About Noteworthy
Noteworthy is an independent, unsponsored winery guide. Here on Substack, I share winery discoveries, tasting notes, and the occasional very opinionated guide to drinking well in California wine country.
But the real engine behind all of it is The List: a growing, searchable database of thoughtfully curated wineries designed to help you plan genuinely great tasting days.
The whole Noteworthy project is a labor of love built by one slightly obsessive person, plus a rotating cast of friends and family (and a dog) who have generously tagged along to tastings and offered very strong opinions.
For years, I kept extremely detailed Google Maps lists of wineries I’d heard great things about. I had spreadsheets with tasting notes. I saved insider tips from concierges at places like SingleThread. I tracked who poured the best Pinot, who had the view, who felt worth the price.
And yet when it came time to actually book a tasting for the weekend, everything was scattered. One place didn’t allow kids. Another didn’t allow dogs. Another was suddenly $85 a person. I’d spend more time cross-referencing tabs than actually looking forward to the day.
It was inefficient. And frankly, rude. So I built Noteworthy.
At first, it was just a centralized database for myself. Then friends started asking for the list. Eventually that list turned into this Substack, an Instagram account, and the full Noteworthy site.
If you care about good wine, small producers, and avoiding overpriced mediocre tastings, you’re in the right place. If you enjoy these recommendations, you can can subscribe on Substack, and explore the full database of curated wineries on the Noteworthy site.
