Wild Hog Vineyard

Off the beaten track is an understatement but that’s just one little part of what makes this winery so special and magical. I was lucky enough to go up there with some old friends of Daniel today and what a treat!!! Daniel spent much of the afternoon educating us about his wine making methods, how the winery was built, how grapes react to different seasons etc. We tasting a couple of his smaller production wines and they were quite marvelous. We bought several bottles and felt quite special to have found this wonderful place and darling man — thx Daniel!

Best wine ever, and I drink a fair amount of the stuff. Daniel is an artist and his wines are brilliant examples of the big and juicy quaffs for which California has become famous. However, they aren’t sledgehammers, but are layered and have finesse which is more like the best France has to offer. Daniel’s wines exemplify the best of both worlds in my opinion. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some of The Hog, well, then you are blessed indeed. Enjoy!

Outstanding true Sonoma Coast winery, with a longstanding 30 year commitment to the region & low-​impact organic farming. Wild Hog’s 2006 Estate Pinot is one of the best bottles of wine I’ve had, & I have wonderful memories of working my way through a few cases. I had the great fortune to talk with Daniel & Marion at a winemaker dinner, which was very much appreciated.

Great reds, awesome people. Highest respect for this business and their craft.

Go. Now. Zin, cab, pinot noir, carignane. The best!
And like everyone else says, it’s very far off the beaten (or paved) path. Don’t take kids with you. While the family dog is a big ol’ snuggler, a full hour spent with this wine maestro will be too much for anyone who cannot drink. You are not visiting a vineyard, or a tasting room. You are visiting the actual fermenting facilities, inside their shed. Daniel Shoenfeld is both an incredible winemaker, and a wonderfully kind gentlehippie, who could probably talk wine until the cows came home. I think I’ll go again someday, when I’m the one driving and my little cousins aren’t involved.
Oh, and buy the bottles of wine while you’re there, because you won’t have to guess what they taste like.

a truly exceptional winery. Handcrafted wines by owner/​master winemaker Daniel Schoenfeld. Daniel loves his craft, loves his wine and provides one of the true gems of Sonoma County wine. His pinots are exceptional as are his Carignane, Zinfandels, Cabernets, Barbera, Dolcetto. I have paired his wine with so many of my meals and catered events this past year with the Pinots and Carignane being my favoritres.
Bold, full body, powerful flavors and high alchohol content are the norm for Daniel’s creations. I write this review as i sip on a 2003 Zinfandel from Wild Hog.
Daniel, his wife and 2 part time assistants do all the work to create these delightful wines. This personal attention, dedication and love are the reason Wild Hog sticks out among the multitudes of California’s wineries.
Daniel is also a fine mandolin and concertina player and i look forward to seeing him at the lark music camp, in 2 weeks :)

Wild Hog Vineyard is FANTASTIC! It is far off the beaten path, which, in my opinion, makes the place all the more special. There is no way anyone could find this place on his/​her own. (You have to meander for miles on a narrow dirt road.) If you are one of the few people fortunate enough to do an actual tasting at this small, informal winery, you likely will meet the proprietor, Daniel Schoenfeld, a warm, kind-​hearted gentleman, who obviously is passionate about wine-​making. (He, quite appropriately, self-​describes his line of work as a «labor of love.») His passion for wine-​making is patently apparent in his final product.
Wild Hog makes a wide variety of reds – e.g., cabernet sauvignon, syrah, dolcetto, multiple pinot noirs, and multiple zinfandels. In all, only about 3,500 cases (or less) are made each year. I can’t say that I’ve tasted all of Wild Hog’s offerings, but I have tasted its cab and one of its pinot noirs. They are very good. What is more, they are reasonably priced too! If you never physically make it to Wild Hog (which is more likely than not since its tastings are so limited), you should definitely keep your eye out for Wild Hog wines in wine shops near you!

The first thing I must tell you about this winery is that it is far, far, far off the beaten track– in other words, unless you get specific, detailed instructions on how to get there from the winery, don’t attempt to find it on your own. Also, don’t think you can just «drop in» like you can at other wineries– this winery is a small mom & pop run place and they don’t usually do tastings, but if you call weeks in advance, they may make an exception for you.
That being said, my husband and I were lucky enough to have winemaker and owner of Wild Hog, Daniel Schoenfeld, spend a magical hour with us. Daniel showed us how wine is made at his winery, starting from when the grapes are picked, to where it is stored for fermentation. And of course, we were able to taste a few of his wines as well… my favorite is his Cabernet Sauvignon but to be honest, they are all very good!
I have been wine tasting at least half a dozen times in my life and have been to wineries with tasting rooms that almost took my breath away. However, most of these wineries lacked the personal attention and the“love” of winemaking I received from Daniel at Wild Hog Vineyards. Daniel truly enjoys what he does, and he does it very well. You can literally taste the love in his wines.