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To the north of San Francisco lies one of the most famous wine regions in the world, Napa Valley and Sonoma. However, the rest of the Bay Area also has excellent wine. Sausalito, a quiet bayside town just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, has some great bars and restaurants. Even if you can’t take a full trip to Napa, you can still have good local wine at these wine bars in Sausalito.
Sausalito Wine Bars & Tasting Rooms
Bacchus & Venus
Bacchus & Venus is a Sausalito wine bar and shop that specializes in wines from small, boutique California producers.
In addition to bottle and by-the-glass selections, the shop offers several different tasting flights. Not only are there set flights, but you can also create your own, which is nice if you spot something on the wine list that you want to try.
Our helpful server told us a ton about each wine and then left the bottles for us to look at and photograph.
I’m fascinated that more places don’t do that. I suppose there’s some risk that people might pour themselves extra, but you’d think letting someone get more details about the wine would be a good thing.
I opted for an orange wine from the Sierra Foothills, a Viognier Late Harvest, a Pinot Noir Reserve, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
In addition to a great wine selection, Bacchus & Venus also serves cheeseboards, cookies, and other snacks.
Owners Todd and Cyndi Wheeler have created a wine shop that’s a pleasant place to go wine tasting and have some snacks, with zero pressure to buy more.
Address: 769 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Real Napa Tasting Room
Real Napa Tasting Room is the Sausalito wine shop for Fotsch Vineyards.
In addition to larger wine tasting flights, you can also purchase wines by the glass (or by the bottle).
There’s space inside, but sit outside on the patio as long as the weather is nice (it’s Sausalito, so the weather is probably nice). Between the sea views all the way to San Francisco and the promenade, there’s plenty to watch while you enjoy your wine.
The wine tasting room also offers cheese boards. Or, in my case, the friendly owners offered me a slice of pizza from nearby Venice Pizza since they’d just ordered some.
Address: 611 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Sandrino Pizza & Vino
In 2015, the husband & wife team Alessandro and Monika moved from Trento, Italy, to Sausalito, California.
They opened Sandrino Pizza & Vino, which shares their love of great pizza and Italian wine. There is inside seating, but I opted to sit outside on their streetside front patio.
In addition to a diverse menu of thin-crust pizzas featuring everything from Italian classics to seafood-topped creations to vegetarian options, there is also a large list of wines from Italy (plus a few other local bottles).
I had the truffle caciotta pizza. It was topped with mozzarella, cooked ham, Italian caciotta cheese with black truffle, fresh chives, and black pepper.
The pizza’s lovely, rich, fatty goodness paired well with a glass of Regolo Satori Ripasso Superiore DOC. The server recommended the pairing because it would be something strong to accompany the pizza.
Address: 45 Caledonia St, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Sausalito offers more than just wine. It has plenty of fun things to do. The town also has some good cocktail bars and craft beer bars. For a more educational experience, visit the Bay Model.
Here are some great San Francisco tours & other things to see & do in San Francisco.
If you’re looking for a place to stay, check out these Sausalito hotels.
