Merriam Vineyards

Merriam Vineyards is nestled in the warmest edge of the Russian River Valley and invites guests to cross cultures while tasting our California-crafted French-style wines in our beautifully appointed tasting room. Designed with the comfort and warmth of a New England-style farmhouse, our winery and tasting room blend the east and west while residing at the hub of three major California appellations; the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys. Enjoy Merriam Vineyards wine on our garden terrace overlooking the magnificent valley and Healdsburg’s wine country.

Merriam Vineyards specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Red and Bordeaux blends, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Late Harvest wines.

Merriam Vineyards is committed to respecting the integrity of each vineyard, along with the surrounding Russian River Valley terroir, through a dedication to sustainable viticulture. Upon purchasing the Windacre Vineyard in 2000, Peter Merriam instituted new ecological farming practices, including composting all stem and pomaces, cultivation of helpful cover crops to revitalize the soil, and reducing pesticide use. In addition, with the planting of the Merriam Estate Vineyard in spring 2009, the Merriam’s took great care to respect the purity of the land by seeking organic certification from the outset.

Our Merriam Vineyards Estate property also features one of only a handful of constructed wetlands in Sonoma County. Composed of four different systems, the reclamation pond recycles one hundred percent of winery wastewater for re-use in irrigating vineyards and landscaping on the property. This process essentially eliminates dependence on outside water sources, creating a surplus at the winery and protecting the local aquifer from overuse.

Merriam Vineyard’s latest efforts included the addition of owl boxes and bees to Merriam Estate. We recently worked with Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue to put 2 owl boxes on our estate. Barn owls are a farmer’s best defense against rodent infestation. A barn owl’s diet consists mainly of small rodents such as voles, mice, and rats. The perfect natural rodent control method is installing barn owl boxes around your home, farm, vineyard, garden, or homestead. One family of owls eats up to 1000 rodents yearly. The bee’s role in this is their cross-pollination which allows fruits and other flowers to grow. But bees do much more than pollinate cover crops. Bees are also pollinators for insectaries. They help these flowers succeed, which draws beneficial predators such as lady beetles, green lacewings, soldier beetles, and Anagyrus. Next time you visit our Merriam Vineyards tasting room, ask our hospitality team to point them out to you!

Merriam Vineyards is a proud partner of Priority Wine Pass, where you not only get to discover the best wineries but also save on tasting fees (so you can buy more wine, of course!). They have been around since 2012 and are the largest wine passport program of its kind and offer a full-time concierge that will help once your pass is bought.