Hearst Ranch Winery

This experience today was a huge disappointment. The server couldn’t keep up with what she poured and then acted like she poured extra! This has been our worst experience ever at Hearst.

Incredibly Nice well trained staff had an amazing time while my girlfriend and I were there. We had the Legacy collection which was fantastic a little bit of something for anyone if I dare say. Christopher was amazing Host guiding us through the experience. Definitely recommend, can't wait to come back in the future.

Excellent wines, outside dining area and great food

Our visit to Hearst Winery after touring Hearst Castle was a delightful experience. The wine tasting was exceptional, complemented by a fantastic cheese and fruit box from a local vendor, which paired perfectly with the wines. The staff was highly knowledgeable, providing detailed insights into each wine's background and flavor profile. Sipping wine while enjoying stunning beach views made for a memorable afternoon. Highly recommend!

On a side note: If I was to nitpick, it would have been great to offer an incentive if you had just visited Hearst Castle and offered an extra taste of another wine during your wine tasting.

Wow- wanted to enjoy a bottle of wine in this beautiful outside setting that was COMPLETELY EMPTY at this time and they wouldn’t let us because they only allow tastings - that sucks

We had the BEST tasting experience with Ava! We felt welcomed by everyone and well received as members. I recommend making a reservation to taste.

Great sandwiches and wine

Amazing staff and experience. It's not often you get to wine taste near the ocean on a perfect day!

We stopped at Hearst Ranch Winery for some wine tasting and had a wonderful time. Although they recommend making reservations, they were able to accommodate us, and we were seated outside with a beautiful view of the ocean.

Our server was very friendly and made the experience even better. We chose the $45 Legacy Tasting, which included a flight of four wines. The 2021 Carpoforo Zinfandel was our favorite, and we ended up purchasing two bottles to take home.

Overall, it was a great experience with excellent wine and stunning views. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!

Great place for lunch and wine tasting. Had wonderful quick service. Made reservations ahead of time (doesn't cost any money) and preordered our lunch. The sandwiches were fantastic and they were ready as soon as we arrived. It was perfect. We asked to taste a couple of wines that we wanted to purchase and they added to our tasting session, no fuss.

The venue is perfect as well. We sat outside with our meals and wine tasted, all while hearing the waves crash along the shore. Beautiful.

Parking inside the gate for the tasting room is limited but plenty of parking near the general store and along the side of the road.

Hearst Castle Ranch Winery🍷🥂

Nestled along the stunning coast, Hearst Castle Winery offers an unforgettable wine-tasting experience, perfectly complemented by breathtaking ocean views, earthy gardens, beautiful trees.

The Chardonnay Steel Barrel is a standout, maintaining a beautiful bouquet of crisp citrus while eliminating the typical buttery essence. It's refreshing and light, ideal for those who appreciate a more delicate, clean style of Chardonnay.

The Rosé blend, featuring Grenache, Tempranillo, and Malbec, is a delightful, fruity option—refreshing and perfect for a casual lunch or an afternoon of good conversation. It’s the kind of wine that pairs well with sunny days and lively discussions.

For those seeking something with more depth, the Malbec offers robust dark red fruit flavors that make it a delicious choice to enjoy with a hearty meal, such as tri-tip or steak sandwiches.

At $35 per person for the wine tasting, the experience is well worth it, especially since the fee is waived with the purchase of just two bottles. The winery also offers a simple but satisfying lunch menu featuring gourmet sandwiches—an absolute highlight. These are hands down the best sandwiches I have ever had. Each one is a rainbow of flavors, crafted with fresh meats, crisp produce, freshly baked breads, and tasty combinations like chicken and bacon. The Cubano sandwich stands out as a juicy masterpiece, with shredded, perfectly spiced meat that melts in your mouth. Every bite is a treat!

The service truly elevates the experience. Karen, the cashier at the Seaside store, was absolutely wonderful. She suggested pairing our gourmet sandwiches with the wine tasting, which was an ideal recommendation. Teresa, our wine concierge, took the tasting experience to the next level. She explained each wine with passion and knowledge, making the tasting session both educational and enjoyable.

The ocean views are nothing short of breathtaking, providing a serene and beautiful backdrop to your wine tasting. The gardens are alive with butterflies and vibrant plant life, adding to the earthy, tranquil feel of the place.

Overall, Hearst Castle Winery does not disappoint. Fantastic wines, unforgettable sandwiches, great service, and stunning views make this a must-visit destination. Cheers to an amazing experience!🍷🍷🍷

We had the worst service last week at Hearst Ranch Winery in San Simeon. They now have unfriendly tasting policies. We were a group of three couples who are members, and three couples who were not. We were told that we would need to seated as a group of 12, only 4 complementary tastings, and the other 8 tastings would be $45 each with a mandatory 20% tip. My response was that we would take two tables of 6 instead, since each member is entitled to 4 tastings (which would have covered our group). Even though the winery was less than 20% full, they sat us as far away from each other as possible. They were passive aggressive and rude about it, plus they would only comp 4 tastings per table, despite us being members. Additionally, one can no longer buy a glass or bottle of wine to share at the table (even though we spent $250 on their food for lunch).

Hopefully there will be some changes coming.

I was just refused a wine tasting at 4:05 pm Sunday afternoon. I will have to rethink my membership and stop buying wine from them.

Review for wine tasting (4/5 stars)
Tends to fall in the costlier side compared to various wineries in the area. But the wine is very good. I had been going to Hearst for wine tasting for a few years. I would recommend a visit if you are in the area. 4/5 stars

Review for the wine club (2/5 stars)

(I don't tend to leave a long review. But to justify the score, I feel it needs an explanation. If you are looking to join their wine club, read on)

After a few visits to Hearst wine for tasting, I decided to join their wine club. First bottles I picked up while I had been there for wine tasting. A few months later I got an email that the new release will be shipping out. I was advised on the phone to have it shipped elsewhere if I wasn't going to be home. The rep asked if there is a UPS nearby so I elected to have the wine shipped to a UPS store near my home. The rep confirmed it will be shipped to the UPS store. Well, Hearst didn't make the address change and had the bottles shipped to my house on a hot day. And subsequently the box wasn't delivered.

When I phoned Hearst with this concern, they assured me the wines were on ice and they should be fine. And they will make the label change and box will be at the UPS store the following day. The following day I picked up the ONE box with 9 bottles following day and brought them home. When I opened the box there was NO ice in it and the bottles were hot to the touch. I had to make multiple phone calls and multiple emails before I finally got to a rep.

The rep assured me that the replacement wine will be on ice and shipped to the same UPS store. A day later I went to pick them up. There were two smaller boxes waiting for me. But to my surprise, UPS charged me $10/box for a total of $20 for shipped to store boxes (this is of course on top of $50 I paid for shipping fee). Hearst later told me they had no idea that UPS charged fees for boxes shipped directly to store. (note: the first shipment that was delayed wasn't charged this because it wasn't shipped directly to the store in the first place)

I felt this additional fee wasn't warranted and frankly if they did their job right the first place, I'd have paid $10 for the one initial box of wine.

Hearst however felt otherwise and told me it's not their responsibility. Ultimately they did not reimburse for any part of this additional fee.

Ultimately I cancelled the membership. It wasn't the $20 shipping fee I had to pay. It was rather the way the manner was handled by the customer service. I strongly felt that they came very short of my expectations.

So the take away:

1. Don't have the bottles shipped to UPS store even if they advise it. This is exactly what they advised me (apparently Hearst didn't know UPS stores charge box holding fee. They are saying they will advise their clients to be shipped to UPS 'access points' which doesn't charge holding fee. This would have been great if they told me this before. I suppose they learned something thanks to me.)

2. Wine is good but not good enough for the inconvenience they caused me.

3. Price with shipping was around $50/bottle for the red wines I chose under my membership offerings. While good wine, I can get pretty darn good wine else where at this price point. I'm probably going back my local Costco.

4. Customer service is not the fastest and the most prompt (your experience will probably vary, hopefully for the better).

Even though the tasting room/area was empty, we were turned away because we didn’t have a reservation.