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Armida Winery
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Armida Winery
21 reviews in English
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Review from curt r.
Henderson, NV
2/17/2012
Great wines...Poizin is the best. skull and cross bones etched on bottle. comes in small wooden casket. tastes fantastic. Cant wait to come back and try Sonoma vineyard. Very helpful happy pourer.
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Review from Lauren W.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
We decided to give this tasting room a try as we were walking around Capitola on a Wednesday and lots of the wine tasting rooms were closed.
Really nice and friendly service from the wine pourer guy. He's silent and listens to you chit chat to your friends (or friends that you meet in the tasting room) and then suddenly he's there silently pouring your next tasting. He did answer when you asked a question, or included him in the conversation (as I did).
Wine was a bit on the pricey, at least for us, ($30-$50) side but my husband knew I liked it and bought a bottle of the red. I don;t remember the wine tasting fee of $3 pp being waived, I was too tipsy.
They also have a winery up in Russian River area which we will check out on our next adventure. -
Review from Tiffany K.
Sacramento, CA
4/23/2011
Okay, so a bit of good and not-so-good here. Firstly, LOVE the tasting room. Off the main road, it has a small balcony (alcohol not allowed outside) that overlooks the creek/river. Small and intimate, you can see view showcased Poizin line - beautifully etched skull-and-crossbone bottles in a coffin shelf.
Service was very friendly and accommodating. Tasting room staff had a chatty guy who hailed from Ohio or Iowa or one of those states that Californians could never locate on a map. He loves his job and it shows.
The wine, however, was lacking for me. I did the $3 tasting instead of the $5, my friend got the latter. So we were able to try both flights of five wines and were not that impressed. Both flights feature one white with four reds following. In the $3 flight, the syrah (forgot the name) had a distinct ocean aroma to it. I could have sworn it was kelp! Needless to say, it got poured back.
You do get the tasting fee waived if you buy a bottle, but I found them to be a bit pricey for the caliber of wine. I would, however, buy a bottle from the Poizin line just for the bottle itself! http://farm4.static.fl... -
Review from R T.
Sacramento, CA
9/4/2011
I used to be a wine club member here, but had to cut back on my finances so I'm not anymore. But I miss it every day.
This wine tasting room has a relaxed vibe, a far cry away from the snooty, uptight, holier-than-thou Napa crowd. Instead, this place has an amazing selection of their delicious wines in a setting fit for Capitola Beach.
They are know for their Poizin Wine which comes in a coffin with a big skull and crossbones on it. But there are some other incredible treats here too.
I did the reserve tasting, and even went back to revisit my favorites. I fell in love with the Chardonnay and the Syrah. I had to buy a bottle of each and it was all I could do to not buy a case! -
Review from Ana T.
San Jose, CA
3/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
If you're in the Capitola area and you're looking for a place to stop by to do some wine tasting you should come check out this place. It's a small tasting room that is located right by the beach where there are several restaurants and local shops within the area. I stopped by here to do some wine tasting flights before dinner and the gentleman managing the counter was quite friendly and informative about the wine. I also bought a box of milk chocolates that had wine inside them which were delicious, however, make sure you put the entire chocolate in your mouth or else the wine inside will explode and possibly get onto your clothes.
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Review from Rachel Z.
8/31/2010 1 Check-in Here
I was definitely impressed with the wine.....but it wasn't the biggest surprise, after (1) being in Lodi for the past weekend and hating the wine and the people pouring and (2) the wine was from the Russian River!!!
Russian River wine is the best! [and] the two guys behind the counter were pretty personable.....until........one of the guys had a group of friends roll through and proceeded to ignore everyone else while the other guy became shy and just stood back. That left my boyfriend and I just standing there, waiting for wine...waiting for some personality to shine through.
I loved the location and the wine...1 star off for the social butterfly behind the counter ONLY being social with his friends. Lame. Thank goodness the wine was sublime and only $3 for a tasting fee for $30-$40 bottles of wine! hip hip hooray, hip hip [I'm tipsy] :) -
Review from anjou k.
Oakland, CA
12/27/2008
The PoiZin packaging is just SO cute, especially the one with the pink skull.
The wine is okay. It's not the greatest.
Why 4 stars? I would give the wine itself 3 stars, but I think the tasting room experience is more than just the wine.
Everyone that works here is super friendly (well, at least the two people I've encountered). They are very generous with the pours. The tastings are $3 or $5 depending on which wines you choose. We did the $5 tasting and got more than 7 tastes.
It's just a fun place to hang out, sip wine, and chat with strangers and get recommendations for places to have dinner. When I came here in the spring, I met all these adorable twenty-somethings that invited me out to a wine bar. I had to decline the invitation because I already had too much wine here!
We also met Santa Claus when we were here! My friend and I were craving chocolate with our wine, so when the craving was articulated, this friendly patron resembling Santa said, "Well, it's Christmas, so your wishes should come true." Then, the woman behind the counter procured wine filled chocolate for us!
So to sum it up, check out this tasting room for the cute packaging, friendly staff, generous pours, and special guest appearances. -
Review from Lisa W.
San Jose, CA
2/22/2011
Just visited over the weekend. Can't believe we've walked by this for years and never even saw the little tasting room!
We were pleasantly surprised and loved all the wines we tasted on our flight. The marketing is very fun and clever.
We'll be back.... -
Review from Melanie A.
Santa Clara, CA
11/11/2007 1 photo
My friends and I were looking for a place where we could go wine tasting and enjoy the beach, with only a few hours of daylight left. Ok, so we are not the best planners....but fortunately we found Armida's Capitola Wine Tasting Room!
The wine tasting room is humble and casual. I don't think it would comfortably fit more than 25 people. However, the staff is very friendly and they are very generous with their pours. The staff didn't spend a lot of time describing each wine, but they gave us a lot of time to enjoy each glass.
They have a $3 tasting and a $5 tasting. With both options, we were able to taste 5 different kinds of wine. And since my friend bought a bottle, they waived tasting fee. Most of the wines were not amazing, but some of them were pretty good. They also had leftover food from a party that they let us munch on for free!
The best part is that it is right across the street from the beach, so you can play in the ocean after drinking too much wine... even if it happens to be November... ;-) -
Review from Melissa S.
Oakland, CA
1/25/2007
The irrevererent location, alongside Capitola's Wharf is a major bonus.
Michael the tasting room attendant is a major bonus.
The wines themselves (Zinfandel - heavy) are a major bonus.Listed in: Oenophilia: Mimi Style
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Review from Nam N.
8/8/2009
Fun little spot if you want to do a little wine tasting while in Capitola. The tasting room is a modest size but has a great location right on the water canal and amidst a ton of foot traffic.
Tasting will run you $3 or $5 and if you're lucky, the attendant will slip you an extra taste or two. Tasting fees are also waved if you buy a bottle. As for their wines- they weren't my fav but better than your average table wine. We enjoyed their Zinfandel the best. -
Review from Kat E.
Davis, CA
1/11/2011
I love Armida Wine. LOVE it. What I don't love is the man behind the counter pouring the wine. My husband and I love PoiZin. It's $80 a bottle so when we buy it's for a special occasion. We ran out over summer so I took a ladies vacation in August to Capitola and made a pit-stop at the tasting room to pick up two more bottles.
First off- I am 30 years old. Second- I look young for my age. Not 18 but definitely not 30. I get carded everywhere I go. I expect it. It's not unusual. So when I got carded at the winery I was happy to hand over my drivers license. What I did not appreciate was the jerk behind the counter staring at my license and rudely asking me to recite my birthday for him while he held the card. He literally did not think it was me. I was so taken aback I didn't even know what to say. He told me I look young so he needed to "make sure I was over 21". I am buying TWO $80 bottles of WINE!! If I was at the quickie mart buying a bottle of Boone's for a $1.50 I would question my ID. But honestly the way the entire interaction happened left me with such a bad taste. The other person working came over and was so nice. He was an older man. He told me about being part of the wine club and being able to save money on all of the wine for the year. Sure I say and decide that I enjoy the wine enough to let go of the fact that the other man is so rude.
Let's jump forward 5 months to this past weekend. As part of the wine club I was a few months late picking up my November bottles. My husband and I were in town for the weekend and stopped in to pick up my order. Wild guess who was working behind the counter. The same guy from summer! I thought to myself, maybe his behavior was just a one time thing? Maybe he really isn't a jerk. WRONG. I got the same condescending attitude. I said I was picking up my order from the wine club. He said if I want to taste he needs to see my ID. I don't want to taste and he says- "well, I still need to see your ID. You look young." Ugh...same bad attitude. Same negativity! I will not be part of this wine club again. And I think I'll be making a trip to Healdsburg to pick up my next 2 bottles. -
Review from Anna B.
Santa Clara, CA
3/17/2010
Love this place!
I am a member of the wine club, and haven't gotten a bad bottle in two years.
I love the friendly and knowledgeable staff. They are always there with good suggestions, and very generous with the pours.
Location is just where you want them, right next to the beach! -
Review from the fuzzies s.
San Jose, CA
3/29/2010 2 photos
The wine tasting was ok...the person working Sunday, march 28, pretty much gave us little service since we look like we're in our young 20s. In actuality, I've been to quite a few wine tasting venues and have had way better service. All the server did was pour the wine and left. He didn't pause to answer any questions, he pretty much left us with our wine to talk to the people closer to his age. We barely got any description at all on the wines. I gave a couple stars for the ambiance and location. I wish there were more wine tasting spots in downtown capitola....
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Review from Cameron K.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2009
A cute tasting room with a positive vibe by the beach---who really could ask for more?. The experience of tasting is amazing and affordable---but wines by the bottle are expensive for the quality. Definitely worth a stop if already in Capitola.
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Review from Scott P.
9/30/2008
This tasting room is in a great spot for foot traffic. Unfortunately, the wine is sub-par. I love wine... a lot... and for the first time I was pouring the wine into the bucket. I think the wine may not have been stored properly? A few of the bottles were stored with a vin vac, and did not hold up well. We had four tastes, but I was done at three... my girlfriend, being an optimist, convinced me to try one more, but it was not good either. We felt bad, because the guy working there was trying really hard... so I will stop before I get into a rant about what was wrong with each wine.
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Review from Patricia A.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2008
UPDATE:: I can not believe I actually am lowering my rating but, I have to. Here is a NEWS FLASH just because your wine is from Napa it doesn't mean it does not your wine is the best. Also, the newest Terrior isn't always the best. When a wine has been opened on Sunday by Tuesday it might be time to get rid of the bottle (especially if it's the bottom of the bottle!).
Also, $20+ for Napa wines that are three years old..eeeeck.
To some that is a deal, to others that price isn't a deal.
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Didn't want to interrupt the daily watching of the Food Network but I did anyway. Apparently, looking around is code for watch my every move.
The guys at Cava were busy doing the dishes so, I thought I would check this place out.
Instead I got checked out. Sorry, I don't swing that way. I am all men all the time.
Okay to the wine list, I am sorry did you hear there is an expensive wine list available at Storr's not here. Your winery is cute but how much does it cost to taste I went blind from the price of one bottle.
I look forward to giving this place another try in the future when my home loan comes thru (Will the FHA bail out my liver?).
In the meantime, maybe instead of staring at me like I am going to rip you off or I am interrupting your day by stopping by tell me a little bit about the wine or go buy a new personality because being silent and staring at me didn't invite me to try wine and you didn't offer. -
Review from Kimberly C.
San Jose, CA
9/9/2007
Whooooooooo!! how could you not love this place the staff is excellent. and the location is even better. and now let's talk about the wine. soo so good. this pace is a must in capitola if u are a wine lover. or just a taster. . . .
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Review from Teres M.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/11/2010
This is one of my favorite places to go wine tasting. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable. The wine is great. They have a large selection at good prices for a Sonoma County vineyard.
The location is great too. There are lots of great places to eat at after you finished tasting. -
Review from Kim D.
4/28/2010
My bf and I decided to do a random trip to the beach all of a sudden and I have a knack to just spot wine tastings from miles away. First place we ran into was Armida and this place had a cute promising tasting room. It was a bit crowded so it showed great promise of being a crowd pleaser. However, my taste buds told me differently. We chose the reserve tasting which cost $10 I believe and the Chardonnay was ok and the Zin was ok but nothing really wowed me. I thought the Pinot Noir was too sweet for my liking. What perplexed me is they had all these bottles of "poizon" wine that everyone seems to know about but for those that don't it's hard to see all that hype and weird thing was it wasn't even given by the glass or in a tasting so you know what the hype was about. I really don't know why people like this place so much...maybe they've never been to really great wineries in Napa or Sonoma....
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Review from Amber W.
Lincoln, CA
5/24/2011
Where do I start? We first stumbled upon Armida on one of our bi-monthly trips to the Santa Cruz/Capitola area. We are young for typical tasting patrons (23 when we first started going there) and so we get carded every time we taste! This is what they're supposed to do (to keep their serving license), so people should NOT be offended. I too, have had to confirm my DOB and address on a few occasions. I find this to be thorough and not insulting... some people are just sensitive I guess! Anyways, we wanted to taste their best and so started with their $5 flight and loved pretty much every taste! They are definitely known for their reds, and I've never liked too many of their white wines, but their reds make up for where their whites lack. Their Poizin is infamous and rightfully so. But, their SurfZin is the best bang for the buck! At less that $20 per bottle (wino members) it is fantastic- a good every day or special occasion wine. The tasting room is small, but intimate because of that. The two gentlemen that work there are just wonderful. Very sweet and knowledgeable on Armida's wines and vineyards. We joined the wine club on our first visit there and look forward to our shipments! I would highly recommend their wine club for a reasonable and delicious treat!
