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If you’re going wine tasting in Livermore and looking for an off-the-beaten-path experience, skip the large crowded wineries on Tesla Road and head instead to the quiet warehouse district off South Vasco Road, where a cluster of tasting rooms is offering something a bit more chill.
There, you can park just once and visit more than half a dozen wineries, a brewery and a distillery all within a two-block radius. If you’re there on the weekend, you can probably grab lunch at a food truck and listen to some live music, too.
These tasting rooms call themselves The Block 37, and have several projects in the works, including what we hope will become an annual block party. By year’s end, you can expect to see another new winery tasting room, a craft cocktail lounge and possibly even a mobile restaurant kitchen. Here are five experiences to add to your list.
Nottingham Cellars
A leader in the new generation of Livermore Valley wineries, Nottingham’s portfolio showcases winemaker Collin Cranor’s evolving skills as a winemaker of Bordeaux wines, like cabernet sauvignon, as well as the Rhone-style wines of the family’s Vasco Urbano Wine Company label.
Inside the chic tasting room, you can try a flight of either label ($15 each) and enjoy live music from 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays in the barrel house. On Saturdays, bring a picnic and catch live music on the patio from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Look for new concierge check-in service starting in September and, by year’s end, a new, separate Vasco Urbano tasting room three doors down.
Sips: Nottingham’s 2017 Livermore Valley Rosé is fruity and brisk enough to stand up to everything from mac and cheese to Thanksgiving dinner. Vasco Urbano’s 2016 The Sheriff GSM Blend ($42) is smooth and smoky — just begging to be paired with a stinky cheese plate.
Details: Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays at 2245C S. Vasco Road; https://nottinghamcellars.com
Sidewinder Spirits Lounge
Occasio winemaker John Kinney has been garnering accolades for his world-class Bordeaux varietal wines since 2007. Now, he’s putting his skills to other spirited use. Kinney started Sidewinder Spirits Company to make brandy for use in his port wines. Now, he’s making grappa and two vermouths — one dry, one sweet — with a juniper-forward gin and a whiskey in the works.
Last year, Kinney opened the Sidewinder Spirits Lounge as a place for Occasio wine club members to kick back and enjoy classic and signature craft cocktails. Located in the old Thomas Coyne Winery, the 1,600-square-foot lounge features re-purposed brick walls and seating for 40 on luxurious furnishings. Kinney hopes to open the lounge to the public by the end of 2018.
Sips: The well-balanced 2016 Founders Chardonnay ($40) has plenty of acidity and luscious baked apple notes. If you can get into the Sidewinder Lounge before it opens to the public, try the classic Negroni ($9) made with Sidewinder Spirits Sweet Vermouth.
Details: Members-only lounge is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays at 2405 Research Drive. Occasio is open noon to 5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday and by appointment at 2245B S. Vasco Road; http://occasiowinery.com
Altamont Beer Works
This bright, funky tap room and brewery has been delighting beer lovers — and cementing Livermore’s role in the craft beer scene — since it opened in 2012. They typically have 10 rotating beers on tap, including a current lineup of American and Imperial IPAs, a stout, fruit beer and blonde ale.
Best part? Altamont opens a day earlier in the week than their fellow tasting rooms and usually has a barbecue food truck, Que Squared, parked out front. (Check the Altamont Beer Works site for details.) And on weekends, they unveil seven additional taps in the back bar to showcase specialty and seasonal beers.
Sips: Altamont just released a series of cereal-inspired beers, including Kapt’n Kush, a juicy West Coast double IPA, and Honey Bunches of Hops, a malt-rich Imperial IPA with a clover honey color. You’ll want to try those, natch.
Details: Open 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, noon to 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and until 6 p.m. Sunday at 2402 Research Drive; http://altamontbeerworks.com
Embodied Wines
Winemaker Kimmie Orani-Spears, a newcomer to The Block 37, has been living and working in the Valley for nearly a decade. She studied viticulture and enology at Las Positas College and trained under Nancy Tenuta (Tenuta Vineyards) and Rhonda Wood (Wood Family Vineyards). She also happens to be a state-licensed falconer, and will have her birds on display at the new tasting room, which is set to open in October.
The 2017 vintage will be her first as a winemaker and includes a merlot, tempranillo, zinfandel, syrah and a pinot noir — yes, a pinot — made exclusively from Livermore Valley fruit. No word yet on tasting room hours of operation but the tasting fee will be just $5. Orani-Spears hopes to bring in DJs, live music and more food truck options for guests.
Details: Opening in October at 2271D S. Vasco Road; https://embodiedwines.com
Wood Family Vineyards
You’ll recognize the surfboard-filled Woody wagon label on Rhonda Wood’s wines. Last summer, the longtime Livermore winemaker and her husband Michael moved their winemaking operation and tasting room to The Block 37. They have one of the larger spaces, filled with round pub tables perfect for casual wine tasting and socializing. Every Friday, the tasting room opens at noon with local bands performing as early as 5 p.m.
Wood works with several varietals, including malbec, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, petit sirah and chardonnay. Most bottles range between $28 and $42, and the $15 tasting fee is waived with bottle purchase.
Sips: The velvety 2016 “Muy Bueno” Zinfandel ($34), made from two different zinfandel vineyards in the Livermore Valley, is a barbecue must. The lush, 2016 “Para Mas Amigas” Chardonnay is a double-gold medal winner and serious white wine, aged in 100 percent French oak.
Details: Open 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday, until 7 p.m. Saturday and until 6 p.m. Sunday at 2407 Research Drive; http://woodfamilyvineyards.com
