The Mountain Winery Review

Used to be a great place until they went corporate and ruined the charm of this venue. Now they want to build a 300 room hotel. This is a terrible idea because it will take away from the small town charm of Saratoga.

If you like good wine and good times this place is pretty sweet. Plus the view is really nice.

Amazing place to see a concert. Intimate setting in an outdoor venue. Ziggy Marley was amazing. No one was sitting

Loved it. Beautiful view of the valley. Good wines. A good selection of cheeses to accompany. Loved wine tasting here. Overall, an interesting afternoon.
I learnt that they hold special events as well. Noticed an interesting line-up of entertainers for August and September. Would have certainly liked to attend if I were here at the time.

One of the classiest outdoor venues in The Bay for music concerts... certainly a far more personal experience with the performers than at any larger venue.

Beatiful view, limited selections of wine brewed at the winery, tasting was nice and affordable.

Came here to see American Idol Live 2018. Excellent grounds, pricy food and drinks, great amphitheater having so many levels and the configuration of the landscape allows you to hear performers warming up yet you can't see them from anywhere outside the theater. I highly reccommend everyone get tickets to your fav show(s), bring a jacket, wear comfortabke shoes and enjoy the sites!

As a performance venue (I don't know about wine tasting or private events) This is a truly wonderful place to enjoy a show.

There really isn't a bad seat in the house. The farthest away seating (general admission) is still closer than what most folks would experience for even premium seating in larger venues. Sound from the stage is good and for the most part the seats are comfortable and have enough leg room.

There are multiple options for food, though if you want to enjoy the patio area with formal table service you need to make reservations in advance, I doubt you'll get a table if you just show up at show time.

The views from the venue and even the Eastern parking lot are stunning. The silicon valley is spread out beneath you, the view is even better in the dark when your view is if the city lights.

There are places to setup chairs and even some picnic tables available so if you want to same some money show up early and eat from your car.

The two big downs for me, and what cost it a star, are how close the seating is together (not even arm rests in all of the assigned seats) and the limited parking with horrible traffic going into and out of the site.

I still keep going though.

I wish they would have a designated area for people who want to dance. You pay $100 a ticket only to have people stand up to dance, blocking your view and forcing you to stand up to see the show.
Seems to happen every time we go. We probably won't go again to The Mountain Winery next year.

Amazing scenery, great(!!) Wines, nice stuff and good service. The food was OK, but the scenery is enough as a good reason to come back

Great views, but the wine tasting I did included a couple dead fruit flies that were in my last pour.

Great atmosphere and wine; the staff is just incredibly friendly!!

Many seats and all were in good views. A very good sound quality. Pretty location. Parking was easy. Love their wines and the meals.

One star because I can t give 0. Horrible management, horrible policy communication. All the info on the website doesn t correlate with actual policy for concert days making it impossible to plan accordingly for the day. Online it says parking costs a certain amount, cash only but when I arrive the price is different. Called to explain my concerns and the lady was awful in assisting my concerns and After suggesting to update the policies online and/or add new policy to the homepage she simply dismissed me and hung up. I feel bad for the employees getting yelled at constantly for this. If you want to go to go wine tasting or to an event in the area...maybe find a different winery.

This place is absolutely beautiful! You can't beat the views or the atmosphere. The wine is very good, but also very expensive. The food I ordered was good, but also expensive. The staff is accommodating and friendly.

AMAZING food & wine. Beautiful and gorgeous space for events and concerts. Such an intimate place to listen to music.

Treated like royalty. And I'm not. The staff specializes in your having a memorable time.

Amazing views, good music, and great food options. Great place for a concert.

I've always loved coming here for concerts. Beautiful setting! However, the last 2 shows I've seen here, the staff came around asking people to sit down.. what kind of venue makes you stay seated at a rock concert?? I wonder how the performers would feel if they knew the audience was being told to stay seated?!! Also, the alcohol is way overpriced.. $15 for their cheapest glass of red wine..ugh

Only reason I'm giving them 4 stars and not 5 is because they charge 4 for a bottle of water and you can't bring in your own (this is a health issue people)
Great venue,Acoustics are awesome. Watched Chris Issak...he is so the man..he put on a 10 star show!! Vip parking $35 dollars. $100 per ticket. $15 for a burger and fries. $4 per bottle on a hot day.. I dished out $16 for 4 bottles.
Watching Chris Issak....priceless

This one star is for wine tasting. Terrible wine selection (low grade)
and impolite wine bar service. This place is more for venues not a winery.

Great venue beautiful views delicious food definitely have to come back

5 stars for the gorgeous views and beautiful setting. Place is relaxing and staff is wonderful. It would be cute to dress up and bougie it up at this place, though my friends and I casually visited in our hiking clothes and it was cool. I do look forward to my next visit, maybe when they are having the summer concerts.

Don t bother going unless you re attending a concert. We specifically visited well before the performance because we wanted to see the beauty of the mountains and the old winery buildings.

Prices were high but the setting was gorgeous. All was fine until we wanted to walk around. We were advised THE ENTIRE FACILITY was OFF LIMITS due to the pending concert. So no photo ops from the observation deck, in front of the quaint buildings, or anything outside of the 200 square feet where the tastings are held.

Security followed us as though we were terrorists and blocked our path at seemingly open areas. While they may have true security concerns, I suspected their real purpose was to ensure we didn t manage to stay for the concert without paying.

In short, my experience was disappointing because I d wanted to see the winery, not just the tasting bar. Nor did I discover a wine I couldn t live without.

Though it Looked like in about 6 hour the concert goers would have a great time.

Always check their website for timings. During concert season the tasting might be completely closed or closed earlier than stated here.

Great venue that's more intimate than Shoreline Amphitheatre. Amazing views of the Valley at sunset in late summer

Saw Seal here last week. What an amazing venue. Loved everything except the $20 parking fee!!! Looking forward to going back for another great evening

Utterly magical venue. One thing: Getting out and getting home takes a while depending on where you parked, so hunker down and enjoy the incredible view!

Eveything is "nice", but $25 for parking for your own events? GTFOH

Guest are entitled to their opinions, that's cool, but Trip Advisor has no right to link employees names to an uncomplimentary reviews.This is not freedom of speech, but abuse of internet privacy. How about this, hypothetically, Trip Advisor "is a money sucking corporate business posting libelous, slanderous and damaging statements about business employees who have no notice, or ability to retort, or defend themselves and/or correct a service situation." Just an example!The fact that Trip Advisor has posted a customer review that does not even mention the employees, but has linked employees names to the review is damaging.Not only will I be taking legal action, I will be writing a bill preventing internet companies from mentioning employee names in internet postings. Truly distasteful! I have completely lost all respect for this company. So sad that this business has such low standards.

Very rude staff. It was a long walk from the parking lot just to find out rudely that the wine tasting was closed even though it said open online

Absolutely beautiful.serene
Fin

Attended a concert at Mountain Winery. It is a beautiful venue with beautiful views. The one star is because they lack hospitality. They intentionally cut the power to the band that was playing an encore performance of one of my favorite songs because they played passed 10:30....they cut them off at 10:32 when the song was almost over. I found it rude and distasteful. Will never pay to watch a concert at this venue again. They could use more organization in the parking lot also.

I really like this venue - great location, views, and acoustics. Unfortunately, the drinks and food tend to be overpriced, and parking is expensive when there are few (if any) other options. I usually wouldn't even feel the need to mention those things, but I found it very rude when they cut the speakers off during the last 30 seconds of the last song the band was playing at a show I was at (at 10:30!); for the amount they charge for everything, you'd think they'd be a little more lenient (like 30 seconds more lenient).

An amazing concert venue.. come early, grab dinner and soak in the amazing views.

We went to see Jacob Tolliver & Headliner, Jerry Lee Lewis! Yes! He's still alive & still awesome! I loved the Winery itself! The road getting up & down from there seriously needs guard rails and more lighting. It's also hard to get an Uber or Lyft up there.The gentleman in white is Jerry Lee Lewis. Front & center.

Purchased tickets six months in advance to see ABBA. Drove 2 hrs to discover a group of people, upset and arguing at the event entrance. Apparently, we were not the only attendees who felt "duped". Event workers assured us that "ABBA the Concert", was a very good group and we wouldn't be disappointed. Oh, how wrong they were. 1) ABBA the Concert started 20 minutes late. 2) although the costumes were correct, the male lead singer must have had his fitted 30-40 lbs ago. 3) The sound mixing was so bad that the keyboards and drums were so over powering that the vocals couldn't be heard. 4) The left speakers cracked and sounded as if one or more were blown out. ABBA the Concert, was such a poor excuse for an ABBA want-a-be, that my entire party walked out in the middle of their third song. The only redeeming value for the evening was that leaving early meant there was no traffic on the way home. And, as been said by others, the food was expensive, not very good, and who pays $25 for a glass of wine at a winery??? Would I go back, not on your life!

Nice venue but HORRIBLE crowd management for a large event. If every event is like the one I attended tonight (Bill Burr), plan to arrive 2 hours before the scheduled start time or avoid this venue. The line for parking took 90 minutes, so we missed a lot of the event even though we arrived 45 minutes early. The problem was they were charging for parking, but only had two attendants taking money. They also ran out of parking spots and were frantically trying to improvise places for people to park, further slowing everyone down. There is no other option besides parking in the venue's parking lot (there is a sign at the bottom of the hill that says "No Pedestrians"). At no point did anyone from the venue acknowledge or apologize for the problem. The performer even made a joke about how the show was supposed to be sold out but there were a ton of empty seats... Bill, it wasn't because it was cold, it was because people got so fed up waiting with what seemed to be an endless line that they pulled a 5 point turn on a narrow mountain road and went home. To the venue, I would recommend you NOT charge for parking and instead just increase ticket prices, so that every car doesn't have to stop on the way in. Everyone HAS to pay for parking to attend an event anyways.

I have not been here for a long time. Came here recent for Dave Kuz & friends concert. They upgraded their seating area with real chairs which is really wonderful. Love the cozy environment and view.

The most beautiful setting on top of Saratoga w incredible views of the bay and mountains.
Hot summer days make for perfect night shows.
Sharp end times at 1030pm only drawback.

Beautiful view, great wine, cheap prices. Just a wonderful place to visit if you live nearby. It's a very quiet and relaxing place

Great venue, amazing views of the Bay Area, not a bad seat in the house. Pro-tip: carpool with 3+ people for discounted parking and bring food & drink to eat in the picnic area before the show.

Beautiful view and wine is delicious.Thank you Jessi for making us feel at home

Gobsmackingly great place to see music. Really impressive... stunning views, great wines. Bring a blanket or two for the cooler evenings. (The chairs are also cold). Didn't diminish the great time we had with Linda Ronstadt... This winery is on my highly recommended list...

This is a must do in the area. The views, wine, and hospitality are all amazing! Be sure to meet "The Mayor!"

This place had awesome views that make it worth the journey, but there is better wine to be found in the area if that's what you are after.

Mountain Winery is one of the best scenic place in the area!

We thought that we were given second class treatment. Because we were Indians?

Very nice live music venue. Well designed for good views from most seats and very good sound quality. Pretty location. Parking lot set up well for scenic pre-event tail gating picnic. Did not try wine or food.

We attended a packed concert here in summer. It was a fabulous experience. They have food and bar stalls at the venue. Menu is limited though. You get great views of the southern bay area from this place. Parking can get tight. Auditorium is small but seems soulful. Stage has a beautiful backdrop of vineyard. Intimate venue for summertime concerts. And thumbs up for the super friendly staff!

Excellent concert venue! Views of the valley are spectacular!

Last night was a horrible experience after leaving work early only to sit in traffic for 90 minutes trying to get into this Venue. After spending 160ea ticket to go see Bill Burr and missing half of the show they still charge you 25.00 to park. Waste of time and money. Poorly organized venue. Lots of people were very frustrated sitting in traffic for that long trying to get into this Venue. People honking and yelling. What a mess. We got to watch the last 30min of the show. Beautiful views, but venue needs to be better managed. I will be asking for a partial refund.

Parking good. We were three people so we got the carpool discount rate ($15 instead of $20). Hike up from the parking lot was tough. Concert was great-Good sound. The view was great from the bleachers. Super relaxing with the trees and vines on the hill behind the stage.
Bring your shades like I did as house lights are very bright. Lot of good looking people so get dressed up. Hike back to car was tough.
Great spot. Saw Buddy Guy with Johnny Lang last night, 7.28.17.

Beautiful venue, lovely view. Helpful staff. Had a wonderful evening.

Very nice location and fun crowd. Most of the seats have good view... general admission seats felt a bit isolated but worth the $69 tix price.

My husband and I would not recommend getting married at Mountain Winery. Even though the view from the venue is beautiful, the management staff with the exception of our coordinator April were unfriendly and difficult to work with.

My husband and I got married in Mountain Winery on May 2017. After 9 months and many emails planning our wedding since we booked the venue in April 2016, there was a change in management at Mountain Winery. No efforts were made between outgoing or incoming management to communicate our wedding plans, so I had to repeat all of my previous emails and re-coordinate dozens of details. There was a completely new food menu that I was not aware of until I emailed the venue a couple months before the wedding to confirm our meal orders before ordering invitations with the selected meal options. Because there was a new food menu, during an in-person meeting I repeatedly asked if there was a new beverage menu. They had printed a beverage menu that I had emailed them from the prior management, and brought it to the meeting stating it was their current beverage menu. When I asked again, they looked and there was in fact a new beverage menu with prices that were $10/person cheaper than the menu I had sent them. Since we had a 120 person wedding, I would have paid $1200 more than if they would have given me the new beverage menu from the beginning. If you do plan a wedding here, be sure to advocate for yourself. The original tasting they offered was for a few appetizers and an entree that 1) wasn't on the wedding menu and 2) was not requested by my husband and me. After asking repeatedly that we get served actual entrees and appetizers from the wedding menu that we would consider serving our guests, they accommodated.

Our entire wedding was outdoors. The week before, it looked like it would get chilly at night to the 50s, so we asked if it would be possible to put up a tent on the Chateau Deck where the reception was. Mountain Winery said a tent was not feasible because, for one it cost $11,000, and secondly it has to be set up for two days, so the couple getting married the night before would have to agree to a tent as well. Our ceremony was on the Vista Deck, which does not have a rain plan. At all. I asked what would happen if it rained, and they said the wedding would just have to get rained on.

We got ready at the venue, which costs about $500 per room. They don't allow outside food, and there is a corkage fee. So my wedding party had to rely on a cheese plate the venue provided from 9am when we started getting ready until our 4pm wedding.

Lastly, several of our vendors communicated to us that they did not enjoy working at Mountain Winery because the staff were difficult to work with. The fact that professionals in the wedding industry who work at a lot of different venues also had the same feeling we did further validated our concerns. These mishaps contribute to the overall frustration my husband and I feel with this venue after having planned a wedding here, and why we would not recommend it to anyone else.

The event coordinators have no idea what they are doing.. unorganized and unprofessional. Extremely rude and condescending

We go to concerts here several times a year. Wonderful venue for watching and listening. But food and drink prices are outrageous . And if you want a glass of wine better spend the crazy expensive for estate wine because the inexpensive is the worst. I will never buy eat or drink here if I can help it

Any concert is a treat here. Wonderful views, small venue. My family, freinds and I have been many times over the years. Always a great night out. Enjoy!

Very well maintained, just don't close the entire place for weddings

Gorgeous corporate retreat!! Wine selections not great but you get a great tour of the place and a great room to yourself for a moderate price.

Had an amazing time at Mountain Winery with Daughtry in concert. This was by far the best concert venue I've attended since the Pantages Theater. Put it on your must do list.

People are nice.. venue is just amazing.. makes every show feel very personal..

Cut off band during encore, completely rude. Overpriced, crappy food. Way overpriced drinks. Could be a good venue if it weren't so completely terrible.

Great shows. Food not so great and overpriced you get better food for less in downtown Saratoga. I paid $18 for a sausage in a hot dog bun.