DeRose Winery San Martin Tasting Room — Attraction in Gilroy

As a wine club member who pays $100 every quarter we were treated extremely poorly from the moment we walked in for a tasting.

We enjoy the DeRose wines very much and consider it a treat to come out for our complimentary tasting and to visit with the team that runs the show however this last experience was one I don’t wish on anyone. From the moment we walked in we were told that we would be assisted but were kind of brushed off. We weren’t asked which tasting we wanted…it was assumed, but we sort of went with it. It wasn’t suggested or asked if maybe we wanted a glass of wine or a bottle. There was no desire to want to assist us but they reluctantly did. We were instantly judged from the moment we walked in and boy did we feel the energy. The guy was busy tasting wine with other patrons and talking instead of maybe asking for “one moment while I assist these folks”. It was just off…. We went outside to wait for our tasting and in the meantime, ordered food from the winery next door since we often sit in their tasting area. We waited 10 (not 2 like the responder claims) minutes for our tasting but eventually got it. It was definitely that length of time because the neighboring winery had to make the charcuterie board we ordered and it was about a 10 minute process. The food and tasting came about the same time. We were casually enjoying the afternoon and I even commented how it’s nice coming out to this tasting room and thinking about what bottle we should get because we will generally get their Syrah as we do when we are at the Hollister location. We were then approached by one of the employees who right away starts with “ya… I really need to talk to you guys”. We were basically told that we come out too often and we should really get a bottle or a glass because they feel we are coming for our complimentary tasting and simply leaving. I can tell you this has never been the case. We come for our tasting as members and we purchase a glass of wine or a bottle almost every time we are out. In fact the week before we came out for a tasting and purchased a glass of wine each. We also did a tasting at the neighboring winery. If there’s any question of our purchases please check your records. We have bought more wine then what has been received as part of the quarterly releases for the entire year.

Upon signing up we elected the four bottle membership and really couldn’t remember if we had a tasting fee or not. For the first couple of months we were charged a $10 tasting fee. We would drive out on the weekend, pay a fee and taste. No problem. We were then advised that an error was made on their part and we shouldn’t be charged a $10 tasting fee because we are on the 4 bottle membership. There was no reimbursement and we didn’t ask. They didn’t ask how they could make it up. We simply brushed off their error and moved on and carried on as we normally do on the weekends.

We have opted to stay away from this location for a while and enjoy our membership at the winery in Hollister. We get a tasting and purchase a bottle like we always do.

If you feel you need to put limits then do so.. I know for a fact we aren’t the only ones who come out for a tasting. If you want to charge then charge. We really don’t mind but we do have an issue being put on the spot in front of everyone and be told that we’re using them as their own personal bar. I bet if we still paid the $10 tasting fee in error we wouldn’t have been told anything.

One thing I’d like to point out.. I’ve worked in a tasting room before. So I know the process. Even if I saw a paying patron come out once a week for a tasting I certainly wouldn’t make them feel like they’re taking advantage of the system. In fact I would go with the flow and maybe even encourage a wine purchase or a glass… because that was my role… to sell the wine. You just don’t pour. There’s so much more to it. Your failure to do your job...

We recently discovered DeRose has a tasting room in the Gilroy area by a recommendation. We have been up to the winery in Hollister, which is a bit of a drive, but worth the time because the wines are all incredible. So we were excited to try out the new tasting room that is much closer to us.

The people running the tasting are family and were so nice. They greeted us in and gave us options for the flight and had a Rosé open to try and buy by the glass (I love Rosé and this one was excellent). The first pour was in a chilled glass! We were told to sit down and make ourselves comfortable and they would bring the rest of the wines out to us. We decided to sit outside in their patio area and discovered there is another wine bar working side-by-side with DeRose who also offers wood-fired pizzas!

As we sat down, our flights arrived and we enjoyed each and every one. Our favorites were the Viognier, the Zin Rosé (which they offered as an extra pour which made us feel special) and the Hollywood Red. The wines are excellent, but I must give five stars for the service and the special attention the staff provides.

We decided to stay and share a pizza and get a bottle of Rosé for lunch. They insisted that they would keep our Rosé in the fridge to keep it extra chilled as the day was warm...awesome people and wine!

We will definitely be back as they told us they change the wine options every week. I highly recommend DeRose if you are searching for great wine and a great wine tasting experience. I may be joining the wine club and become...

We have been hearing about DeRose and thought we’d give it a try. It’s inside a converted warehouse building with a beautiful bar and lots of tables. The people running it were super-friendly and started us off with our first pour of their Chardonnay in a chilled glass. It was very refreshing. Not an over-oaked Chardonnays like some others make, but a fresh and bright wine. It was very good.

The rest of our wines were brought to our table in carafes nestled in a little wood box. We loved the system they have here as we didn’t have to keep going back to the bar for the other pours or wait on staff to come out each time. We really like the Negrette and the Zin. Everything on the flight was excellent, but these two were the stand-outs!

Staff checked on us often, gave us an extra little pour and told us about the history of the winery and how it is all family run. They let us know that the wine menu changes each week, so that’s a plus as we won't get the same thing each visit! They even brought out blocks for our baby to play with so we could enjoy the experience. We ended up buying several bottles and had a great time. We will definitely be back and telling...