Hop Up to Hopland for Leisurely Wine Tasting and Striking Views

Itinerary of Mendocino County town entices with easy-going hospitality and varied experiences.

Let’s get the logistics out of the way first: Hopland is a half-hour drive from Healdsburg and a 90-minute straight shot north from the Golden Gate Bridge. Hidden in plain sight along U.S. 101, this southern Mendocino County town of about 900 has a slower pace, and not just because its section of the highway narrows to one undivided lane in each direction and the speed limit drops to 35 mph. (Watch out for pedestrians and sometimes the cops.)

Anchor a day trip of touring with tastings at three wineries – Saracina, Alta Orsa, and either Campovida or Terra Sávia – all known for easy-going hospitality and striking views. Saracina allows guests to bring picnics, or you can eat in the small “downtown” business district, where restaurants, cafés, tasting rooms, and shops line the highway.

Best Hopland Wine Tasting

10 am

Saracina Vineyards

Saracina Vineyards is a must-stop for its landscaped grounds, hospitable staff, and masterful winemaker. Alex MacGregor has crafted Saracina’s wines for more than two decades – he knows this land and its grapes well. Tastings often start with Rosé of Grenache and whites like the Unoaked Chardonnay and the Lolonis Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (from the nation’s oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines, per MacGregor). Among the reds, the Zinfandels impress with their concentrated fruit, back-palate spice, and mild tannic kick. The Malbec seduces with dark-fruit flavors and herbal/savory notes, and Soul of Mendocino, a red blend of old-vine Carignane, newer Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel, is lively and unique.

Note: If you can’t get a reservation at Saracina, try Nelson Family Vineyards, about 6 miles north in southern Ukiah. Run by the same family since the early 1950s, it has a large patio and a redwood grove, both with vineyard views. 

Lunch

If you won’t be picnicking at Saracina, head to The Golden Pig downtown. When it’s open, the Thatcher Hotel’s Café Poppy serves bakery items and light fare. The folks behind San Francisco’s well-regarded Osha Thai opened an outpost in a brick building from the 1880s. The restaurant is pricey for here, but the food is good.

1 pm

Alta Orsa Winery

A nearly 2-mile-long gravel driveway winds past oaks, manzanitas, pines, and firs to the steep, stunning 160-acre Alta Orsa Winery estate. Winemaker Martin Bernal-Hafner, who hails from Colombia and has worked in wine on three continents (his mentors include Paul Hobbs), often hosts weekday tastings. When the weather cooperates, sessions take place under a decades-old cork tree, usually after a vineyard walk if you’re up for it. Bernal-Hafner specializes in single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Sonoma County fruit, and in Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hopland estate, where Merlot, Petit Verdot, and a few other varieties also grow. While sipping his gracefully made wines, you’ll learn about the commitment of Bernal-Hafner and his team to holistic, organic, regenerative farming practices.

3 pm

Close the day with a tasting at Campovida (closed on Tuesday and Wednesday) or Terra Sávia (open daily).

Campovida

The owners of Campovida hipped up Hopland by refurbishing the Thatcher Hotel, which sits next door to their seven-room Stock Farm Inn, home to a restaurant and a bar/pizzeria. Campovida pours its sensitively cultivated wines at its ranch about a mile outside town. Italian and Rhône-style whites and reds are among the specialties. The owners focus on land stewardship, a topic that comes up at most wine tastings, all of which include a pass to the on-site gardens. Like the vineyards, the gardens are certified organic. Nondrinkers can purchase a garden pass, and there’s a tasting of the property’s honey and olive oils.

Terra Sávia

There’s a lot to unpack at the day’s throwback winery, Terra Sávia, a sheer delight that’s a window into Hopland’s soul. In addition to organically farming 35 acres of grapes, the winery’s owners, Swiss-born Jurg Fischer and Dominican Republic native Yvonne Hall, cultivate 24 acres of olive trees, tend to a slew of rescue animals, sell nursery plants, and exhibit art. Some Terra Sávia guests come just to sample the olive oils, but the wines are also worth seeking out. Enjoy them by the flight in the tasting room, or purchase a glass and wander the grounds.

Best Time to Go

Reservations are recommended at all the wineries, though walk-ins are usually accommodated. It’s best to make a reservation at Saracina on summer weekends, but even then, they’ll try to fit you in if they can. Parties of up to five don’t need an appointment at Terra Sávia. If time permits, you can also stop by the in-town spaces of Brutocao Cellars (closed Monday and Tuesday), Graziano Family of Wines (open daily), or McNab Ridge Winery (closed Wednesday). All their owners have been growing grapes in the area for decades. 

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Also in Mendocino County 

Breggo Cellars and Lichen Estate
Lula Cellars
Stanford Inn by the Sea
2 Fun Days Tasting Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

This itinerary first appeared in mid-2022; it was most recently updated in 2026. Lead photo shows Cabernet vines at Alta Orsa.