Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company

Great new set up. The sommelier/​manager has added small tastes of a large menu of wines at no charge so you can try before you buy. They’ve added seating which is nicer than standing at the tasting bar. Friendly knowledgeable staff and great wine and cheese to choose from, you can’t beat it!!!

Half Moon Bay, CA
On Main St.
Store:
— Decent mix of wine and cheese shop items for a grab n go.
— Didn’t spend a whole lot of time looking at the items in the cooler or the wine rack.
— Then again nothing really caught my eye.
— Kitchen items available too.
— Overall it seemed as if they are trying to offer several services /​products no real home runs.
Wine Tasting:
— I think this is the real value add here.
— The size of the counter, selection and ability to get a different size tastings.
— Had a couple tastings and the wind didn’t connect well with me.
— Very friendly service.
Tip: Kudos for having a restroom available.

I’ve been going to this place since they opened and never been let down. Thanks to HMB wine & cheese, I’ve learned to appreciate quality wines over the years.
They carry many small wineries, variety, and offer free tastings. The staff was and is always friendly and helpful in selecting wines that fit the bill.
If you’re not sure what to bring to dinner or want to impress someone, this is a great place to pick up a very good bottle of wine!

Nice selection of wines and cheeses with very reasonable prices! Free wine tasting with your purchase! What a great deal! Our sommelier knew a lot about all the served wines even though she was kinda forgetful of our orders. Tip for the employees: pay more attention to your customers, and finish with one customer and than move to help the other one when checking out.

We were walking down Main Street in Half Moon Bay when we came upon this shop. What a cute wine and cheese shop! If you are looking for that extra entertaining accessory for your wine and cheese party table, this is the store to shop at. It has it all! Or if you want to have a romantic picnic on the beach while watching a sunset you can get cheese, bread, sausages, chocolates, and wine packed up to go. But if you are into wine tastings, head towards the back of their shop. There you may taste some of Napa’s and Sonoma’s great wines. This shop has an excellent selection of wines and spirits to purchase. One stop shopping here!

I am a local and frequent the bar. I love the cozy surroundings and excellent servers and sommeliers. The addition is awesome. My feet thank you.

I’ll be a regular! Stopped in when I was visiting the area back in April, and I’ve just relocated to CA and went back this weekend. I’m a pretty big fan of cheese, and love their «small cuts» section that allows little olé me to try so many different types without having to fill my fridge with a metric ton of cheese.
We bought two Cowgirl Creamery (so many local products!) cheeses along with a deliciously WEIRD Coconut Milk Gouda — super cheesy on the front end, but sweet and coconut-​y after taste.
I loved their selection of add-​ons: bought a balsamic fig jam that paired wonderfully with Mt. Tam from CC.
Super interested in trying the cheese flight having experienced the quality that they carry (both from purchases, as well as the plethora of samples they had out to try).
I wish they had educational cards about the wine, as they do with the cheeses. Also wish the wines were easier to locate. We asked if they had Sangiovese, my favorite, and, as she was busy, the cashier pointed us to the back corner. We looked for ten minutes and then gave up on finding it. Maybe we’ll find it on the next visit.

I’ve been going a drive-​by in HMB for many years but never noticed this place before.
Didn’t want to have a sit down lunch and decided to have a couple glasses of win and some snacks here. The bar area is small but attractive. They have all of their bottles hooked up to an automatic pumping system and dole out 2÷3÷6 oz servings in a chem class type flask. Prices vary widely but you can get a 6oz pour for around $ 8 – 10 which is reasonable; anything higher than that is a pass for me.
They have a pretty varied selection of foreign and domestic wines; most of which I was entirely unfamiliar with. Decided to stick w/​whites and ordered a French chenin blanc and cote du rhone, which were both good. Also ordered a cheese plate and a bowl of olives. Total cost was $ 35 which wasn’t cheap but not outrageous either. You have be selective in ordering. Noticed that a 6 oz pour of a Duckhorn cab cost $ 36, which was definitely outrageous. Also thought it off that they add a $ 7 corkage fee if you buy a bottle and want to drink it at the bar; it should be free of corkage if you’re going to buy a bottle.
Service was ok; one employee was very friendly, the other not so much. Added a tip to be nice but got no acknowlegement when my GF & I left. So, if I go back, I might not tip again. Overall, it’s a nice little store with a pretty good selection of cheese and wine AND, if you’re not in the mood for a sit down meal, it’s a good place to grab a couple of glass of wine w/​some snacks while you’re walking around «downtown» HMB.

Super cute wine and cheese tasting store. We were in half moon bay for the weekend from east bay, after a long coastal bike ride, we found this shop on main street. Went in, tasted some cheese, decided to buy cheese, and then ended up staying for wine and cheese. Got the rose flight, and the California cheese plate with almonds and nectarine chutney. Nectarine chutney was amazing, who knew curry went so well with fruit other than mango! The rose cava was great, but the other two were slightly more «red wine» tasting – I personally prefer them on the lighter side.
We went in dressed in our dirty biking clothes, but the shop was very non-​pretentious. Definitely recommend this place, they have over 50 types of wine. Will come back when we visit half moon bay again.

My husband chose one of the flights to try with cheese and crackers. It was good. We did not end up buying a bottle. We just wanted to experience of trying different champagnes for the occasion. A really nice place. The lady who help us was really sweet but her manager didn’t seem quite nice. I tried to talk to her but she wasn’t paying much attention. If she cared to know she didn’t. Two stars chopped off for a sour apple

This spot is an interesting find in Half Moon Bay. Beautiful setup and knowledgeable staff make for an ideal settings for a great wine tasting bar. There are several options of ordering by the glass and then several options of wine flights. If you are wine luver you can spend a lot of time ogling the several rare wines and just the sheer selection that’s on offer.
We opted for a white wine flight (oh why oh why I have to give in to peer pressure and order whites!) As far as I can recall the first white tasted like nothing, yes a wine for people who don’t like the taste of it. Second one was OK and third one being decent. We also ordered a cheese plate to share. Good stuff here folks and paired well.
They have a few though decent selection of beer (Chimay rules) and some artisan hard liquor as well.
There you have it folks if and when I get my millions I know owning this kind of place is an option.
4 Stars!

Large selection (60!) of wines by the glass with a small but excellent selection of cheeses to accompany your tasting preferences. Wines available in 2,3 and 6 oz servings, and you can also purchase a bottle to drink there or take home. Cool looking stemless logo glassware also available

We stopped by this place after already having some beers at half moon bay brewing company and a local downtown bar, so we were all in very good spirits coming in!
I got the white wine tasting which was $ 12, with 3 glasses. My other 2 girlfriends opted for the red wine tasting. We also got the red wine pairing cheese plate, which was delicious. It came with some kind of fruit chutney that we really enjoyed. The blue cheese had really strong bold flavor.
The girl helping us was very nice. She was a newer employee so was still getting the hang of the register and transactions. She was super grateful for our patience.
This was a fun, relaxed place to be.
On our way out we tried even more cheese samples so I really can’t complain!
I would return.

We stopped into this cute little wine shop in Half Moon Bay on a random day trip in January. The employee was really nice & friendly, the bathroom was clean (thank you!), and the prices were decent. I don’t think that I was expecting them to have as many wines as they had. Lots of choices! I think they also offer tastings, as there was a section that was roped off and labeled «over 21 only!»
In addition to their impressive wine & cheese collection, there were also lots of vino-​related gifts & accessories for the wine lover in your life. Also, cheese samples near the counter! We ended up buying a bottle of white & bringing it over to the Flying Fish Bar & Grill, which is only a few minutes’ drive from here. And it was delicious! Thank you, W&CC!

We’ve been wanting to try this place out for awhile, and finally dropped by today. We arrived a few minutes after their opening time, and we were the only ones there. This was unsurprising, given it was a non-​Holiday Friday morning.
Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company proved to be an interesting experience. Rather than a typical wine tasting setup, this venue operates on a pay-​per-​glass type of system. There’s a long list of red and white wines, and you can choose your tasting based off of how much wine you choose to sample (2oz, 3oz, etc).
They also have some food platters that you can purchase to eat during your tasting. Cheese, as the name of the venue implies, is of course one of the options. I also noticed there was a dessert plate.
My mom and I tried the two dessert wines on the menu. She got the white dessert wine, which was really good. I ended up getting the red dessert wine, which was just okay. I liked the white one better. My sister and dad got a regular white and red, which they let me taste. My dad’s red wasn’t bad, but my sister’s South African white wine wasn’t impressive at all. We only opted for one 2oz each because 1) we didn’t know what we’d really like; 2) the customer service was horrible and we didn’t feel at all welcome.
I had to knock a complete two stars off for the customer service.
When we first stepped into the venue, it felt like we weren’t wanted. The one woman pouring for us wasn’t engaging or friendly. My parents and sister commented (after we left) on how long she spent scrutinizing my ID, which they thought was rude given that it doesn’t take all that long to find out if someone’s ID tells you they’re at least 21 or not. Furthermore, she seemed to talk down to us when we were talking about restaurants. She made it clear that she pegged (or even, I would say, belittled) us as tourists, and assumed we’d be going to Sam’s Chowder House despite her recommendations of other restaurants. We’d actually been planning to go to Mezza Luna, which is one of our favorite restaurants in Half Moon Bay.
My dad didn’t want to order a second round of drinks, or even try a cheese platter, simply because he felt the customer service wasn’t welcoming. We left quickly after paying.
We most likely will not be returning to Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company. We have so much more fun at other tasting rooms in the area, like La Nebbia, where the people pouring are a great deal more social and welcoming.

What a perfectly lovely experience. We came upon this gem on Main street and popped right in. The tasting bar was pretty full, so we looked over the lovely (and well stocked) wall of wines. Then grabbed a spot at the bar.
First of all, the ladies working there know their stuff. Trust them and have fun! After trying the bubbles on the menu, we asked to be surprised by our next two tastings and were only given delicious and interesting wines.
A couple of things that you may like to know beforehand, although they do have several very interesting looking scotches on the premises, they are licensed for only wine.
And, wear decently comfortable shoes if you’re going to be there a while, the isle for the tasting bar must remain bar stool-​less in order to provide enough room for a wheel chair. So suck it up, have 3 glasses of wine, you’ll be fine.
So that was the wine. The cheese. THE CHEESE. (Clearly, I am a fan of cheese.) Such a good variety! They’ll let you try some stuff, and boy, did we. Truffled pecorino? Um. Yes, please. All decently priced for the caliber of cheese. Also, they had Olympic Provisions Chorizo! (If you visit Portland and like meat, do yourself a solid and go there.) So I was excited to see it amongst everything.
All in all, this is a great place to visit. And drink wine. And try cheese.

I’m so sick of this hoity toity place. I’ve been in this store several times now, and I haven’t been impressed at all.
The selection of wine was disappointing and the service isn’t inspiring. I admit, when I come into a wine bar or wine shop, I want to talk to them about the wines to buy or taste. I don’t know half of what I can know about wine — so I’m no expert. I want to talk to the experts. Guess what, they aren’t here.
The staff didn’t even know which cheese to offer me when I asked for a smokier curd. The staff member began reading the descriptions of the cheeses in desperation.
Oy Vey — know your wine and cheese — know your own PRODUCT before opening your storefront please?

Hmm… just ok if you ask me.
I came in here anticipating to taste a few wines. They did not really acknowledge me when I walked up to the tasting bar. I then asked about the wine tasting pricing. A nice lady gave me the menu and gave me some suggestions based upon my wine preference.
They offer wine and cheese tastings, as well as the option to taste a very large selection of wines poured at different ounces– all the way from 2 oz to a standard 6 oz glass. Prices very immensely.
I tried a 3 oz trying of one of their Zinfandel’s priced at $ 6.00. It was nice. I would have loved to have indulged in some more tastings, however, my honey who is not a fan of wine at all, was waiting for me :) not to mention I really was not too fond of the customer service. It was decent, but not great. I just found it lacked that personal engagement that you find at most wine tasting places/​wineries.
I would possibly come in here again to buy a bottle of wine if in the area, but never just for a tasting.

Excellent, well priced wines and a very nice selection of top quality cheese in the middle of charming downtown Half Moon Bay. They have a gorgeous bar that stretches, what seems like, forever upon which tasting is served. I found two bottles of some of my favorites from Kathryn Kennedy at a good price.
They also have a plethora of picnic and wine storage devices. This would be a great place to stop to load up on supplies before a lovely day at the beach.

I don’t drink wine, but I do love me so queso. We were walking around Main St and this place caught our eye. As we walked in we noticed it’s much more wine than cheese, which I can definitely understand. My fiancé and I don’t drink, so we focused some energy on the queso in the house. Strike that, I focused some energy on the queso and my lovely fiancé, who is truly supportive of my passion for all things food, walked around looking at things that she wasn’t all that interested in. She did it b/​c she loves me and knows that I need to focus on the food!
Excellent selection of cheese from all over the world. One that caught my eyes, a really dark and exciting looking blue cheese from Spain. Sadly, they didn’t have a sample of it and I refuse to drop $ 16 before I taste something I am not certain I will love.
If wine is your thing, this place is definitely geared toward you. Live it up when you are in downtown HMB and check out this spot for sure.