Ruby Hill Winery

My family and I did the Mello Cielo Bus Tour at Ruby Hill Winery. It was fabulous. The bus, cute and rustic on the outside, was truly amazing on the inside — a big surprise. The staff were all amazing and the tour guide, Mark, was informative and entertaining. The wine tasting, tour, and the food and wine pairing at the end was a delight to me and my family. Two in my party don’t drink, so they had sparkling apple cider and sparkling water available for them instead of the wine. We got to be ourselves and enjoyed the atmosphere thoroughly. It was my birthday celebration, and they were wonderful about keeping my food and cake in the fridge and bringing it out to us to eat in the patio after the tour. Highly recommended, and the price was quite affordable for all that was included.

–This is based on Customer Service Only!–
This dos not deserve a star for service, the wine is fantastic. We showed up at 4:50 and «Debbie» told us that we would not be getting a full tasting and we would have to hurry since they close at 5:30. She said we could have a quick pour, and that was it. She didn’t even tell us about the wine we did taste.
Very rude service and I don’t think I would go back! I was going to Ruby Hills to become a member, now that will not happen!
Very disappointed!!!

5 stars for the quality and taste of the wine and for our overall experience. Great wine, and I want to thank Lisa for making our wine tasting experience so enjoyable. Thank you Lisa! :) we will definitely be back.

We been members do 5 years +, done with them, 3 times on a row we had had awful customer service, to bad the owner is not aware of what’s going on, we met him and Gaudy, very personable.

~~~ This Review is Entirely Based on Customer Service ~~~
Let me start by saying that I have been a member of Ruby HIll’s Gem Society for about 5 years. It was one of my first winery visits out here in Livermore and the first club I ever joined. I loved being a member.
I am cancelling that membership TODAY.
Ok, this is going to be a lengthy rant — consider yourself warned.
Over the course of the past year, customer service has steadily declined. The wine is delicious and the location beautiful — especially the addition of the back «members only» patio. However, the last few times I have brought in friends to visit and taste — bragging about the winery and their selection — I have left only to be embarrassed by the ungracious, unkind, uncourteous staff behind the counter.
This last weekend took the cake! I brought my newly engaged friend and her fiancé to check out RH as a potential wedding venue. Having been a wedding coordinator myself, I knew this place might be a good fit. We did arrive later in the day on Valentine’s day (I know, probably a poor choice of days) — and guests were arriving for a wedding ceremony. I approached the staff member «guarding» the main entrance and very politely asked if it would at all be possible for a potential couple to «peek» inside. Her response was a very curt and short response basically saying «No F@&$ing way. Get out of here.» (Ok, not exactly her words — but I will tell you that was how I felt and that was her tone.)
Let me also say that I can empathize. If it were my wedding, I would not want strangers walking in. However, I also don’t see the harm in just looking — from the door, body outside, visually glancing at the inside — and there is a way that you can say it. Simply: «I’m really sorry, but only guests of the bride and groom are allowed» would totally work. No problem and we would walk away with an «at least we tried» attitude. But nope. Not her. She was RUDE. Not a great impression for potential clients of the staff that would potentially be dealing with THEIR guests.
Ok, fine. We decided to go inside and taste instead.
The members section being at capacity, I found us a spot dead center in the middle of the main bar with just enough space for all three of us. We Waited.
And Waited.
And waited some more.
Staff members rushed or meandered on by. Some made eye contact and blatantly looked away. Others just flat out ignored us altogether. Great impression everyone. Simply great!
As it was fast approaching 4:45 pm, I was worried that we would be «rushed» once we finally got some service. And after 5 individual staff members ignored us entirely, my friend’s fiancée decided to get CJ’s attention as he was approaching us (also ignoring us). When asked for a little service, his immediate response: «We’re really busy right now. It’s going to be a few minutes.»
Uhm, ok. We HAVE been waiting, but alright. And again — what’s with the attitude? We tried explaining that we understood that they were busy (we do have eyes after all), but would still appreciate simply being acknowledged. CJ began arguing with us! All I was trying to say is that it would be nice to not be ignored. We had already waited about 10 minutes. That’s just ridiculous!
Finally, I made the call and we decided to just leave. THEN, CJ retorts with «I’ll tell you what. I will STOP helping these other people so that I can help YOU. What would you like?»
Are you EFFING kidding me?! That’s the response we get? That’s how they treat customers? MEMBERS? How HARD is it to put a glass and a menu in front of people, say «give me just a couple minutes and I will be right with you» and then finish with the other guests and come back while we’ve had time to peruse the menu? How. HARD. IS. IT? Apparently, the answer is Very.
How hard is it to be treated with RESPECT? I wasn’t rude or out of line. I didn’t insult or curse. And I have been a MEMBER for 5 years!
That is FIVE years of committing to purchasing wine every 3 months — purchases that started at about $ 40 a quarter and have steadily increased to about $ 65 – 70 a quarter. Five years of purchasing several CASES of wine. Five years of bringing in other people that have also become members. Five years as a devoted member that has always included this venue as a stop for all my wine tasting adventures (hint: I have a LOT of wine tasting adventures).
Ok, maybe it was 4 years… or 6? Either way.
The staff members no longer interact in a friendly and personal manner. This venue is 100% all about money. Granted, money makes the world go round. And while my puny little 5 year (give or take a year), quarterly commitment may not be much to them, it meant A LOT to me. I am about the experience and memories. And when life took a turn and I had to cut back on expenses, I cut out all other wine club memberships… save for this one. After this last experience though, they can keep their wine. I won’t be back.

I came here for my friend’s wedding, so this review is just for the venue itself. Driving out there, my first thought was «Where the #&$@#! am i going?! What is this cow town?!». But I was pleasantly surprised when I came upon this place. It is GORGEOUS. What a great venue for a wedding.

Didn’t drink the wine but the service is impeccable. In a span of 3 minutes 2 people asked me if I needed assistance despite the winery being quite busy. I generally leave these places being reminded about where I stand in society but I’d recommend this winery for the service alone.

Again, thoroughly enjoyed the tasting flight with my friends! The people at the winery are so nice! They have a beautiful deli now too! Next time I will have to grab a bite to eat. A special thank you to CJ for his excellent hospitality and wine knowledge!
Loved the Sauvignon Blanc and the Gem Collection Chardonnay!

Needs to work on customer service. Love the location, setting, building and all the gifts for sale. Chardonnay is delicious ad well as the sparkling wine. Our friends are members and recently we were at the bar to purchase some wine and also have another glass. The guy kept saying «just a minute» while he was pouring another customer the whole time. It’s not only what you say, but how you say it. Then one of the ladies finally came up to us and said it was too late for pouring. She was nice and we told her about the man who wouldn’t help us.
Hopefully they get their service in check because I do like the wines.

We’re club members for more than 5 years now and it’s not just the wine that keeps us of being a member BUT it’s also the friendly staff they have. Esp. mention for Guro that we met on a perfect timing who made our Oregonian guests felt welcome — on a normal occasion.

I have been a club member of Ruby Hill Winery for many years. I remain a member today for many reasons not the least of which include the quality and value of their wines, the beautiful facility, and, most importantly, the staff.
Their wines have grown in complexity over the years, and today it is one of my favorites to introduce others to and to collect… definitely a good value.
My appreciation of their wines has grown through the years but the single most important reason I maintained my membership in the early days was the staff — they feel like family.
Cheers!

A group of 10 ladies just finished a fabulous Mello Cielo bus ride with CJ and Helen from Ruby Hill Winery in Livermore
Great wine and food pairing! We loved our tour! We highly recommend this adventure We give a hands down 5 star rating!

This review is just about our «experience» at this tasting room – which was heavily influenced by extremely poor customer service.
My husband and I had recently moved to the area and were reaching out to explore a few wineries around the Livermore trail area. We both have a passion for wine (a hobby of ours is a wine blog
) and we really enjoy not only tasting well crafted wines, but getting to know the history and story behind the winery. Our experience with Ruby Hill filled only one of these goals.
They do have some great wines. I especially loved the chardonnay, grateful red, and sparkling wine but this was overshadowed by poor customer service and even rudeness from the staff. We not only witnessed this with the individual helping us (who explained one of their promotions to us and then when we went to purchase said items for the deal was greeted with «well those bottles don’t count” – something that was not explained to us from the start) but also with a few wine club members who were picking up their shipments and having great difficulty paying or getting questions answered about their account.
Overall, the tasting room operates like a machine with no personalization or thought to make your experience memorable (which is sad, because they have a good product).
Stick with purchasing wine you like (once you know what that is) and avoid contact with staff. Or head to some of the other wineries in the area who will provide you with a much better experience.

Good wine, but doesn’t respect Wine Industry Standards. Working in the wine industry allows certain trade discounts at each winery. Most wineries in Livermore, CA offer a trade discount for a tasting and even specific varietals.
I was surprised there is no discount at this location (given how its an area with very high salaries demographically). For those looking for an ‘expensive luxury experience’, this is your way to go.
I would heartily recommend small mom and pop wineries like Three Steves or Retzcalf. They respect the industry and also give you more personalized service.

Had a blast last Sunday! First time at the winery and did the tour with friends.
Tour guide Bill was the perfect tour guide you could have.
A generous amount of wine and food for a good price and the wine needless to say is truly one of the best in the Bay Area and yes I could say world class indeed!

I’m not usually a fan of Red Wine’s, which Ruby Hill has a lot of (The name ”Ruby” being a bit of a giveaway) but they Peacock Patch Reserve 2012 Zinfandel is crazy good. Paired with Bison Bolognese or a lightly spiced Filet it’s a winner. $ 26 a bottle it’s a very reasonable price too.
The grounds are lovely with a small deli counter inside where you can purchase various Cheeses and Meats to pair with the Wine. There is some seating inside but if you are a member you also get the use of the private back patio (Oh, we fancy!). A friend of mine has that membership which comes in very useful when you spend 4+ hours here. The staff are really nice too and I swear give extra pours to members!
Flights are $ 7.50-$ 15.00 each and they also have a cute little boutique with Jewelry and apparel and even cooking sauces to take home.

A great way to spend a Saturday. I’ve been here many times and the experience is always consistent. Even when it’s packed it doesn’t feel like it.
I really enjoy their sparkling wine. They also sell food. Seating inside and outside. My favorite Livermore winery. Wines are reasonably priced.
If you do a tasting flight and buy two or more bottles from the same flight you get your tasting flight cost credited towards the purchase.

What a great wine tasting experience! I had tried ruby hill wine once before but nothing prepared me for the amazing wine that was poured for me. I sampled the vintage flight and was blown away with a few of the whites and all of the reds. The staff was also super friendly, and even though they were slammed on a Saturday as everyone seemed to be out wine tasting, all of the employees remained positive and upbeat. I was somewhat talked into signing up for their wine club by my gf but I would have signed up anyways. The club is relatively inexpensive especially if you count the free tastings for you and up to 5 people at anytime. 4 bottles quarterly for an average price of $ 120 isn’t that bad. I went with all reds since I’m not much of a white wine fan. I cannot wait to open one of the bottles that came with my first shipment this week.

Large tasting room, public potty, beautiful grounds and lots of wine knick knacks to take home too.
I am not going to tell you which wines to buy because we all like different ones. But we did by some of the Sangiovese and Barbera. They do mail to most states. The tasting serving is more than a sip, so if you get one flight and a friend gets another you can share your taste for a bonus!
We tried probably more wines than were on each of the flights. I understand there is a cost for tasting here. $ 5-​$ 10 is what the website says. My sister is a member and we got to fly by that expense. So I think that may have had something to do with his willingness to pour a few we asked for and repour a couple we had decided to buy.
They have an area for private wine tastings. Great for a party of any kind. But we had 8+ in our group and we all had a spot at the counter and we all got great explanations of each of the wines we were tasting.
The wines here are quite reasonably priced, HUGE selection — even some port and sparkling wines — and the parking is easy on and off the main winery tour road.
I would definitely recommend it for a large group because they had such a nice selection of wines for any taste in the tasting room. Some wineries have only 4 or 5. Here we tried: Sparkling, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Grapeful White, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and a few from the reserve collection as well.

On a whim, came here for a wine tasting with a friend who had been here before. It was packed on a Saturday, being the day after Valentines Day and part of a 3 day weekend. We barely were able to sneak in a spot as there were so many people doing tastings.
They had 4 tasting options ranging from $ 5 to $ 7.50. We went with the reserve at $ 7.50 that included 8 tastings starting with bubbly! Quite a steal, although the pours are a bit small.
I do like how the room is spacious with lots of little knick knack things to buy as well as a deli to purchase snack items to enjoy while you drink. Ended up purchasing 2 bottles which took off one tasting fee (not 2 like I had thought).