livermore valley

On a recent visit to California,I was invited by friends to visit several Livermore wineries. It was certainly a great day out, and very interesting to find out about the different vineyards/wines. The one that stood out above the rest for me was Ruby Hill. The staff were very welcoming and very informative (despite the fact that there were few visitors, at some of the other vineyards it felt that they just wanted you to quickly taste the wine, buy and go, but it was the complete opposite ay Ruby Hill, where the pace was much more sedate, giving you time to really enjoy the wine). If you only have time to visit one vineyard in Livermore, then I'd certainly suggest that you head for Ruby Hill, you won't be disappointed.

Gorgeous valley. North of the freeway are the rolling hills. Beautiful and peaceful and great for biking.

A beautiful drive through the countryside to visit the area wineries. The leaves have turned and it is like a picture post card.

Livermore Valley is far lesser known than the regions north of San Francisco but with about 40 wineries the region is more intimate. The wine making has an equally admirable history. Considered "East Bay" it's only about 40 miles from SF and Oakland and close enough to San Jose that people live here and commute to their jobs in Silicon Valley. The towns of Pleasanton, Danville and Livermore provide a nice atmosphere to stroll with nice restaurants and shopping. Dublin has a great reputation for ethnic restaurants. Petite Syrah and Chardonnay seem to be the signature varietals of wine but they are also adept at red blends with many grape varieties on the vine. Concannon and Wente are the big winery visits but smaller, family owned wineries are the majority. Check on opening hours for the smaller wineries with many welcoming guests Thursday-Sunday. Bring your golf clubs if you play. Some stunning courses around there.

Livermore Wineries are a fun place to go. Some are open during the week; majority are open on week-ends only. It is an excellent place to bike between wineries as there is a nice paved trail there.Downtown Livermore area is now lively with lots of restaurants, two movie theaters, and a live theater. Its changed a lot for the better and also has some wine tastings bars with good appetizers, and tapas.There are recreational activities also from hiking, picnic areas such as Del Valle (where you can also camp and go swimming), golfing, and more.All in all Livermore is a good alternative place to visit form Napa/Sonoma if you want to do some wine tasting within a short drive from the San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Area.There are a variety of events, music concerts in the summer at Wente, and wine week-ends. There is a web site for the wineries that will let you know more about the region events as well as individual winery events. For example, Garre Winery has a nice restaurant and does holiday specials such as at Easter, and other key holidays. Another winery does barbecues and live music in the summer

Our recent visit to Livermore was just for a night but we've been before. Just seems a bit rough around the edges now more than before. Still the nice restaurants and ability to walk through downtown shopping area but just outside of that (Stanley Blvd/Railroad Ave/Livermore Ave) are where you'd need a buddy with you...Beautiful winery's abound and close to San Francisco are great!

The Livermore Valley isn't necessarily a "destination city," like nearby San Francisco, but if you have a day to spare (and a Designated Driver), a visit to the Livermore Valley will be a delight for you wine lovers.Livermore rivals the more-famous Napa Valley in the quality and variety of the wines produced there. Vineyards and wineries are spread out for miles around the city of Livermore and to a lesser extent, Pleasanton. Around the wineries, the roads are practically all two-lane blacktop, but traffic is generally light and winery entrances are well marked.California requires the collection of a "sampling fee" by the wineries. State law prohibits them from giving away the product. Most set the sampling fee at $5, which seems reasonable enough to me. In many cases, light snacks are offered at no charge. Some of the wineries have adjunct restaurants, where you can have lunch or dinner accompanied by wine you selected at your tasting. I have also seen informal entertainment at some wineries, like a guitar player or a costumed character for the kids. Of course, these are not the featured attraction. That title is reserved for the wine.If you do an Internet search for Livermore wine map, you can set up your own tour route or search for Livermore wine tours and arrange a conducted tour.Livermore is home to the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, a major research facility. This means there's no shortage of quality lodging and restaurants. It's also home to my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, though whom I've gained my appreciation for their city.

Great: Designated Drivers fee at $10 and Shuttle Buses/Limosines on Sunday of Sun/Mon event.Great: Wine varieties, music, vendors, booklet outlining wineries and location of 'pour location' for each winery that elected to pour at another winery, very helpful.Not Great: Heat, timing. Perhaps 4 pm to 8 pm would have been cooler.

We moved here 9 years ago and couldn't be happier! This is a great place to raise a family! This is a very family friendly area with great parks, family restaurants and great neighborhoods!

Each year, during Christmas, Valentines Day, and Labor Day, there are major wine events in the Livermore Valley just east of San Francisco. Excellent wine, often music and crafts, make a visit a special event for guests to the San Francisco Bay Area. Many wineries are open during the week for visits and offer an uncrowded opportunity to enjoy great wine and a beautiful vineyard atmosphere. There a places to enjoy wine and a picnic at many wineries.Its lower cost than the Napa and Sonoma wineries for tastings and closer in for access.Hal

Try Livermore if you want a down-home feeling, with beautiful back country and lots of wine tastings that rival Napa, Sonoma and Healdsburg.

I belong to a couple of wine clubs in the Livermore Valley. The people there are friendly and it's a nice area to stop when we're going to the central valley.

The Livermore Valley has a number of wineries with rolling hills and phenomenal neighborhoods and a wonderful downtown Livermore.

Napa has some good wines, but it can be a bit too crowded and commercial. Pack a picnic and head to Livermore to try out excellent affordable wines in a friendly, warm setting. This is an area of experimentation, so you can try out unusual ports (Westover), Portugese wines (Fenestra) and a whole lot more. Many have picnic areas and increasingly, the town offers quality restaurants as well. It is peaceful, less crowded and you can enjoy chatting with the winemakers as you taste.

You feel that you are on vacation....a few minutes from home. Wonderful wine tasting experience and exciting restaurants downtown....