Hamilton Oaks Winery Tasting Room

this was a fun place for a girls gathering with friends, we brought picnic items and sat outdoors and drank plenty of great wine, make sure you buy it by the bottle, the CAB is amazing.

Came back to orange county to visit my friends for the first time in months and they brought me here to do some winetasting. I started with the wind flight that included a mix of red and white wines.
The flight included five tastings that were all very delicious. After ordering the flight, we ordered a bottle of the Malbec. Atmosphere is great and the weather was gorgeous for a nice afternoon of wine tasting. There was live music playing and also a birthday party was being hosted at the venue.
This little vineyard is right off the freeway and conveniently located with lots of parking.

So cute and I can’t wait to go back! I went for a girlfriend’s birthday last weekend and LOVED IT. We did some tastings and bought some very reasonably priced bottles. We sat outside and listened to the live music! I bought my dog, who absolutely loved running around the grass — Beth even gave little Brooklyn a handmade toy! We brought our own cheese and crackers and sat there for hours! A must visit for the South OC crowd!

Great wine! Definitely recommend. Will be back :)

I photographed a beautiful bride here a few weeks ago. The facility is so charming. This is perfect for a little piece of wine country without the long drive to get there.

A unique and best kept secret among places to go in Orange County. A restored farm house amongst the old orange groves with ample grounds for picnics, wine tasting or whatever. The customer is invited to use the grounds mostly free of charge but you will be richly rewarded if you purchase one of their fine wines available inside the restored home. You can bring in your own snacks and food. The facility can be rented out for weddings, photo shoots or corporate events. I was able to use their flat screen tv for a presentation.
Another discovery here is the former movie set trailer used by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the film Anthony and Cleopatra. Let the manager know if you want to see it.

Attempted to taste wine here. We pulled up and parked, there was a lady gardening outside. She did not acknowledge us. This place is so cute! It’s an old house built in 1923 (I read the whole history inside) and has beautiful grounds. We walked into the house — there was an OPEN sign, and the door was wide open. There was music playing inside. There was nobody in there.
We stood in there a couple of minutes. I kind of peeked around (not sure if somebody actually lives here so I didn’t want to be too nosy) but there was nobody in the kitchen or what looked like a dining room.
We decided to leave. Walked back out to the car, the gardening lady looked at me and made eye contact but didn’t wave or call out to me or anything… so I don’t know. I didn’t care enough to interrupt her gardening. It was just really weird. I figure she worked there, but maybe just wasn’t in the mood — who knows. We left, she didn’t seem to care. Maybe I will try again if i’m in the area sometime. Five stars for the look of this place, minus two for nobody working.

I visited the winery after hearing about at Rancho Capistrano Winery. I went without any
expectations. It’s a very charming place, secluded, but very close to the freeway. You would never know it was there. I was very impressed with their wines! They are pricey, but I bought 2 bottles. My biggest complaint is that with the high price for tasting ($ 15 a person), they should waive the tasting fee entirely. Most wineries do. My 2 bottles of wines, and 2 tastings came to $ 93.72. Quite high. That would keep me from returning to this charming place.

This place is a really sweet little old house turned tasting room on open land. It’s perfect if you want to bring a picnic lunch, buy a bottle and sit on the lawn or patio. I only give 3 stars because I’ve been here twice and to me the wines are all just plain. I’m whatever about the wine. Also I love hearing the story behind the wine, where it came from, who made it, what inspired it, what are the tasting notes, but again both times I had to ask all these questions. There’s nothing wrong with this place I just didn’t feel the passion and love of the wine. Cute place though.

My family and I had THE WORST experience here this past weekend. The pours were tiny, the staff rude, and the noise from the freeway drowned out any hope of conversation. I am a Gold member and I felt like I was treated like dirt, especially by Connie who basically told me to never come back. I say skip this location and head to the Hamilton Oaks Vineyard in Trabuco Canyon instead. That place is a hidden gem and Robert (the owner) won’t treat you like scum.

Me & my cousin did category B for the wine tasting (all red wines) and the first one was really good, but then they progressively worsened down the line. The atmosphere was wonderful, the wine was alright – stick to the Malbec! It is a great place to visit if you want a nice afternoon & can’t travel to a far winery.
The workers are very friendly. But on Sunday they had a saxophonist playing smooth jazz and it sort of ruined the quiet atmosphere we were enjoying. If you’re looking for events/​music on top of your wine tasting, it’s a good place to start.
Also, bring a small picnic & enjoy the lovely patio. The atmosphere definitely won the four stars.

i loveeeeeeee this place!!! i love being able to do wine tastings… buy a bottle… and bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds.
We stop at trader joes grab some snacks… get here and grab a bottle of wine and sit outside and have fun!

Cute little place. Seems like it’s a residential house that has the back yard converted into a tasting area. The outdoor patio was cute and shaded, so it’s perfect for a little picnic. Definitely pack picnic items and enjoy being outdoors for a bit. To be honest, I was just there to hang out with friends more than for the wine.

I was pleasantly surprised by the wines, although not so much so that I felt the need to buy any bottles. Our tasting included 1 white and 4 reds. As previous reviewers have mentioned, the pours are very small. Had it not been for the Groupon deal I had purchased, I would’ve been more annoyed by this.
We enjoyed a great sax player on a Saturday afternoon. It sounds like they have music most every weekend.
They don’t sell any food here, but are cool if you want to bring a picnic. People who had clearly done this before skipped the skimpy tastings in lieu of buying a bottle to share while they enjoyed the snacks they’d picked up at Trader Joe’s on their way.
Couple warnings: our car was filthy with dust after parking in the dirt lot. And there are a lot of little ants in the outside tasting area that were crawling over our sandalled feet.

I came here with my fiancé late last year to have some engagement photos taken. The photographer had recommended this location. It was quiet, secluded and no hassle.
At 1^st was not thrilled about the location because I was not prepared what my theme will be but I went for it. I allow the photographer do her thing and instruct me and my fiancé what needs to be done. We had our dogs which the location was really nice and mellow for my dogs. It was dusty but dusty is what gives this location its charm plus it a winery.
The photo came out very rustic, sweet and charming. It definitely gave me the innocent looks I was going for. Overall, I was surprise I actually like the photos a lot consideration the location looks somewhat western… another words not so me. But it doesn’t matter because this location really gave me a look that looks very sweet and charming. Another great thing I really love about this location is the train tracks. It’s a location to take a photo at but beware of incoming trains. If you are near one step away about 10 – 15 steps and make sure you have your photographer capture you near it. It’s really cool. My photographer snapped a few photos of us and it was memorable moment every time we look at it.
Btw: After the photo shoot I recommend to have some wine and sit on the patio and if you are luck the winery might serve you some free snacks.

This place is one of the most adorable places I’ve been to. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since it was my first wine tasting. The moment I walked in, I was immediately impressed. There was an adorable garden that was beautiful and well shaded. There was plenty of seating. The wine tasting is $ 30 for two or half that with the groupon. You get 5 different wines to taste. My favorites were the Chardonnay. It was made in some kind of completely metallic barrel (if you can’t tell, I’m not a wine expert, but I still lived the taste) and the sparkling wine :).
Next time I’m home with my mom, we will be sure to do it again and maybe even make a picnic out of it!

Came here with some friends who had a groupon type deal for wine tasting. The young lady was very knowledgeable about al the wines and she gave us a lof of details about every wine, it was really nice. I liked the Port we bought a bottle for home too, and the Malbec most, but all the wine are good. I understand that they have weddings here and different parties, including for kids, since they property is big and has pretty much you need. The house is empty and doesn’t even have a kitchen since they are not allowed to remodel it, that’s why they don’t offer food, except some crackers. I understand that you can have pizza delivered though. The whole place looks newly acquired and it fells like they had to get it but they are not quite sure what to do with it, so they do this wine tasting but there isn’t much going on right now.

Summary: Highly overpriced ($ 15/​person) tastings for 5 tiny pours. Malbec and Zinfandel are very smooth and tasty but overpriced. Cute, antique décor and friendly, but stingy, staff. Lots of parking. Value matters, Hamilton Oaks. This isn’t Napa.
Went here for the first time on a Sunday at 2:30pm with my wife and Mom because my Mom had a Living Social two-​for-​one deal for tasting at Hamilton Oaks. When we first arrived, we were greeted by an old-​West styled view of the parking lot and premises. Lots of dirt, desert plants, a rattlesnake warning sign, metal patio tables and chairs, and old wooden buildings that are historic in their own right. We walked into the first one to the left and experience an antique-​filled past with oil lamps, real iron-​made clothes irons, and a smell of decades gone. Pretty neat. Behind both buildings is a beautiful green lawn with some lines of lights hanging across it. It must be used for events like weddings and social gatherings. I imagine it would be lovely at night. We then made our way inside to the main building and tasting room.
Inside, the rustic theme continued. This was an old building and there were articles on the wall and lots of antique items in view to help lock in the early 1900’s feeling. When you first enter, there is a desk where a receptionist usually sits, but there was none when we came in. So we walked around and saw the sights while a woman behind the tasting counter engaged a patron that was having a tasting. We weren’t greeted or acknowledged, even though were milling around right in front of the bar, until we finally approached the bar itself. Then out came two other women from the kitchen to the left of the tasting bar and we were greeted.
We presented our coupon and paid $ 15 for a third tasting. Each tasting granted five tastes of their dozen or so wines. We made our first picks and they were poured using bottles with the 1oz regulated stoppers. Just a single pour until stopped; nothing more. $ 3. We took our glasses outside to one of the patio tables to sit and enjoy the overcast afternoon while waiting for my Mom’s friends to join us for a tasting, too. The sparkling wine was nice and light, had some sweetness and some fruit to it. The Malbec was super smooth and had a good amount of flavor. Very well crafted. After a few sips, all was gone, so we went back in for our second round. The same pours transpired. 1oz; $ 3. Done. And we returned back outside.
Soon my Mom’s friends arrived and we conversed and had a good time while they got their tastes and we periodically went back in to get our remaining rounds. When it was time for my wife and I to try the port, our glasses were taken and two little boot-​shaped shot glasses were placed on the bar and the tiniest of pours were given (they didn’t match each other, either), and two thimble sized paper cups with chocolate truffle were provided to pair. I brought them outside, showed the rest of my table (all were shocked at how tiny the pours were, definitely less than an ounce), and then we attempted to do a sip, taste, sip combination to observe the pairing, but it was difficult because there was just so little port. And just like that, our tasting was done.
The highlights were the Malbec and Zinfandel, which were very smooth and flavorful. The cabs were disappointing, the blends were alright, and the port was un-​assessable. I don’t know how they can justify $ 31-​$ 40 a bottle for these wines, and $ 15 for five very small tastings in this area. My guess is they can’t, which is why they are trying to drum up business with Living Social deals. My Mom inquired about the wine club and if they do complimentary tastings for the member plus a guest. It turns out that you have to be married/​living together/​family to get a complimentary tasting with a member. «You have to live in the same house.» I really don’t get it. Unfortunately, none of us will be returning.

I have been visiting Hamilton Oaks Trabuco Canyon location for years. I have finally had the chance to go visit the San Juan Tasting Room and I love it even more than the Trabuco Oaks location. The historic house is charming, the wines are great — I love the Chardonnay because it is from stainless steel, not Oak barrels — I love the crisp, clean taste.
My husband and I have been two Sundays in a row because we really enjoy the wine and the live music that plays on Sunday afternoon. They even have a balsamic and olive oil tasting area set up in the front room of the house — great oils and vinegar. We left this past Sunday with a couple bottles of wine and a 4 pack of oils and vinegar.
Don’t listen to the «hater’s» review here. I clicked on his account and see that he only has 5 Unilocal — 4 of which are «1 stars» — either he never has a positive experience anywhere he goes or he only uses Unilocal to spread the hate.

I had been to the location in Trabuco Canyon, but this is their new tasting room. It’s located in a 90-​year old house that’s been redecorated, and there is a cool water tower next to the tasting room. There are lots of tables scattered around outside, and after our tasting, we had lunch there and drank a bottle. This is right beside the 5 South, so it is noisy. Sitting next to the nice fountain deadened the sound a bit, but that is a drawback.
And the wines? They actually are quite good. Most are made from grapes from Paso or Lodi or near Caneros. The chard at $ 17 is a screaming deal. It’s stainless steel fermented and never sees barrels, so it is clean and minerally with a streak of acidity that is very nice. I bought 2.
The Canyon Blend with Cab, Merlot and I forget what else was also very tasty. I bought a bottle of this too.
We tasted a Mabec (little oaky for me), a nice Barbera and a southern rhone blend. The tasting cost $ 15, but was waived cuz I bought 3 bottles?
If you are near San Juan Capistrano, definitely worth a stop.