It always seems to happen this way. We start out to explore a new wine region and for some reason, we find the very best place first. This is what happened when we first visited the Livermore Valley, just 40 miles east of the San Francisco Bay. Our last winery of the day was the Big White House and it checked all of our boxes in one spot.
Winery Overview
Information current as of January 2018
Tasting Cost: $10 per person for 7 tastes; fee waived with wine purchase.
Hours:Â Friday-Sundays, 12-4:30pm; Reservations required for groups larger than 6.
In town/Rural/Remote:Â Rural but close to other wineries
Location:Â 6800 Greenville Rd, Livermore, CA
Quality of Wines (1-5 smiley faces): 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Winery Style: Educational, Friendly & Fun, Rustic and Low-key
Space for Weddings & Events: Small patio with view, good for small groups
Website:Â http://www.bigwhitehouse.com/
Livermore Valley Winery – The Big White House
Casual atmosphere – check. Down-to-earth servers and owners – check. Affordable and delicious tastings – check. Fun atmosphere – check. Amazing outdoor view – BONUS!
The owner John is shockingly young for such a talented winemaker, but he proves that age is just a number when it comes to the art of wine making. He has truly made this a family business with his sister’s stunning artwork displayed all around the tasting room and featured on wine labels. His wife and young son are often right there beside him helping with his daily duties and we’ve been lucky enough to have him serve his wine and give us some background on the grapes, the wines and his business.
Big White House winemaker John and his son working at the winery
We’ve always had great servers at the Big White House that are friendly, approachable and willing to share their knowledge on the wine. One of the best aspects of tasting wine here is that the tasting list is always solid. We have found that often a winery will produce certain wines fantastic and others just average. But the Big White House knocks it out of the ballpark every time on any wine. And the wine selection won’t break the bank either. Bottles of wine generally range from $20 to $40 and even if you get something on the lower end of the scale, it is still fantastic wine. The quality stays high no matter what the price.
The other extra bonus we enjoy when visiting the Big White House is that it has an amazing view overlooking neighboring vineyards. You can enjoy your wine inside the tasting room on a rainy day or opt to enjoy it on the outdoor patio on the other sunny California days. They have a wine club but even if you are not a member, they often have special tastings that are open for everyone. We were lucky enough to get a special tasting from the barrel during one of our visits.
The winemaker’s sister supplies all of the artwork at the Big White House.
Although we have spotted a few limos with bachelorette groups coming in, the atmosphere remains fun but not too rowdy. Maybe it’s the ample space between the inside and outside of the tasting room that keeps the groups from being too much, or maybe the visitors just know this is more of a family operation. Either way it can get a little busy but the staff is so good and the groups are respectable, so you don’t even notice.
Over the last year or so, our “little secret” is out about how great the Big White House is. There are more visitors than before but we are happy to see that John’s labor of love is doing so well and it still is down-to-earth, friendly and affordable. The tasting room is open Friday through Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. Information can be found at www.bigwhitehouse.com
View from the patio of the Big White House
