Presqu'ile Winery - Santa Maria, California

Wiktoria M.

Absolutely love this spot—it’s hands-down our favorite place to visit in the valley! The wines are truly exceptional and speak for themselves, but let’s talk about Chef Julie for a second—she’s a culinary genius! Do yourself a favor and never skip the food option. Pair that with the stunning views outside, and you’ll find it impossible to leave. The staff here are the kindest, most attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable people—they make you feel so welcome! If you get a chance, don’t miss the Gamay and Aligoté—they’re absolute gems.

Preethee

Staff were great - attentive and helpful. This is definitely worth a visit or a stop in the area. Definitely try out their picnic lunch - divine with the wines.

Skye S.

I am profoundly disappointment with the wine-tasting experience my friends and I had at Presqu'ile Vineyard on July 21st.

We planned our stop at Presqu'ile as part of a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, eager to enjoy the renowned wine, scenery, and food of the Santa Maria Valley. Based on my research, I chose Presqu'ile despite the high price, expecting an exceptional experience. Unfortunately, our visit fell far short of expectations.

Our reservation was at 3:15 PM, the last available slot of the day. Despite arriving on time, we were told to wait as the venue was not ready. The host who greeted us was noticeably disgruntled and unwelcoming. He hastily poured us a glass of wine, which we later discovered was the first on our tasting list, without any introduction or explanation. We were then left to wander without guidance.

While waiting, we decided to walk down to the amphitheater to enjoy the beautifully maintained grass. However, within minutes, the host approached us hurriedly, insisting we move to our now-ready table. When we inquired about the grass maintenance, he dismissively replied, "There's a groundskeeper that certainly gets paid more than us to look after it," while looking us up and down in a judgmental manner. For context, we were dressed appropriately in a nice skirt with a crochet top, linen pants with a linen resort top, and a long dress with a denim jacket.

Later, we learned from other guests that the manager had instructed the host to remove us from the grass immediately, resulting in a flurry of activity to do so.

Our table, though pleasantly secluded, did little to salvage the experience. Our waiter, Mark or Marco, was inattentive and uninformative. He left the decanter with the various tastings on the table without pouring or explaining any of the wines. When we asked about food pairings, he bluntly stated that the food wasn't prepared with the wine in mind and could not answer basic questions about the vineyard's irrigation system. His response to an inquiry about irrigation was, "Harvesting of the grapes takes place in the fall," which was nonsensical.

The only positive aspect of our visit was the food, which was exceptional despite not being paired with the wines. The meatballs, potatoes, side salad, and lentil hummus were delicious, and we commend the chef and kitchen staff for their excellent work.

In summary, the host and waiter significantly marred our tasting experience. It is unacceptable to pay a total of $270.03 for three people for such a disappointing experience. I regret tipping, given the poor service we received.

g D.

We came for the Friday live-music happy hour with young children and had a very enjoyable experience. I found it to be extremely kid friendly, or at least welcoming. In the parking lot, we passed a departing staff member and I confirmed I could bring children (a lot of wineries don’t permit children), and he said of course and pointed out the grassy areas as well as recommended the seasonal chocolate chip cookies (which were REALLY good albeit $5/pop). When we got inside a staff member was very friendly in explaining how the happy hour works (outside of happy hour it’s by reservation only but Friday evenings first-come, first-serve for seating). She was very nice and friendly when I asked if it was okay I brought food for my kids (normally they don’t allow outside food but can be flexible for kids// I expected this and had just brought them each a discrete snack box with their dinners). View was gorgeous at 6 pm. We enjoyed the live music… and actually wished she had played more. We tried the Chardonnay and Syrah as the website specified they specialized in those as well as Pinot. We also enjoyed the seasonal flat bread. Most groups seemed to go for a bottle of wine. This attests mostly to the kid-friendly nature of the event but there were a couple other groups with small children, diverted by coloring etc and mine enjoyed walking around the flowers and looking for bugs. Overall, everyone was very nice and everything was delicious and the atmosphere was very chill and relaxing for a Friday evening. I would definitely go back for the Friday evening happy hour.

Erica R.

Talk about a culinary delight. I knew that we would be in for a treat, but I was utterly blown away by the presentation of the spread. All Mediterranean inspired cuisine prepared by their chef Julie Simon. They are referred to as mezze picnic lunches; and they are heaven. The wine is good here, not my favorites of all the tastings, but the overall experience and presentation must not be avoided on your next trip to the valley.

Katie S.

We had an exceptional experience during our tasting, thanks in large part to our server Alex. She was incredibly friendly and attentive, ensuring that our visit was both enjoyable and informative. Her knowledge about the wines and engaging personality made the tasting experience truly memorable. Thank you Alex!!

Edith R.

The chef creating the mezze picnic and specials at this place was so impressive on top of amazing views of the valley and hills, gorgeous architecture and fantastic rosé, syrahs and pinots. We ordered the special gallette made from locally sourced ingredients and the mezze picnic and the ingredients the chef put together was hard to decribe but so satisfying and delicious. Must go, but also reservation is important it gets busy. Side note they allow leashed dogs. Beautiful grounds.

A. W.

Can't explain enough how overrated this place is. A $90 estate wine tasting. Two pinos and two chardonnays and some sort of blanc de blanc when you walk in. We bought a bottle and no tastings were comped. At every other stop and every other tasting we've gone to with a purchase one of the tastings is comped. Southern Ontario has better chateaus and more European style experiences than this place. Our server didn't really talk about the wines, and she didn't even know which mountain range I was looking at. I can see the hype around the locale and scenery being that area doesn't have a lot going on. Save your money and go to Tin City in Paso. Can go to two different tastings purchase bottles and get both comped.