Westover and Palomares Vineyards

This is a great place to stop by and taste some wonderful wines (Remember to take some home for later). Very casual, friendly staff who are the wine makers, and a beautiful drive. You must go!

This place is lit. The gentleman who pours is a Raider fan which makes him cool in my book. Fantastic porn ‘stache too, could totally see this guy in 70s adult film (who knows, maybe he was). Very knowledgeable about wine as well, kept it pretty trill with the number of pours.

Thank you Bill for been the best entertaining. A real host, u went with my family and my kids had so much fun playing pool while were tasting wine with Bill. Excellent place to learn Porto wine

My boyfriend & I went here to celebrate our anniversary & I must say what a wise choice it was. We got to try so many sweet wines (which are my absolutely favorite) we even purchased a bottle of the raspberry port. My only regret would be not coming early enough because time flew by so fast I hope next time I can get there earlier to be able to taste all the ports they were just so yummy! Though there were quite a few people we were still well entertained & treated so well it’s such a welcoming place, truly a Jem. We will definitely be coming back again. :)

Ken and Bill were delightful and entertaining! They have a variety of wine, but the few that stood out were the tawny ports! They have some of the best port I have ever tasted. The Cab Franc was not bad and they have a peach Sparkling that was tasty and would be great on a hot summer day. All in all the other grape varietals were ok, but I wouldn’t expect to be blown away. Come for the ports!!! If you want to learn about port wine and enjoy a beautiful drive with the most friendly people, come to westover!

Fantastic time here!
A great place to learn about ports, and a fantastic and wide selection of wines. Plus the owners are great hosts and make sure everyone has a great time. Looking forward to visiting in the spring too as this place sits right in a nature escape!

My wife and I stopped in and we found this to be a friendly low key environment. The Vintner was running the tasting room and runs the winery more to have a great social interaction than to be a large commercial enterprise. He answered all my questions and I had a lot of them. Prices were good especially for those trying to explore wineries to find hidden gems.

Bill is friendly helpful and entertaining. A real host. The wines are very good. The champagne is delicious and $ 20 a bottle palomeras road is a gem and fun to drive and explore. It links with niles canyon so take a drive, taste the wine and enjoy the beautiful space they have created. It is open every other week so call ahead. The wine list is extensive and bill was willing to pour anything. This place is like Napa was 30 years ago — a slice of real California wine country

We just stumbled across this winery and were pleasantly surprised. Both Bill and Ken (it happened to be Ken’s birthday) were very gracious, genuine and friendly. They both were the winemakers and the servers, so we got an ear full of valuable wine info. Oh! to top it off we were able to bring our dog in as we were tasting. We ended up buying a delicious 10 year old Bourbon Barreled Port. We will definitely be back! Thank you Bill and Ken!

Called Westover Vineyards this morning. Though their posted hours are on weekends I got the feeling that if they were working nearby, they’d come pour and sell you wine. I was pleasantly told to come on out anytime before 1:00 PM.
While we were there, Winemakers Bill and Ken were pressing a small batch of Barbera grapes for a local vineyard. While tasting their amazing ports, we also watched the press and of course tasted the grapes. Very nice in spite of the drought.
Bill kept our tasting glasses filled with his wide range of delicious ports while we checked out his barrel room including two fifty year old barrels reserved for his oldest ports. Westover is one of those small out of the way wineries where people explain how they make wine while letting you get up close. I suggest you bring some food and plan to spend some time on the sunny patio and in the tasting room. What a gem just a short drive from bustling Pleasanton, Fremont and Castro Valley.

My husband and I took a ride today and came across Westover Winery and lucky us it was open. Normal hours are the 2^nd weekend of the month or like us and the owner Bill is home and he opens up the tasting room. They have a nice variety. We really enjoyed the champagne and the cab. If your ever in the neighborhood take a chance and stop. Bill also has some great stories to share.

I am very happy that Westover is open again (2^nd weekend every month), and I highly recommend others to visit Bill, Ken, Michelle, and the others. Their ports are excellent!

A refreshing change from the Livermore wine tasting experience. No pressure, beautiful shady location and hosts who love what they’re doing! Have ridden past this place on Palomares so many times and wondered what it’s like. Ken and Bill were extremely entertaining and served some great wines. The lesson on port was fantastic! Out back is a great picnic location, you won’t believe you’re in the bustle of the East Bay.

My husband took my in-​laws and I to Westover Vineyards for Mother’s Day. While my husband and nephew played a game of pool, the ladies and I had a good time wine tasting and listening to Bill’s stories. He is a great story teller, we loved it!
I read through a couple of reviews and I agree that Bill has a way of making you feel at home, he is very hospitable and has a great sense of humor.
We laughed, talked and tasted wines and had a very good time!
Thank you Bill… we will be back soon!

We were enjoying a Saturday drive on beautiful Palomares Rd and made an unscheduled stop at this very cool boutique winery.
It was late in the afternoon and close to closing time, however we were warmly welcomed and invited to taste a wide variety of their wines and ports.
We were also shown the outdoor area where events are held and hope to be able to attend one of them.
Very hospitable and great people and last but not least, delicious wines and unusual flavors of ports. We look forward to visiting again.

The winery is on a short hiatus since December and expects to be open the first and third weekend of every month beginning June 2015. If you really need a Westover wine before then, try giving them a call.
We were on a pleasure drive and noticed the gate open. We were greeted by Bill Smyth, the owner, and he invited us in for a tasting. Despite a hiatus and a large inventory sale, they still had some good wine available. Bill & Jill are a wonderful couple who enjoy wine, music, entertainment, and good company. They have a wonderful selection of port wines and some very nice varietals. The tasting room and grounds are absolutely wonderful and the surroundings are quiet and pleasant.

We went out there today and it looks like they closed their doors for good. So sad, I wish there was so sort of warning or announcement.

My friends and I wanted to go to Westover for about 4 years now, but scheduling just doesn’t always work out. I decided it would be a nice treat on my birthday. The venue is amazing, the owner Bill was hard at work when we arrived, about twelve of us. He did a tasting personally and was not shy about his family history and his stories of where he has traveled were a great touch. A few jokes had us laughing. This is the largest port maker in the US and the varieties are amazing. I was fortunate to bottle my own bottle of the new release of the Infinite. That was a treat my friend had worked out prior to our arrival. But one I will not forget.
Bill informed us that he was not going to continue in the business much longer and that the tasting room is going to be limited the next couple months until the inventory starts to diminish. This will be an extreme loss to the wine community. I recommend that you go before it is all gone. Among us we easily walked out of there with over 7 cases of port and wine.
I wish him and his staff all the best in their future plans and travels. Westover made my birthday a very special day.

Excellent winery! Amazing service! Beautiful venue! We had a great experience tasting all the delicious wine and being served by the best bar tender ever, Dan! Everyone was very welcoming and the prices were very reasonable. Thank you Bill, Ken, and Dan for such a great time!
— Natalie and Gail

I love their Tawny Port and Monterey Port!
Westover is a winery where people are friendly and the wine is delicious. My children love walking around with the chicken and playing table tennis. My husband and I love sampling wine and chatting up with others at the bar. The most fun I have is with Ken in the barrel room, where he offers samples directly from the barrels and allows me to bottle the wine I want to take home. I absolutely love visiting Westover!

Westover has a fantastic selection of port! I’ve never seen anything like it! White double chocolate, peach, zin, you name it, they have it! That being said, the ports we tried ($ ⁵⁄₅ tastes) were all good, though nothing would fall into my list for the best ports I’ve ever had. (We didn’t try any of the wines.)
The tasting room has a big cozy, log cabin feel (complete with a Christmas tree and billiards table), and the owner, Bill, was very welcoming and friendly (though I didn’t feel as comfortable or welcomed by the other pourers).

We were referred to this winery by a friend because we love ports. So we tried it out on Sunday which so happened to be the barrel tasting event for the Livermore Valley wineries.
Westover is a little ways from Castro Valley (didn’t realize it would be that far in on Palomares Rd.). The property is absolutely beautiful! They have the vineyards spread out on the property, nice picnic areas for lunch, a stage for a band (or whatever you want to use it for), etc. It would be a beautiful location for a wedding or any celebration/​event! =)
So we get there and walk into the tasting room. We were immediately greeted by the owner, Bill, who then gave us the grand tour. They have such a huge variety of ports! The very first one we tried was AMAZING!!! Here are a few of my favorites that I highly recommend you try:
— Muscat
— Portuguese Port (We got to bottle our own! So much fun!!!)
— Tawnies 12-​Year Barrel Aged Port (Can’t taste this so we just bought the bottle! lol! It was more than worth it!!!)
— White Double chocolate Port
— White Chocolate Port
We had so much fun! We will definitely be back — soon! So check out Westover Vineyards! You will be in for a real treat! =)
Ciao!

We passed Westover on the way to Chouinard about a month ago and promised ourselves we’d come back for one of their advertised free wine tastings.
Promise yourself the same thing. Right now.
They have two options: You can either taste a selection of their reds and whites, or you can taste the same number of their ports, which is their specialty. We went for the standard option, but I’d definitely recommend their ports, even to someone unsure about their feelings towards port.
Their wines are great, but the highlight was the people, the service, and the conversation. The location is gorgeous, especially on a beautiful, sunny day like when we were there.
We got a bottle of their double chocolate port, which they actually made by accident but has since become deservedly award-​winning… And Westover: whenever you bottle that 12-​year tawny port, give me a call!