Beringer Vineyards
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
6 reviews
Napa, CA
"I absolutely loved this winery. It's a little off the beaten path, and very beautiful. I give them bonus points for being very dog…" read more »
37 Reviews for Beringer Vineyards
The basic flight costs $10 and consists of three wine tastings. The pours are larger than average. The wine tasting area is nice.
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The Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel is pink, delicious and 12 bucks a bottle. Cheese plate is just 10 dollars with a full tasting which is also 10 dollars.
The Beringer estate has a classic charm lots of shade, benches and fountains.
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Tip: When wine tasting, swish (whatever the fancy wine snob term is) the wine around your entire tongue; let it touch all the different taste buds. I always chug (gasp!) wine because I hate the taste of alcohol. Swirling it around in my mouth really made a difference. I didn't like the taste more, but I did dislike it less.
The first and only tour on our day trip to Wine Country.
Very large, a lot of ground to cover. We picked the hour long tour with 4 wine tastings. I liked our tour guide. Hard to describe him...had a bit of a backwoods accent, gave lots of information but in a off-the-cuff way that made it fun to listen to. You walk, stop, he speaks, get a small glass of wine, then walk to the next stop.
At our first glass, he went, "Mmm, I need a sip of this myself after all this talking." My favorite part was seeing the caves they dug into the mountain. It was very cool inside; nice for the sunny day we came. It made me sad when I learned that the oak barrels can be used only twice. I forget what it gets used for after that, but that's a lot of trees.
I also noticed a large dining table with an entire set of chairs in the middle of the caves, you'll see it. It made me think of a secret society, sitting around posh and polite, delicately eating something fancy while someone's gagged and blindfolded in a dark corner...yeah, I got a wild imagination. It struck me as a very random place to have a dining room set.
Port de'something was our last tasting. I've never had port before. It's tannic (ick) yet sweet (yum) = I kinda liked it. It also helped that you're supposed to drink it with a piece of dark chocolate. I learned afterwards you're supposed to put the chocolate on your tongue, THEN drink the port.
One of my friends bought 4 bottles of wine here.
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There is no going wrong in taking people to this place or coming yourself for a very basic and presentable wine tour/experience. It has 3 separate buildings, the say it's the oldest, and hey, you'll recognize their name on the wine list of your favorite restaurant.
I did the tour a few yrs ago where you can learn about Beringer's interesting history, some of napa's facts, and see where all the wine is stored. there are many different tours depending on your time, interest, cost and need. They do have a great one for beginners to learn how to appreciate wine which I felt was informative and fun.
right now they have the smaller house in renovation or something, and you don't get to see all the grapes bc it's tiny. So if you know anything about the wine seasons, maybe it's better to do some research and go at a time you think you can learn and see more.
Very friendly staff!
ps-go on the website for free tasting coupons. although they are generous anyways.
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I'm giving 5 stars to Beringer- I had the best time here out of all the wineries we went to. The grounds were pretty and there's not a required tour or tasting in order for you to wander around, which was a boon for those in our party who didn't want to drink. I also liked that you could share the tasting. $25 for 4 tastes of their reserve wines would have been too much wine for myself alone, but being able to share it allowed me to keep my head while also being able to enjoy the different wines.
We started off our tasting with the 2005 Sbragia Chardonnay ($40). It was a tasty wine, though a little too oak-y for my taste. We then moved onto the 2003 Private Reserve Cabernet ($115, but on special sale for around $90), which was one of the better reds I've had. Our server was actually quite nice and gave us another pour with the Vinturi wine aerator when my sister asked about what it was and what it did to wine. Our server then started telling us about how to enjoy red wine and what both salt and chocolate did to the wine. After that little talk, we were able to appreciate the Cabernets so much more. While the 2003 was nice, the 2004 blew us away. Unfortunately, $115 was too much for us to pay, especially since we rarely ever drink wine. We ended with the 2005 Nightingale ($40), which was perfect. I love dessert wines, so this was very nice. When I inquired as to whether they had any other dessert wines, the server actually gave us a pour of their 2001 Port of Cabernet Sauvignon ($25), which was amazing. I'd never had port before, so this was a revelation. So if you've kept count, you'll realize that we got 6 pours of 5 wines for $25. That was the best $25 we spent all day, considering how much more we learned about reds and how much quality wine we got to taste.
We left the tiniest bit buzzed, but happy, since we got a bottle each of the Nightingale and the port. We would have gotten another bottle of the port, but unfortunately, they were all sold out. We were also a little disappointed that the Rhine House was closed due to earthquake renovations, but the grounds were still lovely and we were able to see the 200+ year old tree on the property. Overall, a great winery to visit with some great wines there for your tasting.
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This one winery I always recommend to friends. Beringer gives a nice European/Old World perspective on its winery tour as well as a decent history lesson about wine that other wineries don't offer. The wine caves are cool. The grounds are beautiful. I'm always amazed by the thought that amazing Rhine House was shipped over here in pieces and re-assembled! (I wonder what the directions for that looked like and if the men in charge actually read them.) The wine is also really good.
Check 'em out at:
http://www.beringer.com
Wine & History. How can you not love it?
I love drinking wine.
I love learning about history.
So if you put two and two together---- you get a VERY happy me!
Came here with friends and did the Taste of Beringer Tour (90 mins) which showcased the Rhine House, Hudson House, The winery (not so much because the weather was raining cats and dogs that day) and tunnels.
I listened to detailed stories and awed myself at the beautiful details of each house and landscape. I loved the painted windows in the Rhine House which now is a gift shop of many delicious wine and collectables; and the kitchen in the Hudson house was so gorgeous. The details of the crown molding to the French doors that looked out into a wonderful yard to entertain. I immersed myself in the rich history of what the Beringer brothers/winery had to offer. The history of how wine has come about makes me enjoy drinking it even more so.
We moseyed on into the tasting room (upstairs room of Rhine House) where we ended it with a taste of 4 different wine- 2 red (2004 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon @ $200+ per bottle yikes! And the 2002 Cabernet Franc, Steinhauer Ranch), 1 white (2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Leaning Oak), and 1 dessert (2004 Nightingale Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley).
I loved the dessert wine and the white wine best. I'm not a big fan of red wine (I know- thumbs down for me).
The grounds of this winery is just gorgeous. The staff are all friendly. And the wine--how can you not love?!
Sighs. Now all I need is a little bit of cheese, and life would be grand.
The ONLY reason I'd go back to this winery is for its reserve tastings. They had some extremely good cabs and I shocked myself at how much I actually enjoyed their reserve merlot. The estate is nice and relaxing.
The regular tasting room was disappointing. It was crowded, beyond touristy, and I was completely dumbfounded by the music. I can't see myself walking in that room again.
Napa Valley's oldest continuously operating winery. Beautiful grounds with a castle-style building. It would be a great place for wine-tasting beginners or as part of a tour of the Rutherford/Calistoga area wineries. I've heard they have a really good tour from Sean and other people. It's famous, yes, and the vintners are well-known and respected, yes, but their wines do not taste good to me, at least not the usual labels. The tasting fee is minimal.
I give this place a four star only because of the annoying phone calls prior to my arrival with my friends. I made a reservation online the day before I went and then I got an email saying my reservation will be confirm shortly. It took them a day to get back to me and I felt like it was a pressuring voice mail. I wanted to go so I did not see the point in them telling me that if I do not call them back, my 4 people reservation would be replaced. They claimed that, they have reached their maximum and they have people asking to get on this tour at 3:45.
After I return their call, they still sent me another confirming email. So my friend and I set out and halfway there, I realized that we had an extra hour to kill. We stopped at Napa and somehow we had little time to kill so we had to rush to our final destination. I then got another annoying ring asking where I was on the 29 and I told them and the lady told me she was afraid I am not going to make it on time but she would hold our spot till five minutes after. We arrived at exactly 3:44 and I got another ring and I was fed up and said I was at the parking lot. Jesus, do they do this for all their customers?
We paid for our 20 dollars tour and we caught up and did not miss too much. The funny part was that they had 10 extra glasses on the table which made me think that either this was a ploy to make sure we arrived or people flaked out.
Overall after all the annoying communications, I enjoyed the tour. My friends got drunk and wondered while I wasn't and my response was that I was driving and cannot afford to rush my wines. My favorite wine from the tour was the Nightingale and I enjoyed learning about their relations to Europe and how the cave was built. I did not enjoy the outside tour as much as the inside only because we did not see the plants at a late stage but the questions from my group was enlightening. Our tour guide was great and an hour went by really fast that I wish it continued. I enjoyed the drive there and the Beringer Place. Everything leading up there was an amazing scenery.
If you are ever in the mood for some one on one wine tasting w/o the large groups, go to Beringer. I love that we got private wine tasting at this place; just my bf and I (Thanks to our great concierge at the Carneros Inn who set it all up!). We were met outside the winery by a very polite gentleman. We went inside our room ready for some wine and found how very attentive they were. They had little name cards on the table welcoming us; nice touch. :) The person teaching us all about wines was fantastic! He taught us how the primary tastes in foods change the way wine tastes. All the other staff were very friendly as well.
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I like it. Beautiful place.
I'm not a huge wine drinker but I know what tastes good. I don't like it woody and it wasn't that. The taste is friendly to the masses and we took advantage of the discount at the general tasting. Never made it to the reserves.
My bar is stocked.
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We stopped here on our Napa county vacation. The grounds are beautiful, but the wines are just ok.
I went there for a wine tour. $20 per person for an hour of 'talk' about the winery. Apparently, its the oldest winery in Napa, started by Germans from Upstate NY. Kind of disappointed about the upstate NY roots, wish it was more exotic. The Tour was boring. We tried 3 wines in the kitchen. Wish the tour consisted of actual winery tour not a tour of the houses!
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One of the oldest vineyards around, a side from the Victorian house then age of the place doesn't show at all! The place is very beautiful and clean. My friends had a great time over the summer!
And inexpensive wine tastings a plus! =)
The vineyard was beautiful. They have different houses for different types of wine and tour. They charge $5 for 3 tasting. I'm a big fan of the white wine so I bought 4 bottles (with 20% off if you buy 4). It's also not too far from Robert Mandavi.
I love their wine, but the tasting room was not organized. We were a bit confused with all the lines of people.
Also, I tried Beringer's Pinot Grigio back at the complimentary wine tasting through Harbor Court Hotel and love it. Unfortunately, when we got to the vineyard itself....they had none left (not even in the back room). I was really disappointed.
Beringer's Cabernet is quite good also, considering I'm not even a fan of reds.
Yes, it's one of the most commercially successful wineries in Napa, but don't get it mixed up with Mondavi and B.V. This place has some serious wine.
You only get so many tastes in your napa trip, so I recommend going straight for their reserve offerings, which, despite the fame and fortune, are still top notch in the scope of Napa Valley wines. They have a number of flights that should satisfy your craving, be it for whites, reds or "anything but cabernet."
The estate is beautiful and they don't pressure you to take the tour. You are free to walk around by yourself.
A must-do on any Napa trip, but do yourself a favor and make this the only huge-scale winery on your tour. Ixnay on the Mondavi-ay, Rubicon-ay, and B.V.-ay.
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Overall a nice place. The tour takes you through the cellars, a grape vine and then to the tasting room. The cellars are quite nice and cozy. The wines are just above average in my opinion.
The overall location, setting etc. is really great!
This place was fantastic. Me and my bf went here earlier in the fall to go wine tasting and it was amazing. I would definatley recommend going here the grounds are beautiful and the wine was very good. We ended up buying four bottles. Napa Valley is just a beautiful place. There are also a lot of fine restaurants nearby. Highly recommended
[8/1/07] Wines were below average - even their $115 Private Reserves: thin, unimaginative, and little to no flavor on the tip or the finish. The current Nightingale was sweet but remarkable for the lack of complexity. Atmosphere was exceedingly corporate.
I came here for a tour with a group of 7 and it was so fun! It was my first wine tour experience so I did not know what to expect.
You are taken around in groups of 10 to different locations around the winery. You start off outside under this tree and they have samples waiting for you, then you walk to the vineyards where you learn about how they grow them and take care of the grapes, then you get another sample. Then you go inside to the cave where you see all the barrels and go into this little tasting room. There you sample a fair amount of wines, reds and ports. My favorite was the Nightengale!! so good.
We had a really nice tour guide that taught us a lot about wine and what to look for, how to taste it properly and how its made. I would definitely go here again and get a nice buzz again!
I got drunk with my mom and it was considered refined and classy.
$5 per flight in the "light" room, and $10-20 per flight in the "top shelf" room. We had a total of five. You can really taste the cherry in their Pinot Noir, and the respective fruits in their whites. I was able to try the $115/bottle Private Reserve cabernet, a wine I will never buy. It's only slightly more drinkable than the already exceptional $90/bottle cabs. I'm not so much a snob to deny the fact that it's still a beverage. An extremely liberating, self-effacing beverage.
Sadly, we missed the vineyard tour (sold out). The grounds were still more than breathtaking enough to wander through. Numerous fountains, colorful plants, and two restrooms. What more could you ask for? How about a purple, furry plant? They had that too! I call it the "purry plant."
Left with a bottle of Pinot Noir, but now we have no idea where it went...
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Try the Port.
I'm a wine newbie, so Beringer was a fantastic intro into the world of wines. The tour was very educational, even for my friend who's been on it a few times. It's a good choice if you have the time (or patience) -- and there's a generous tasting afterwards as well as a crash course in wine appreciation. One thing I discovered was their Port. I've always thought the concept of dessert wine to be strange, but that Beringer Port with chocolate is sweet and smooth! Definitely the highlight of the tour.
Tips: Take the tour. Bring a designated driver and drink their portion.
I can't comment on their wines, but I can comment on their attitude.
We arrived too late to join in on one of their winery tours, so we decided to go on their self guided tour. The only difference between the intro paid winery tour and the self guided tour is in the paid one, you get access to their wine aging tunnels and a wine tasting voucher. So while we were walking around, we walked through their gift shop and followed a small group of Asian tourists. They were walking through this large door that opened into their wine aging tunnels! There was no one around, the door was wide open. We decided to follow them, and the wine tunnels were very interesting-- large, cool and very inviting from the hot summer sunshine outside. Unfortunately, one of the tourists decided to talk REALLY loudly and one of the tours was coming up from the tunnels and heard the tourist. The guide came over to us and told us angrily we had to leave and escorted us out. On the way out, there was suddenly a security guard right next to the large door we came in through. He obviously wasn't doing his job since he wasn't there in the first place. I was amazed at how mad the security guard and the guide were at us. Sorry folks, but next time, don't leave the 12 foot high door open with no guard!!
Besides this tour issue, the Beringer mansion was quite nice but gets very crowded in the tasting area. It feels like you are at someone's home with about 100 of your closest friends. :)
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The picturesque estate and its woodsy surroundings are beautiful at Beringer, especially on a clear day. We tried their reserve reds and were pleasantly surprised at how good they all were. Tim the server was also a nice guy. Go here for a free tasting pass http://www.beringer.co... . Do add this winery to your must-visit list.
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A must stop for any wino. Really! Grand estate. 1800's home is now the tasting room and shop. Beautiful gardens. Some picnic tables. One of the best wine cave tours in the state (caves were actually dug out by the Chinese who had just finished the transcontinental railroad).
Has a tour and tasting fee. Make reservations in advance on busy days. They sell out sometimes.
Personnel are friendly and knowledgeable. This is a very large winery. Its uniqueness makes it a must stop for locals and out of staters. You can only imagine what is what like back then.
The wines are pleasant with a couple of real winners. Overall, they are just not quite up to "greatness class" IMHO. Thus, 4 stars for the wine, but 5 stars for the grounds, caves, home, and history as you can step back in time to an 1880's experience.
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So I'll start off with what we all know. Yes, Beringer is a large commercial winery. Yes, we can find their wine in most grocery stores for cheapy. Yes, if you go to the winery there is usually a tour bus and parents tasting while thier children explore the grounds.
But what you might not realize is that Beringer has a great reserve wine collection. When visiting this winery I recommend NOT following the signs to the standard tasting room and make a b-line for the beautiful old mansion located on the property. In the mansion you can only taste the reserve collection which is leaps and bounds above what you find on special at Safeway.
So if you can skip the tour, make your past the tour bus, around the crowds and pay the extra for the reserve tasting. If you have a pallet for a buttery chardonay like I do I'm sure you'll be walking away with the a bottle of the reserve.
As Beringer would say, "f you're not smelling, you're not tasting!"
I only mark it down because it is so large and commercial which can make a relaxing tasting experience difficult.
5 stars for the beautiful estate.
3 stars for very short $10 basic tour.
Wine tasting room at Building 2 had a very odd smell.
Hm, I actually like Beringer but in all fairness can't rate it too good. Something is lacking and their tour is way too expensive (IMHO). However, for people who don't want to spend too much money on wine it's an interesting way to get to know something about wine-making. The tour is fun and you can actually get affordable wines in their shop.
Here is what I like about this winery. It has a very rich history associated with other wineries in the area. The tour is very informative and fun to see. You go through the cellars chipped into rock and you end at the tasting area.
The website lists a way to get free tasting. If that's not your style, you can just go to the winery and try out the regular wines or you can go to the reserve area. The tastings have different prices, but they are all generally pretty much like all the other places.
Big tip, if you find a winery that you really like, join the club. Most of them will offer you free tasting any time you are in the area for you and all of your party. This goes along with the shipments of wine every 2 months.
Happy tasting!
I really enjoyed Beringer. I came a bit late so I could not get the tour but I did get to taste some great wines. First Mary and I went to the regular room and there were a lot of people but we got in no problem. She liked the sparkling White zin. I would ordinarily stay away from this type of wine but this was good and it was a fun wine you could just enjoy. We tasted a few others then I made my way to the reserve room in the victorian mansion. There they had some great wines to taste. The Cabs and meritage were similar to the Borbeauxs of France but they had a different terior. Nappa wines I find have a smoth tannin and more fruit. Actually these were complex but still young. I really enjoyed the Sauternes they made I was actually blown away by it. I have a number of bottles of Sauternes but this was right up with them. I purchased a bottle and will get more later. The area and the gardens are quite beautiful. I know they are a comercial winery but I was very impressed by their wines.
3.5 stars
it was kinda late in the day so they were sold out of all the tours. we went to the reserve tasting room and got to try 4 flights of wine for $20. that's steep!! but that's napa for ya!
so i essentially got to drink $90/$115 bottles of private reserve cab. was it worth it? sure i guess, but ive had better tasting reds at half that price. so yay for the tasting but nay for the buying.
Agreed - this is a great place to bring visitors. We did the $15 hour-long tour and it went by incredibly fast - our tour guide was enthusiastic and informative, and I learned a lot more than I thought I would have (Interesting fact: during Prohibition, the Beringer Brothers would send out wine grapes and small packets of yeast with detailed instructions on what NOT to do with the 2 ingredients in order to make wine... ha!)
The grounds here are absolutely beautiful - lots of great pictures to be taken - and the wine we tasted was really good, too. A totally enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Even if you think you know enough about wine already, check this place out.
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Well worth the visit, nice looking estate. The staff at the tasting room were very polite, and the wines are decently priced.
i didn't think i would like this winery, b/c i usually like the smaller, mom and pop places, but i was really pleasantly surprised! i came here w/ the fam on xmas eve, and the tasting room was closing at 3 pm. we arrived at 2:50, and i was able to get in a tasting. once i was in, i wasn't rushed to leave, either. for $5, you get to either choose a white, red, or mixed flight w/ 3 tastings. the gentleman behind the counter let me try another 2 tastes after i had my 3, including the port, which was delicious.
altho the tasting room closed, we were free to roam the beautiful grounds until 5.
Founded in 1876 by brothers Jacob and Frederick, this is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley, and the one I always bring out-of-town visitors when we're spending the day in the area. Not only is the tour both educational and fascinating (the hand-chiseled rock tunnels are amazing), but the two buildings on the property - the Hudson House, which serves as the winery's Culinary Arts Center, and the Rhine House, used as the hospitality center and listed on the National Register of Historic Places - are architectural gems with stunning interiors. Shaded areas in the beautifully landscaped gardens provide nice spots for a picnic lunch.
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Tasty wines, nice tours (although my friends & I were too rambunctious for it) and beautiful area.
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