Livermore Valley wineries received the go-ahead from the Alameda County Health Dept. in late June re-open outside as long as food is served.
Most wineries that are open are requiring reservations and some are limiting attendance to their wine club members. It’s also a mixed bag of whether wineries are open on July 4—some are and others are closed so check ahead before going out.
Most wineries do have not have restaurants on site so they’ve partnered with food trucks to provide food for purchase or have arranged picnic boxes. Some wineries are only serving full bottles, while others are offering tastes. Tasting groups are limited to no more than six people and the reservations system ensures that the site is not crowded.
Sonoma County, which was the earliest wine country county to re-open, initially required food to be served at wineries before relaxing that stipulation. Napa wineries also are open with restrictions.
Given the spike in new cases that has health officials concerned, Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday ordered bars, wineries and movie theaters to close for three weeks. The order covered Contra Costa County, while Alameda County is on the watch list. It also shuttered Los Angeles County where the beaches have been closed for the three-day July 4th weekend.
During the shelter-in-place order wineries have been offering virtual tasting plus curbside pick-up and delivery. Those services are continuing.
By Tim Hunt