thomas kruse winery

Tom or Karen will often meet you personally at the winery. Tom is a true winemaker from A to Z. He does everything by hand, often enlisting volunteers to help keep his costs/prices low. His wines compete with wines often twice the price or more. Buy a case and the deal gets even better. There is no tasting fee either.More importantly, you are getting estate bottled wine that has bee produced largely by hand in a time when mechanized, factory wineries are becoming the norm. You will not find a fancy wine club or overpriced gadgets to buy, just great quality wine at a fantastic price. Tom even makes his own port and amazing blanc de blanc methode champenoise.

A decade or so ago Tom Kruse moved his winery over to the east side of US 101. It's in a barn-like building, where the fermenting, aging, bottling, and selling are done. Everything is sold from the tasting room. There isn't even a wine club. I was the sole visitor, and had a nice long chat with the volunteer hostess as I sampled their products.The wines are mostly reds. You taste at least seven, no charge. But the prices are incredible--$8.00 for Gilroy Red, a pleasant field blend. The varietals in it vary by vintage. A few times a year you can bring clean empty 750 wine bottles, and get them filled for $5.00 each! This year it's a merlot. The respectable cabernet sauvignon is a mere $16.00. As I recall it was their most expensive offering. I brought some home.Tom & his wife work the tasting room weekdays, and at the weekends it is staffed completely by volunteers. I guess that's one way Tom keeps his prices so low.