MendoVino Wine Bar — Restaurant in Fort Bragg

Menu advertises "flights" and "glasses". You get there and they have self-promoting literature advertising the same thing. It's actually not a wine bar like that at all. It's a place to sit in the back corner of a gift shop. We drove out of our way to come here, thinking we could taste through some of the local producers all in one place. In actuality, they will sell you bottles and let you drink them there. When I asked (tactfully and patiently) about the flyer and said "it says you offer 'flights and glasses' online and even here in store, is that just on certain days, or...?" I was cut of snarkily and told by the lady working there that it's not "her" store, that "she" doesn't own the place and "she" doesn't offer flights or tastings but that I could buy a bottle a drink it there. I guess I should have said "your place of employment" instead of "you"? They also don't offer a restroom, so if you DO pop your own cork, we hope you can keep what might result bottled up. Pass up and go to the local vineyards instead who will assuredly act in a more gracious and congenial manner and skip this snarky bait and...

If you want to try some great local wines this is a good start! The shop is small (but so am I). Great vibe if you ask me! Owner had me try some limited production zin and Pinot and I walked away with both.

The bottle listing in his book is extensive and almost entirely local. I don’t think they’re doing flights, but also how does a small business sustain doing flights all the time anyway? I think this place embodies the character of Mendocino: small, quaint, but HIGH QUALITY!

Going back tomorrow in...

The MendoVino Tasting room is a locally-owned gem of a small business. It is located in the heart of downtown Mendocino and is very cozy.

Michael, the owner, is extraordinarily personable and goes above and beyond to make you feel at home. With a lifelong passion for wines, Michael has a deep knowledge of the region's offerings. He specializes in sourcing wines from local vineyards that otherwise have no distribution. With great snacks and a custom wine club with free tastings to boot, what's...