Windwalker Vineyards

Come here every time I want to wine taste or take someone tasting. My absolute fave! Handicap parking, dog friendly and a huge nice shaded area with outdoor music to picnic. The red Midnight blend my fave!

I stopped going to Napa and other overpriced areas a long time ago. If you appreciate great crafted wines and reasonable prices, then you will love Windwalker. Jim and Alana, the owners have been producing award winning wines year after year and have managed to keep the prices reasonable. There is not a better place to visit in the El Dorado /​Amador County area

Arrived by limo to celebrate a 60^th birthday. Apparently our limo company didn’t call ahead as they had promised, but Windwalker accommodated us. Their reds are great and especially loved their Midnight, Mouvedre and Shady Lady. A must visit if you are in the area.

We have been customers since 1998. Loved the previous owners and certainly love the current owners, Jim and Alana. The wine is outstanding and rates far above any wine you would find in the Napa area. Our favorites include their chardonney and Viognier when enjoying a white wine. When serving a red with a great steak dinner you cannot go wrong with their Barbera. Keep up the awesome work people. We will always be back.

We LOVE Windwalker Vineyards. We have been coming here since 2004, and have been wine club members since 2008 and have never had a bad glass of wine. If you are a fan of red wines, especially, you are in for a treat. Even their most inexpensive wine, Sierra Sunset, is absolutely delicious!
They have a lovely tasting room and gift shop. I always enjoy checking out all of their wine-​related merchandise, and have purchased many gifts for friends on our frequent visits.
Jim & Alana are wonderful, warm, friendly people. I have never seen anyone treated disrespectfully.
. We have attended many of their events and they have all been so much fun! The food is always plentiful & great, as is the ambience and music on their wonderful deck under the trees. The owners and winemaker are always there and happy to talk about their wines.
We go to Napa, Sonoma, Livermore, Amador & El Dorado wineries quite often, but Windwalker is one of our very favorites, and definitely the friendliest!

If you can’t enjoy yourself here, you’re a misanthrope! The wine is amazing, the staff are knowledgable, and the atmosphere is surreal.

I was here Saturday, March 10^th for my sister’s 40^th birthday. I will NEVER come here again. Here’s the story:
There was a group of ten of us arriving in a limo bus, and we were about 45 minutes late for our appointment. The chauffeur called way ahead of time to let them know we would be late. When we arrived, we apologized profusely. They didn’t say hello, they didn’t smile, they simply said «which one of you works for the restaurant» (my sister is an event coordinator and they are always looking for new wineries to add to their menu), and then angrily poured glasses. Also, I must note, there were NO other people in the tasting room aside from our group of ten during the whole time there.
My sister tried really hard to engage them in conversation – asking about their wine, what grapes they use, where they started. They all used one word answers and actually started arguing behind the bar in front of all of us. One lady looked like she was OCD about cleaning and was constantly moving our glasses in order to wipe down the bar. When I say constantly, I mean that seriously is all she did.
We didn’t even make it through the whole tasting because we felt so uncomfortable. My sister actually walked out because they were so rude.
I understand they were probably frustrated we were late, but the winery we went to right before, we were also about 45 minutes late… but the owner was completely happy to see us, he gave us a tour of his winery, gave us snacks and a bunch of free tastings. ⁵⁄₁₀ of us joined his wine club.
So, Windwalker Winery, you missed out on a great opportunity to gain customers. We will never come back, we told all of our friends to avoid you, told the limo driver to not recommend your winery for tastings, and the restaurant my sister works for will not be selling your wine or recommending it to anyone.
A smile and good attitude can get you far.

The family and staff of Windwalker are very kind, knowledgeable and truly decent.
We are locals but did not know this family before hand but did know their wines. We joined the wine club (a great deal with a lot of extras). Their wines are so good. We
are invited to the homes of friends who ask ahead of time, «Can you bring us for
dinner something from Windwalker? We now know that the name «Windwalker»
was the name of a Stallion who lived on the property.
Their customer service is supurb and they even help us with getting the case (s)
into the car.
We have the wine that won the Golden Bear and the double double and several
Lady in Red, Shady Lady etc. After the holiday we need to get out there again as
our wine racks are looking to be filled totally up.

After a disappointing experience at Perry Creek, right next door, our experience at Windwalker was amazing.
Great service and one of the best Barberas I have ever tasted.
Dispite another negative review that said they don’t like large limo groups I can’t disagree more. I hate limo groups at our wonderful El Dorado and Amador wineries. Limo groups belong in the Napa/​Sonoma area. We don’t need them in the foothills.

Yes, they have good wine. No, they don’t have good customer service. My friends and I (in our 20 somethings) decided to go wine tasting and came here as our last stop. We had been buying throughout the day and planned to buy here until we were greeted by a very passive aggressive rude lady. First thing that came out of her mouth was «I’m only pouring you 5 of these on the list». Seriously lady… Then throughout the tasting, she kept giving us grief about taking up counter space (there was 8 of us) and how we need to keep moving till she pretty much shoved us off the counter all together. I would have loved to buy 5 bottles of the Sierra Sunset, but no way was I giving her my business

beautiful winery. BEST wines east of Napa. the ZIN is amazing! well worth the long ass drive out there.

Had my wedding here last September and it was gorgeous. I’m not saying that just because it was the best day of my life, it really was beautiful. With Alanna’s (owner) help and eye for simple design, everything was perfect. The wine is always stellar and the staff is welcoming and friendly. My favorite winery.

We took a trip to Windwalker after reading about them in the Sac Bee. We loved their wines and left with 6 bottles. We had a hard time choosing which wines to purchase as they were all very good. Take a short drive and enjoy the scenery, the wine and the owners. They were pleasant, friendly and patient.
Anyone who has been to wineries knows the glasses are not included. It sounds like Amy was just embarrassed to be called on taking the wine glasses. She claims that she had poor service before. If that was true, why did she go back? It does not take class to arrive in a limo.

Wonderful wine!!!
If you like good port, this is a place to stop! Their Tawney is fantastic. Also check out their Barbera and their Zin; all great wines!!!

Good wines, good service, and nice atmosphere. They have a fantastic assortment of reds, including some interesting ports.
It’s a little out of the way, but we will definitely return!

Windwalker has the best wines in Fairplay. Jim the owner, Dominic the winemaker and Jack in the tasting room really made our day today. Jack and Jim greeted us with a hearty «good morning» and Jim was so cute helping me find a rooster for my collection and I am happy to say I did find the perfect one. Dominic came out and shook our hands which was really cool and we tip our hats to his stellar wine making abilities. This was my second time at Windwalker and I came back for the awesome Zin and the beautiful setting. I was glad we had the tasting room pretty much to ourselves on an early Friday afternoon which gave us plenty of time to try all the great reds and learn so much about Jack, Jim and more about Windwalker wines. The hardest part was choosing which wines to take home because they are all incredibly good and the best in the region with the awards to prove it. Ultimately we left with a case 3 «Foxy Lady» 2 «Merlot» 3 Sangiovese, 2 «Shady Lady» and 2 Sierra Sunsets. Foxy Lady and the Sangiovese are my favorites but it was nice to enhance our collection with some equally tasty varietals. Everyone at Windwalker is incredibly knowledgeable, genuine, and we had a great time hanging out with them today. Eldorado, Amador and Placer County differs greatly from Napa and Sonoma county where it’s a different way of life and clientele. If you are rude, spoiled, arrogant and inconsiderate the wineries in this region might not cater to your ridiculous whims but they will treat you in the way you deserve and that’s a two way street you know. But for those of us, who appreciate great wine, awesome people, and beautiful surroundings you get a far better experience than any snooty overpriced winery who may not mind if some spoiled brat takes the tasting room glasses which if you know anything about wine tasting, you know the glasses are not free and you don’t take them. Real class is being polite and respectful Windwalker Vineyard is a class act in our book and we look forward to seeing our new friends again and again.
Dan Hale and Aimee Pfaff

Beautiful winery, lovely crafts and great patio; however the owner/​owners are rude, disrespectful, cheap and do not like large groups that come in limo’s. Our group spent approximately $ 300 between wine and crafts, and granted I know that isn’t that much, but when the owner follows you out the door and says «are you stealing my wine glasses» is just plain ridiculous and non-​professional. Those «tasting glasses» probably cost them 10 cents a glass. The confrontation was completely unclassy and should not have been presented in that fashion.
This is not only the first time in a limo there, but a second and third time with horrible service. I’m sad to say that we will not be coming back there, nor will we suggest this winery to anyone. We will continue to travel to the other local wineries who really want our business and treat us well.
Hasta La Vista Windwalker!

Go here for a picnic! They have a great patio and deck. If you call ahead with a big party, they will do their best to make sure you have fun. I brought my girlfriend’s here and it was raining, so they turned in the outdoor heaters and let us sit where it was covered. Just recently, my dog came with us and hung out with their dog Wino, too cute. The wine there is amazing. Their barbera is excellent and their Sierra midnight is to die for (this last release is sold out). They let try just about everything so kick back, drink and be merry.

I discovered Sierra Sunset! It’s the absolute best bottle of wine you’ll EVER get for under $ 15.
OMG, loveitloveitloveitloveit!!!

This was stop three on our El Dorado wine tasting adventure and we’d had one hit and one miss. Windwalker was in the latter category.
The owners seemed geared up to have us taste everything they had open, whether we enjoyed Chardonnay or hated it or wanted to try the Sangiovese first or last. As soon as we got our glasses, they started pouring from the first bottle in a line of at least a dozen. They seemed very disappointed when we said we’d like to pick and choose which wines we wanted to try.
I tried a decent 2005 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2004 Syrah, which was kinda meh. I was having trouble keeping myself from inhaling the sun-​dried tomato cheese dip and crackers on the tasting bar, so I had to step outside for a while. (I’m still paying for eating all that cheese at Exhale last week. Lactose intolerance sucks.)
I wasn’t impressed with this place, but the prices were fairly reasonable. And while I found the wine not particularly memorable, Christy enjoyed and purchased the 2003 Lady in Red. The nicest part of the winery is the pretty picnic area outside the tasting room, where I forgot to take a picture (of course.)