Tamas Estates Winery

This place is closed… permanently, according to the Wente staff.

With all the hype we set out for Tamas, which by the way is in the back of Wente. They told us inside to look for Judi and let them know we were sent by Tamas.
We were a little hesitant since this was not one for the list and we had other plans for the day. We decided to split a tasting.
Con: Judi who had absolutely no pleasantries about her starts with «10 bucks» You just lost two customers who really like wine.
It’s too bad because they really do have a great Sangiovese but, with the attitude, I can get better.

The Sangiovese rosato is simply divine for summer!

This is the Italian branch of Wente’s wines. The tasting room is a nice size and there’s a patio and lawn outside for families to sit and kids to play, which I imagine would be appealing if I had children.
Since you can get free and $ 5 tastings that include five samples in Livermore, I tend to think the places that charge $ 10 for five samples are a little pricey because the wines are not usually twice as special. Tamas is one of those $ 10 places, though I did enjoy our tasting because the girl who helped us was so friendly and knowledgeable. There was also a $ 5 port and chocolate sample that my friend and I split. Again, pricey for just a taste and a truffle, but hey – Sunday funday!

As the final stop on our wine tasting venture, we (a group of 9 ladies) walked into a very inviting and fun tasting room at TaMas Estates where we were served by Rich (or Richie as we affectionately called to him). We all decided on the same flight and were given our first of 5 wines to sample.
Richie was very sweet and informative without being pretentious as it is possible to find at other Vineyards. As he poured us each wine he gave us a little information about each blend and its popularity. We enjoyed each wine and Richie’s help, payed for our tastings and headed back home.

I love visiting this little tasting room to sample some of their Italian varietals. Their wines are very affordable (Double Decker for around $ 10!!), and have great flavor.

When I heard that there was a winery with Italian varietals, I was excited to head out there! When we arrived, the wine bar was packed to the max. The people behind the bar just poured the wines without explaining the details of the wine. Tamas is part of the Wente family, and one of the Wente tasting rooms was located on the same property, which may have explained the crowds. The wines at Tamas were just average — we didn’t buy any. They do have nice grounds though — they were setting up for a concert when we left.

Try the Double Decker flight.

I always forget about this winery until I walk up and realize, I have been here before. I discovered, once again, that I’m a small lot fan. The Toscanelli, Fiorente, and Barbera Port have been consistent favorites.

2.5 stars.
One star for being right next door to Wente. One star for the wines. Half a star for the picnic area.
I’ve been to this place twice now. And while the wines I find to be very decent (despite the cheap-​looking screw-​top caps), each time I’ve been here there has been a very stand-​offish, irritable, and downright unfriendly person pouring for us. This past weekend I was driving some friends around and we stopped here because Wente was packed. We walked in and up to the counter where there was free space. The short girl with the short hair noticed us but kept walking back and forth behind the counter, giving her sole attention to an older couple beside us. After 5 minutes, I intentionally muttered aloud to my friends, «Uhh, is no one going to help us?» The short-​haired girl THEN seemed to acknowledged us and said, «Oh, I figured because you were all talking to each other that you had been helped.»
WTF? Who would make that assumption? Especially when we obviously didn’t even have wine glasses yet?
And it went downhill from there. She would gruffly pour the wine, mumble the name of it, and then walk away without offering any information or even *try* to be friendly with us. I wish I could have remembered her name so I could mention it here.
I really want to like this place, but I just can’t until they improve their customer service. Tamas, get rid of some of your staff and replace them with people who actually care.

On the same property as Wente, this tasting room is just a hop, skip and a jump away from it’s more well-​known sister winery. If you’ve ever been to the Cinnabar Tasting Room in Los Gatos, it’s very similar to Tamas in style being that it’s more of a gift-​shop atmosphere — which happens to serve some very tasty wine.
Most notable are the:
Pinot Grigio — Cool, crisp, refreshing. I don’t normally fancy steel-​fermented wines however this is a clear exception. And at 13%, it’s surprisingly easy to drink. Serve very chilled and enjoy.
Double Decker Red — Unique, smooth, fruity. This is the best red of the lot.
Barbera — I personally didn’t care for it but thought it worth mentioning simply because everyone else in the group couldn’t stop talking about it. A safe and sure bet if you’re looking for a notable red.
I walked away with a bottle of the Pinot Grigio, which was a steal. Quality to cost ratio here is incredibly generous. Looking forward to another visit.
Another fresh twist: screw tops.

This was my first wine-​tasting excursion in Livermore. The tasting room at Tamas Estates was lively and inviting. The flight we tried was good (for the most part) and the staff were knowledgeable and passionate about the winery. In all, I think I tried about five different wines, each of a different variety. One interesting thing about Tamas Estates is that they operate alongside another winery called «Wente,» which has a tasting room right next door and I thought each tasting room complimented each other very well. I’d love to go back again some time.

Tamas Winery produces estate-​grown wines from traditional Italian grape varieties. Founded by Ivan Tamas Fuezy and Steve Mirassou in 1984, the winery has since been merged into the Wente family of vineyards. In fact, the tasting room is located just across the plaza within this large estate property.
Gayle and I walked over to sample the Barbera Port. It was good, but not as «Wow» as the Wente’s namesake or their Murrieta’s Well versions. At the same time, we enjoyed listening to our host and enjoying the atmosphere of the tasting room. We liked the Tuscan-​themed interior, with low ceiling, stone-​like tile floor, marble-​topped tasting bar and nice mini-​patio with a bubbling fountain. We ended up buying some really nice estate olive oil, some neat wine-​related «stocking stuffers», a stamp on the Wente passport, and friendly directions to the next Family property.

Sharing the property, and picnic area, with Wente, Tamas has a nice variety of wines and is not too much $ to taste ($ 5 and $ 10 flights). We usually like to drop by mid-​week to avoid the loud weekend crowds but stopped by after a recent weekend visit to Steven Kent/​La Rochelle. The tasting room was a bit crowded for our comfort, but we found a spot at the bar, and were promptly taken care of by Gareth. He knew a lot about the wines, their specific blends, and kept up with our many questions and different pours. I would recommend Tamas as a great starting point to wines in the Livermore Valley since the wines tend to be a bit on the lighter side. Pack a lunch, grab a glass (or bottle) and enjoy in the Livermore sunshine when possible.
On a side note, I don’t know where Tammy N. usually tastes, but I would never walk out of a tasting room with a glass (even if I purchased a case or two) unless it was specified it was included in the tasting price. People who take the glasses from the tasting room only add to the ever increasing price to taste wine. The tasting room glasses aren’t even logoed, so please use your own money to purchase glasses for your personal use!

I used to love this place and the wine, but lately I’m not so sure. Livermore Valley is my favorite for wine tasting because of the fact that the people are so friendly and its not as corporate-​feeling as Napa. This however is not the fact with Tamas. They even told us on our last visit, that it’s not Wente policy to waive the tasting fee when you purchase a bottle. Pretty dumb on their part. I’m not going to buy a bottle from you on top of the tasting fee. Ill wait and buy my bottles from the next winery I enjoy.
My advice… skip this place and the rest of the Wente owned wineries. You really won’t be missing much and you’ll have an extra $ 10 in your pocket for a good bottle down the road.

Great Italian wine.
Bought out by Wente, Tamas is located behind the Wente Estate tasting room. Came here on a weekday and the tasting room was empty. Judy never left our side the entire time we were there. What makes Tamas stand out is their modern apporach to wine making. NO CORKS! Mostly all the wines have SCREW TOPS!
They have two flights that they offer. We did the touring flight, $ 5, which included:
Pinot Grigio– crisp, refreshing, would be great during the summer
Sangiovese– full bodied
Double Decker– I think this was the wine where they blend 3 different types of wine into one? It was tart and spicy,
Zinfandel-​very rich, dark
Barbera Port– SWEET! w 17 percent brandy.wow.
Had a great time here. The tasting room is small. The service is great (when we went). Judy gave me a new perseptive on screw top wine.

I liked Tamas wines! They are definitely different in flavor but that makes sense since they are Italian wines.
I really enjoyed their Sangiovese. Light and refreshing for a red wine!
The people who work here are super friendly and upbeat. I would come here just for the excellent service they offer! The guy who helped us, Gareth, even offered to take our photos. He also recommended to join the wine tour which we ended up doing, and highly enjoyed! We liked the barrel room a lot!

Not the greatest wines around, but they do an ok job with separating themselves with the pack (Livermore Valley). They are somewhat new to the valley, unlike Wente and Concannon so they decided to take a different route by producing Italian varietals but with Californian sensibilities.
The tasting facility itself is very new and modern and shares the grounds with Wente (separate room). It is clean, elegant and minimal, so yea, I liked it.
Bill, our pourer is one of those guys who loves where he is at and what he does. It was not that busy when we were there, so he was able to chat it up with us. I wouldn’t expect this on a busier day.
The wines are okay, but I still don’t know if Italian grapes are the right fit for this valleys terroir (did I just say that?). It just seems that they are «trying» to make it fit. I actually favored their basic red blend to their single varietals. Not only was it good in price (well under $ 10) but it showed the skills and art of the winemaker, as he was able to blend a winner. Double Decker Red, it’s called. Go get some.

I am a big fan of italian varietals and Tamas seems to do this style pretty darn well. Particularly at their price point.
I am a club member here for the simple reason that with my club discount I can get a very good Sangio/​Barbera/​Zin for every day drinking for about $ 12 — $ 15 a bottle. As a bonus, you get to enjoy picking up some of their nicer members-​only reserve wines (all of which are below $ 30) in the shipments.
Their tasting room is a lot of fun and the staff there seems to know their stuff. It is a popular spot for tour groups since it shares a location with the Wente tasting room (right across the patio). If you get there and see a limo or tour bus, head down the street to another winery and come back a bit later. The tasting room/​retail sales manager has also recently been putting together some fun events to get people down to the winery. Earlier in the year we went for a port and truffles tasting and I believe they’re doing another pairing event tonight (free to members, $ 10 for the public).

I wasn’t’ totally impressed with this wine. The barrel wine was a Sangiovese grown in California. It did not make me feel like I was getting a taste of Italy.
Not much else to say. They did have cheese with their wine tasting. Other than that, they are on the back side of Wente so you can hit 2 birds with 1 stone if you go here.