Merryvale Winery

1000 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574

Website: https://www.merryvale.com/

Merryvale Winery is located in the heart of downtown St. Helena.  It is across from the popular Gott’s Roadside (formerly known as Taylor’s Automatic Refresher).  No matter when I have visited Napa Valley, there has always been a lot of traffic along this section of Highway 29.  The entrance to the winery is enticing with its charming landscaping and flowing fountain, despite the fact that it is in the center of a bustling area. 

This winery has a lot of history.  Merryvale was the first winery built in Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition.  It was formerly called Sunny St. Helena Winery and produced bulk wines.  In 1937, the winery was co-owned by Jack Riorda and Caesare Mondavi, father of Robert and Peter Mondavi.  Robert Mondavi apprenticed at the winery before convincing his father to purchase Charles Krug in 1943.  In 1946, the Mondavi family became the sole owners of Sunny St. Helena.  The winery later went through several different owners and was refurbished and renamed to Merryvale.   

Knowing some of the history of the winery before I visited, I was expecting a better experience than I received.  I will admit that we were nearing closing time when my husband and I walked in.  I don’t like to be one of “those tourists” who is trying to squeeze in a final tasting 10 minutes before the tasting room is closing, but that’s the way we were treated.  When we walked in, it was about 30 minutes before the closing time posted on the door.  The first guy we saw behind the tasting bar announced to us that we would not be able to do a full tasting because they were getting ready to close.  He said we would only be able to try the wines that they still had open.  Then we were asked to step around to the other side of the very large tasting bar.  Luckily, the guy who ended up serving us was much friendlier and took the time to pour a couple of extra wines that weren’t on the tasting menu so that we could do a side-by-side comparison.  Unfortunately the first guy had set the tone for the entire tasting by making me feel uncomfortable about being there and I wasn’t able to focus on what I was drinking very well. 

I wish I had more time to explore the winery.  The tasting room was very spacious, and there are wine accessories and souvenirs available for purchase.  One of the most advertised features of the winery that I didn’t get to see is the Cask Room where they hold special events.  On each side of the candle lit room, two stories of 2,000 gallon casks line the stone walls and there is a long table down the center for guests to sit at during events.  Private tours, tastings, and seminars are available for groups by appointment.  I intend to return on one of my trips to see if I get a better experience because their wines are often highly rated in wine magazines.