Kivelstadt Cellars & WineGarden

Amazing experience! Great food and great service. Loved the inventive menu and the wine tasting on property. They had live music which was a nice bonus. It was busy but no wait for a table. Wonderful hidden gem in Sonoma!

I’m writing this to caution others about our recent wedding at Kivelstadt. I’ve been a wine club member for 3+ years and thought it would be a great place for our wedding, especially knowing the staff. Unfortunately, we experienced a lot of disorganization throughout the process, and I’m saddened to write this — mainly due to how the owner, Alex, has handled our complaints by deflecting and shifting blame rather than taking accountability.

First, we had agreed in the contract to use one of the venue’s band options. I inquired in late November for our May 25 wedding but didn’t get an option until January 23—and it was just a one-man band. With no other options offered, we ended up booking our own DJ.

We also weren’t provided a real catering tasting. The owner said spring ingredients weren’t available yet, so we got a sample of their current menu in March. However, 90% of what we tried wasn’t on the wedding menu. This made the tasting feel more like a formality than something helpful. The spring menu had fairly basic ingredients, so it didn’t make sense that they couldn’t give us a true tasting.

That same day, we met with the co-owner, Jordan, to go over details. He didn’t even know our wedding date when we arrived. We discussed timing, table layout, and the use of the wine cellar as a bridal suite to get ready/hide in prior to the ceremony. He confirmed it would be cleared for us.

A month before the wedding, we had a final call with Alex, who said both Jordan and their event manager Danielle would be onsite and in touch with our day-of coordinator. Despite follow-ups, no connection was made. We luckily met Danielle by chance the day before while dropping off décor. She said the wine cellar was supposed to have been cleared months ago. It still wasn’t.

On the wedding day, my MOH and brother-in-law arrived at 1 p.m. expecting to decorate reception tables, but nothing was set up. Danielle thought tables were going out during cocktail hour and even asked my sister for a layout—something we had already given to both owners. My MOH missed most of my getting ready time to help with setup. The coordinator also had to do a lot of unexpected organizing, including hiding extra tables that were left near the dance floor, which would’ve shown up in all the photos. Winery guests were still on-site up through 3 p.m., and setup was still happening at that time, despite a 3 p.m. guest arrival time and 4 p.m. ceremony.

Jordan, who we were told would be onsite, never showed. We were never informed of this change. It felt like we didn’t matter.

When I emailed Alex about all of this, he responded with “sorry, but…” statements, denied key points (like guest arrival time), and continued to avoid responsibility. He even claimed our guests arrived at 2 p.m., which both my coordinator, my sister, and their tasting room manager stated guests arrived at 3 pm. Their last tasting guests left just before 3 p.m., which cut into our venue time and setup. It felt like wine tasting revenue was prioritized over our wedding.

The wine cellar situation was also blamed on us, even though we’d brought it up before. On the day of, it was barely usable—just enough space for me and my MOH to cram next to the door while the rest was cluttered and unusable.

If they had taken ownership and offered even a small gesture (like wine or food for our family), I wouldn’t be writing this. But their dismissive response left us with no choice.

That said, the staff and food were amazing, and Danielle truly saved the day. If you choose this venue, I highly recommend making Danielle your main contact—she was professional, responsive, and helpful.

I hope others have a better experience than we did.

WOW - a friend recommended this place for the playground with our young children. While the playground was incredible and made us feel less bad for dragging out kids wine tasting, the service was also SO GOOD! the food was great and well priced and the natural wines were wonderful. Highly highly recommend if you're traveling that way with kids!

Everything that I tried was absolutely delightful and delectable on both the food and wine menus. I really appreciate their variety and hospitality.

Wonderful vibes, kid and dog friendly. Amazing food and interesting wine. Highly recommend!

Lovely wine garden. We arrived and were lucky enough to experience some live music which added to a beautiful atmosphere. The wines were good, a bit quirkier and the waiter nice.

There’s always space for a small glass of wine 30 minutes before closing. We were turned away with “kitchen is closed” by manager. Very odd way of showing hospitality.

If I could have given our experience more than 5 stars I would have. Their selection of wines is great and the different methods they use is so fun and interesting. Our server’s knowledge was such a help and she made it a great experience. Thanks to Tia for your help today and we look forward to our next visit.

Kivelstadt was the highlight of our wine country trip. This is a hidden gem with unique, interesting, well-made wines and delicious seasonal farm to table bites from the attached restaurant. Tori who lead our tasting was very knowledgeable about the wines but also geeked out with us about all the birds visiting the feeders nearby. The vibe is very much like hanging out in the back yard with your friends, except your friends also happen to make really good wine and really good food (but like, they're super low key about both). Kivelstadt had been on my list for years but I had never gotten around to it because it's a little out of the way; Turns out it's absolutely worth making the time for.

Great experience and some awesome wi nes. Chelsea was a great guide to their wines. Tasting room is awesome as well. Sat outside on a beautiful day and got to know some very tasty wines. Will definitely be going back a lot.

Honestly fantastic. Great space, playground for kids, and the food is far more elevated than I was expecting. The pork belly was incredible. Plus, they accommodated our larger group than the original booking without a single complaint. Easy 5 stars.

Great ambiance, great wine!

my mouth is watering just thinking about my visit this past weekend to Kivelstadt.This is a must stop when you’re in Sonoma, even worth making a trip just for this spot. Only took about an hour driving up from San Francisco midday on a Friday. We did the KC Labs and Off the Beaten Path tastings and loved the variety. Gravignon Blanc and the Native Son were some of our favorites.The food is amazing, you have to get the Glazed Pork Belly. The pork is cooked to tender perfection and pairs deliciously with the mushrooms. The aguachile is a bit more like a crudo and was perfect for the hot sonoma weather in September.We spent a few hours here in their comfortable outdoor seating and left with a few bottles. The wine club benefits are definitely worth it, with free tastings and generous discounts on bottles.The service was great, sharing just enough about the wines but also giving us space to taste slowly and enjoy the warm weather.Looking forward to my next visit to Kivelstadt - I’m telling my friends we’re coming every weekend now ?

Outstanding!!

What a wonderful lunch we had!Our party had 6 adults and 4 kids. We were seated thoughtfully and comfortably near the play area.The food was a true highlight of seasonal, local ingredients. I wish I had a favorite!The peach, mozzarella, bacon sandwich was a delightful combo. The veggie cuban a surprising winner. The grilled cheese in focaccia was devoured by the kiddos.We ordered each desert. The pana cotta was perfect, the s’mores in a jar and the Alaskan ice cream.Amazing food! Excellent dining experience!