There's a difference between tasting wine and understanding it. The Taste of Beringer Tour is designed to close that gap — a guided experience that connects wine to food, landscape, and history in a way that a glass at a bar counter simply can't.
It's held at Beringer's historic estate in St. Helena, a winery that has been producing wine continuously since 1876. The tour begins outside, in the gardens, and ends at a table inside the Rhine House — one of the most storied buildings in Napa Valley.
At a Glance
- Experience: Taste of Beringer Tour
- Location: Beringer Vineyards, 2000 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574
- Setting: Sensory gardens and the historic Rhine House, built in 1884
- Format: Guided estate walk, sensory garden exploration, seated wine and food pairing tasting
- What's Poured: Winery-exclusive and reserve wines, paired with seasonal bites by Beringer's culinary team
- Reservations: beringer.com/pages/visit
The Sensory Gardens
The tour begins in Beringer's sensory gardens — a curated planting of herbs and aromatic plants selected to represent the flavor profiles found in different wines. Rosemary, lavender, thyme, and other herbs are planted intentionally here, not just for aesthetics but as teaching tools.
Walking through the garden before tasting is a deliberate act: smelling rosemary before tasting a wine that carries herbal notes, or touching sage before a pour with savory depth, activates the senses in a way that makes the subsequent tasting more vivid and intuitive. Guests also have the opportunity to taste directly from the vine, experiencing grape varietals at the source.
The Rhine House Tasting
The tour moves into the Rhine House for a seated tasting of winery-exclusive and reserve wines. Built in 1884 by Beringer co-founder Frederick Beringer, the Rhine House is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Napa Valley — a Victorian mansion modeled after the Beringer family's ancestral home in Mainz, Germany. It has served as the heart of Beringer's hospitality program for decades.
The tasting is built around the principles of wine and food balance. Beringer's in-house culinary team designs seasonal bites that are matched specifically to each wine being poured — not generic accompaniments but intentional pairings that reveal how the right food changes what you taste in a glass. Canapés, savory bites, and in some formats dessert elements each carry a specific purpose at the table.
The effect is cumulative. Each pairing builds on the last, and by the end of the tasting, guests tend to have a different relationship to both the wines they've tried and the concept of pairing itself.
What to Know Before You Go
- Reservations are recommended; visit beringer.com/pages/visit to book
- The tour is held at 2000 Main Street, St. Helena — at the northern end of the downtown strip, within walking distance of several restaurants and shops
- Beringer's estate is open daily; check the event calendar for any special programming
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Taste of Beringer Tour?
The Taste of Beringer Tour is a guided wine and food pairing experience at Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena, California. It includes a walk through the estate's sensory gardens — planted with herbs that correspond to different wine profiles — followed by a seated tasting of winery-exclusive and reserve wines paired with seasonal bites from Beringer's culinary team, held in the historic Rhine House. It is one of the most immersive tasting experiences available at the winery.
How long has Beringer Vineyards been operating?
Beringer Vineyards was founded in 1876 by brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer, making it one of the oldest continuously operating wineries in Napa Valley. The estate's Rhine House, where many tastings are held, was built in 1884. Beringer has been producing Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon since 1977 and has twice had a wine named Wine of the Year by a major publication.
What wines are poured on the Taste of Beringer Tour?
The tour features a curated selection of winery-exclusive and reserve wines, paired with seasonal bites. Specific pours change with the season and vintage availability. To see current offerings, visit the Tastings and Tours page.
Can I visit Beringer without a reservation?
Walk-in tastings may be available depending on the day and time, but reservations are recommended for the Taste of Beringer Tour and other guided experiences. Visit beringer.com/pages/visit for current availability and booking.
Before you visit, explore Beringer's 150-year winemaking heritage and learn what makes the estate one of Napa Valley's most significant properties.
