed to do… was put a new glass in front of me. IN ALL MY YEARS OF WINE TASTING, I’VE NEVER EVER, HAD SOMEONE WHO TOLD ME NO, YOU DON’T NEED A NEW GLASS, and not give me a new glass.
5. The word RESERVE is loosely used, so I asked this «owner», tell me about your reserve, to which he gave me an annoyed look… «what do you mean?». When I posed this question to the likes of Silverado proprietor. she gave me a two minute education on what their reserve meant (extremely professional). This guys at Laguna Canyon Winery starts telling, well look. Reserve means a variety of different things. smaller lots, hard to get grapres, blah blah blah. Einstein. I WANT to know about YOUR reserve, hello. McFly. is anybody home?
6. The wine. was decent. for three bottles, we paid about $ 150. My wife and I enjoy our Trader Joe Meritage for $ 12 bucks. and we’ll go all the way up to Kamen for $ 100. Despite the owner being a complete jerk, we didn’t judge the wine on his demeanor. He asked my wife if we wanted to join the wine club, she declined. Upon swiping her card, she asked for a receipt, to which he said, «well you didn’t join our wine club, I could have emailed it to you, and now I have to print it up on a 8 ½ by 11 paper». To which my wife said. I’ll take it.
My wife and I have been to the Disneyland of tasting rooms such as V. Sattui in Napa, to eclectic wineries such as Adobe Road and Kamen in Sonoma. This is the WORST experience we’ve ever had. No, we don’t have a Mercedes or BMW or any expensive cars in our garage. We are your everyday people who appreciate professionalism. This tasting room banks on the fact that they are located in a great spot. I hope this review. changes their attitude, and bring tremendous experience for everyone else after this review is posted. This is one clear example of not judging people by the car they drive, not judging people because they only want one glass. Too bad you won’t get our business again. Next time someone asks you for a new glass from White to Red. do it with a smile. Otherwise, get out of the business…

Went to my company holiday party at Laguna Canyon Winery last night. Great food great wine pairings great company! We blended a bottle to take home and that was really fun. Great place for an event like a company party. Shout out to Amy Chu who organized the event!!! Thanks Amy!

We were invited here for a private party hosted by our neighbor friends. The location was slightly hidden. I drank many wines that night. I am no wine expert. The Merlot was OK. Pinot and Cabernet were very good. The late Zinfandel was too sweet and not very good. The food was excellent. Super fresh ingredients. Dessert was awesome. I am not sure if they prepared it or it was catered food.

The location kind of sneaks up on you as you are on a windy freeway in Laguna canyon so be on the lookout. Didn’t have any problems parking. The tasting room was beautiful! I love the barrels stacked up against the wall. The wines were pretty tasty and the service was great. Very chill way to spend an afternoon doing a bit of tastings. Got a few bottles to bring home and give as gifts as they were all moderately priced. The crackers were a nice touch but a cheese plate would have been the icing on the plate. If you get hungry, Laguna beach isn’t too far and they have a great selection of restaurants.

Came upon this place through a Groupon deal! $ 34 for 10 wine tastings, 3 charity wines to take home, and 2 wine glasses for 2 people. We got there early and hostess/​bartender was so sweet and welcoming. Great customer service, and did not skimp knowing we had the Groupon deal! Wines were good, but my favorite that you must try is the 2012 Zinfandel-​Merlot Red Blend, Napa– varietals. This wine blew me away from the scent to the taste. Very peppery and bold! A must try :) Will definitely try to come back for this and their Pink Moscato :)
Only one less star because there is no seats to relax and just enjoy.

THE TASTING ROOM
One of the nicest tasting rooms with wall-​to-​wall barrels and industrial stuff in a classy, uncluttered layout. Nicely air conditioned. I have mixed feelings on being ushered from the unused bar to share a corner bar, which was far less comfortable but made it more social. Nice to have access to chilled water to drink or use for cleaning glass. Mmm, townhouse crackers keep getting refilled!
THE LOCATION
Deep within the fire-​baiting canyon, leaving is like entering a double dutch jump rope session.
THE SERVERS
Excellent. Friendly, attentive, vivacious and informative without the overkill. Packed
THE VALUE
Unbeatable with a Groupon, Amazon Local Deal, Pennypinch, CheapSkater, or ScroogeMcDeal (OK, I made up those last three)
THE METHOD
You get a menu covered in plastic and a dry erase marker– this method is not only the most «green», but also the most fun. You can rank your wines, play Tic Tac Toe, or draw a picture of the lady on the corner with the lip job.
THE WINE
1. The Sangiovese (Wente) is EXCELLENT, lightly tart and highly drinkable.
2. The Reserve Cab (Coppola) is EXCELLENT, full-​bodied with a punch.
3. The Petite Verdot (Plum Ridge) is good, complex but light.
4. The Gewurtztraminer is an incredibly drinkable white, goes down like water.
Sorry, but the Raspberry Sparking is like drinking an Alka-​Seltzer dropped in perfume. This wine somehow won an award. I’m thinking it must have been like when Carrie somehow won Prom Queen.

So wonderful!
Bought an amazon local deal for 2 branded glasses, 10 tastings (5 x 2oz of any wine on the menu) and 3 bottles of wine that supported a local puppy shelter and it was awesome.
The winery is located directly across from the Laguna art school so when coming from the freeway, once you start to see the school signs on your right slow down and get in the middle lane so you can make the left without causing a traffic jam or getting rear-​ended. Google maps takes you straight there its just tough to know exactly which driveway — there is a sign that says «WINERY» but if I didn’t know it was coming, I would have missed it for sure.
Loved the different selections and it was so great to chat to Juliet (I think that was her name? It was a little noisy) who told us all about the process. The grapes are from up north and they are frozen and sent south and everything this done there at the winery — crush, barrel, bottle — EVERYTHING is done here and I just love that!
Beautiful barrels line the walls and there are lots of standing bars and tables — no chairs so beware for your group. I brought my Grandma and I wish I could have had a stool for her but apparently there is a law that doesn’t allow any seating because that would lend the place to be more of a bar and that kind of establishment is not allowed on that portion of the street… apparently? Just consider yourself warned… I don’t mind standing and honestly neither did my grandmother but we may have stayed longer and tasted/​spent more $ if we were more comfortable… oh wellz! :(
We tried the sparklings, an interesting smokey red, some pino noir and a few blends… I loved being able to look at the menu and see which had won awards and read a bit of history on them. Wine tasting is so fun and I love the small commitment involved in 2oz pours!
My grandma just kept talking about how much she loved the champagne that we tasted first so I bought her one hoping to be able to add some $$$ to the bill for tip but there wasn’t the option… she said they didn’t have the capability for that :(bummer!
There is no food served so just be warned… they have some little tiny crackers in a wine glass on the bar but I so wish they had other light bites.
A fabulous way to start your date night or girls night… I will be back for sure!

We were so happy walking in here, they place looked lovely and staff were great. There was plenty of red wines to choose from.
My memory might be slightly off, but I believe it was 5 tastings for free, per bottle purchased. Not sure how much it was just for the tastings. We tried 5 wines between us and ended up buying 2 bottles so thankfully he reminded us that we could choose another 5 to try!
The wine club offer sounded great but my but my hubby doesn’t like them so we didn’t join.
If we ever come back to Laguna Beach (which I think is definite) we will be coming here first!

Bought the groupon deal for 3 bottles of wine, 2 wine glasses, and 10 tastings, which I highly recommend getting if it’s still available. The people here are very helpful and the woman who helped us (sorry I forgot names) let us know about the deal.
Anyways, I came with a group of 5 people, most of which had never done a wine tasting before. The staff here was very patient and let us take our time picking which wines to try. They also made us feel better about it being our first time and explained how to order from the menu. They hand you a menu and some dry erase markers to mark off the ones you have tried.
While I can’t compare this place to any other wine tasting places since it was my first time, I’d have to say I really enjoyed my experience. Each of the wines I tried were delicious and the establishment was kept nice, clean, and orderly. Service was five stars and the location is right off Laguna Canyon road. It may be hard to spot, but lookout for the sign on the side of the road! Would be a great place to come either with someone else or a group of people.