Rideau Vineyard — Attraction in California

This is a small boutique winery just off the main street in Solvang. It was started by Iris Rideau in 1997. She has restored and made as the main house, a beautiful adobe -- now a California Landmark as the oldest adobe still standing. The winery is set on acres of beautiful tree speckled land, and the vineyards are right around the house, which now serves as a tasting room/gathering place. Iris is originally from New Orleans, so the decor, hospitality, and theme parties all reflect a bit of Cajun Southern hospitality. There is food/non-alcoholic drinks available at the tasting room, and the flatbread pizzas are delicious! Also both indoor seating to rest, eat or visit, or sit under the oaks outdoors at picnic tables. The staff (especially Reza and Seth) are very knowledgeable about wine, and all are very helpful, generous and friendly. Take the walking wine tour, and learn about the vineyards, grapes, the barrel room, the aging process and bottling. It's fascinating. Oh, and the wine!!! I like every single one of the wines I tasted there, which is unique. Of course, taste is subjective, but the Tempranillo, Karen's Cuvee, and Lagniappe reds are amazing! Both have rich full cherry/chocolate palates, without being heavy, smoky or spicy. Light tanins and smooth finish. Also, Iris won a blue ribbon for her Viognier white. Very light and crisp. There is a wine club membership available, which offers different levels of regular shipments, free tastings, member discounts for everything, and special invitations to events. A trip to Rideau is truly a rich and unforgettable experience! I highly...

Our family visited two (2) vineyards near Solvang a few weeks ago. Unfortunately Rideau Vineyard was the less impressive of the two.

Let's start with the positive: The setting is delightful. One of the reasons we selective Rideau is that it is a smaller, more intimate family-owned vineyard. The home itself and the garden leading up to it are delightful—and the array of picnic tables and shaded areas make for a great afternoon to relax.

On to the less-than-great: I had hoped the smaller vineyard would mean a personable experience with the staff. Unfortunately the staff did not seem very knowledgeable about the wines nor particularly friendly. Unlike other vineyards where you get great descriptions of the wine, our server seemed content to name the varietal and walk away.

I went back and read some of the earlier Google reviews. My experience appears to map onto the experiences of certain other reviewers too.

The wines themselves were okay (the pinot noir in the adobe series was delightful—as was the viognier). But I feel other vineyards have better flights at better prices ($25/flight at Rideau vs. $15-20/flight at other vineyards). With that said—had the service or the wine been better I would not have thought twice about mentioning the price. After all—running a wine company is expensive and administratively exhausting.

All in all I wanted to love Rideau Vineyard. It has such potential and the setting is delightful. If they created a more friendly and knowledgeable visitor experience it would be a remarkable place. Until then—the vineyard...

Starting with the good, nice grounds clearly designed with events in mind. Food was nice and chatted a bit with the chef who brought our pizza to the table. Mind you talked to him more than our host. Nice enough, but you go to a tasting to experience the wine and get some background on what you are drinking. Instead a bunch of prepored wine was lined up in front of us, with a card naming each. Couldn't tell you about the blends, it was 90 out, so you push through the first whites before they get warm.

The point of a tasting room and paying up front is to get more acquainted with a portfolio. As for joining any of the clubs, don't see the point unless you just want a discount. I am in plenty of clubs, have been a multitude of tasting rooms in different regions and never been to one where the staff just drops of the wine and walks off to chat in the other room with their coworkers. Really don't know if they were knowledgeable or not, as that would have required an actual discussion about the wine. You are better off just hanging in town and enjoying the various tasting rooms and if you want some Rideau wine, just pop into your local store and buy some off the shelf, reading the label will probably tell you more than going...