Elizabeth Spencer Winery

Small tasting room in “downtown” Rutherford, California

Increasingly interested in wine, in 1978 a successful independent PR consultant named Elizabeth Pressler left her native Philadelphia for Napa Valley and a tour guide position at Joseph Phelps Winery. In 1991, after stints as marketing director at Chalk Hill Winery and The Hess Collection, she again became an independent PR consultant with some of Napa’s finest wineries as clients.

Two years later Pressler had a business meeting with chef, sommelier, and wine importer Spencer Graham. When the couple married in 1997, it seemed inevitable that they should start their own winery. The next year that’s exactly what they did.

The winery’s cute and cozy tasting room in “downtown” Rutherford is housed in a small, solid-brick building built in 1872 as the town’s first post office.

The pretty interior sports an immense wine rack covering one wall, a small and curving bar, and decorative antique hangings. In summer, the adjoining outside patio is a lovely place to relax with a glass of wine, sitting at an umbrella-topped table or inside the gazebo (you can reserve tables in advance).

Fascinating Fact:

Most visitors are surprised to learn that there is no such person as Elizabeth Spencer. The winery’s name combines the first names of each partner.

Amenities: Wine Club, Dog-friendly
Founded: 1998
Signature Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Zinfandel
Wine Tasting: Basic, no appointment needed
Hours: Daily, 10–6

Elizabeth Spencer Winery
1165 Rutherford Road
Rutherford, CA 94573
707-963-6067

email: tastingroom@elizabethspencerwines.com
website: www.elizabethspencerwines.com

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Suzie Rodriguez writes about travel, food, and wine from her home in the wine-country town of Sonoma, California. You can follow her travels and musings at The Culinary Gadabout.

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