San Francisco's Top 5 Wine Tasting Rooms To Visit
By Hoodline
Fall is the most popular season for wine tasting, and while a trip to Napa to visit wineries in person is the quintessential Northern California vacation, there are also plenty of great tasting rooms closer to home.
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top places to pull some corks in San Francisco, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're planning a vinous excursion.
Winery Collective
Topping the list is Winery Collective. Located at 485 Jefferson St. (between Hyde and Leavenworth streets) in Russian Hill, it presents wines from three dozen small California wineries, with the Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara regions all represented.
The daily flight includes four or five wines, and the tasting room does not serve food. No appointment is needed, but guests can make reservations for group or private events. The formula has been a hit with patrons: the Winery Collective boasts 4.5 stars out of 248 reviews on Yelp.
Cultivar San Francisco
Next up is the Marina's Cultivar San Francisco, situated at 2379 Chestnut St. (between Divisadero and Scott streets). With five stars out of 77 reviews on Yelp, the restaurant and tasting spot has proven to be a local favorite.
Wine flights focus on wines by type from a selection of Napa and Sonoma wineries. There's also a full wine tasting experience featuring in-house Caspar Estate-grown vintages from Napa County, paired with cheese, charcuterie and honey.
Wattle Creek Winery Tasting Room
Wattle Creek Winery Tasting Room, located at 900 N. Point St. in Ghirardelli Square, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the single-winery, libations-only tasting room 4.5 stars out of 177 reviews.
Wattle Creek creates its wine from grapes grown in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. It has outdoor seating and offers wine tastings with no reservation required.
Bluxome Street Winery
Bluxome Street Winery, an events venue and wine tasting room in SoMa, is another much-loved go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 141 Yelp reviews.
The establishment is both a working winery and a tasting room offering daily flights of its wines, plus small snacks. Parties of five or more are asked to make a reservation, but otherwise, just head over to 53 Bluxome St. (between Fifth and Fourth streets) to see for yourself.
Jax Vineyards
Last but not least, there's Jax Vineyards, another SoMa favorite with 4.5 stars out of 73 reviews. It's popular with Yelpers for its dog-friendly outdoor patio with fire pits. In addition to flights of wines from its Calistoga vineyard, it offers cheese and charcuterie plates.
Although reservations are not required for flights, the hour-long private wine tasting paired with cheeses is reservation-only. It's also able to accommodate large groups by appointment in its space at 326 Brannan St. (between 2nd St. and Jack London Alley).