Looking to try The Town's top wine tasting rooms?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best places for a taste of the grape in Oakland, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to fill the bill.
1. Dashe Cellars
Topping the list is Dashe Cellars. Located at 55 Fourth St. (between Fallon and Oak streets) in Jack London Square, the venue and event space is the highest-rated wine tasting room in Oakland, boasting 4.5 stars out of 95 reviews on Yelp.
The family-owned winery is named after the founders, husband and wife duo Michael and Anne Dashe. According to its website, the winery created its first vintage bottle of Dry Creek Zinfandel in 1996 and since then, has "focused on producing exceptional, single-vineyard wines using a traditional, non-industrial approach to winemaking."
Visitors will select between a seating or a bar tasting, both of which require reservations beforehand. (Make a reservation here.)
Additionally, check out Dashe Cellars' wine garden, which is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6 p.m and features live music the first Saturday of every month at 3 p.m.
2. Urban Legend Cellars
Next up is Jack London Square's Urban Legend Cellars, situated at 200 Second St., Suite 1 (between Jackson and Alice streets). With 4.5 stars out of 89 reviews on Yelp, the wine tasting room has proven to be a local favorite.
According to its website, the Oakland-based business "handcrafts more than a dozen Urban Legend wines that each, uniquely, salutes the varied flavors of California and our home: Oakland, America’s most diverse city."
If you have a group of six or more, you'll have to call to make an appointment.
3. Brooklyn West Winery
Jack London Square's Brooklyn West Winery, located at 201 Third St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the wine tasting room four stars out of 38 reviews.
The urban winery is owned and operated by Jeffrey Fiegel and Stew Epstein, who met at a wine bar where Epstein was working. After their first encounter, Epstein reached out to Fiegel to pick his brain on Spanish wines, and several years later, they started this business together.
The tasting room is available for the public from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 3-9 p.m. on Friday, noon-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday.
