Woodside, CA: Wine Tasting at the Thomas Fogarty Winery

If looking for a cute little winery tucked between the hills near Palo Alto, California, the Thomas Fogarty winery may be a great pit stop for your wine tasting adventures. This estate, although the main building seems petite, is actually comprised of 7 vineyards — Damiana Vineyard, Langley Hill, Portola Springs, Rapley Trail, Razorback, Winey Hill, and Will’s Cabin. Each section has grapes grown for specific bottles of wine produced onsite. Here, visitors have the opportunity to check out several different wine tasting options as well as check out the scenic views of the fields and even the San Francisco bay from their private space.

Location

This beautiful winery is on the smaller side of wineries but does offer an amazing view looking towards the bay from the mountains. The winery is located the middle of the mountains close to Palo Alto, California and is quite a drive to get up there. Don’t worry though, the roads are well paved and the main road does have 2 lanes, one going each way. Guests will know they’ve arrived when they reach a giant gate with the Fogarty name on the front.

Wine Tasting Experience

The wine tasting space at this location is small. There are a few tables and a small outdoor area but the main tasting room is inside the building within one room. Upon entering the building, take an immediate right to reach the tasting room. It’s hard to miss being decorated entirely of wine bottles form wall to wall. The inside of the building also gives visitors a glimpse of some of the machinery used to make wine on the land.

Upon entering, we were given the wine menu which lists all of the tasting options and available wines for purchase. On this property, visitors can pick between several different tasting options, all of which will vary in price. At this winery the tastings happen at the counter where the wines are poured. There are no other tables around so guests will commonly crowd the counter. On our visit, it was not too crowded due to the weather and the man who poured and described the wines to us was quite knowledgeable about their grapes. He explained which exact vineyard they came from on the property and even showed us a map with every wine that was poured in front of us. We went with the Signature Reserve Tasting tasting option and really enjoyed the 2012 Estate Chardonnay from their Langley Hill Vineyard chardonnay of the group. Interestingly enough the 2014 Estate Satsum Chardonnay wine that was poured for us was an unfiltered white so it looked grainy and carried a distinct taste. Not exactly to my liking but it was interesting to try an unfiltered white wine!

Wines

Thomas Fogarty offers a rather small range of wines mostly consisting of chardonnay, pinot noir, gewürztraminer, and a few reds here and there. To get a complete list of their currently available wines, check out their website for selections and pricing.

Cost

The cost of the tasting varies depending on which tasting option is chosen but they range from $14 to $25. Each tasting is about 5 different wine pours. The tasting options given to us were:

• Criterion Tasting — $14
• Signature Reserve Tasting — $19
• Pinot Noir Tasting — $25

Additional Tips

After wine tasting, make sure to take some time to enjoy what the winery has to offer. We asked if the private space was booked at the moment and fortunately it was not so we wandered through the venue and gazed out at the fields. The open and closed spaces available for private bookings would honestly be a great setting for something intimate like a wedding or private celebration. And in the event that during your visit you’re not able to scope this place out, here are some photos below!

For those interested in something a little beyond daily wine tasting, check out their winery events. They have events hosted all over the United States.

This Venue is Great For…

The available rental space of this location is perched on top of one of the fields, making for a picturesque scenery. There is a large open space, grilling area, and several indoor areas for guests to eat and enjoy wine. Sections of the space seem to be specifically made for weddings as there are dressing rooms for the bride and bridesmaids away from the general space. Overall, the winery is great for the following occasions:

• Corporate parties
• Weddings
• Private, Intimate Celebrations