Bernardo Winery, San Diego

I have been to many winery locations: this one was so green and beautiful. I am going to recommend this awesome venue to everyone. We attended a wedding there yesterday (and provided the music), The staff and owner, Rossi, were so helpful and customer service was wonderful. We had never been there before and the ambiance was a wonderful surprise. We will recommend it to everyone.

I recently got married at the Bernardo winery. I would never recommend the winery as a wedding venue. Although I was extremely happy with our caterer Cafe Merlot they were awesome and our bartender was great! I would recommend going there for a wine tasting, to enjoy the shops, or to eat at Cafe Merlot. The event coordinator offered to move our wedding to the Bernardo Inn on the day of our event because my mother asked them to clean the cobwebs out of the restrooms. Even though they promised at the time we paid, the bathrooms would be detail cleaned, and denied our offer to to pay to have them professionally cleaned. There were cobwebs in the corners, an un-mopped floor, etc. When my mother spoke to Rossi (the owner) about it, his response was, he bet he could find cobwebs at my mother’s house! I experienced non-existent customer service on the event staffs part which began about the time our event was paid in full (90 days in advance, per their policy). The event coordinator disappeared on the day of my wedding offering zero help and allowing rift raft to intrude on my wedding. I actually had a winery patron ask me for directions! After payment was made in full it was nearly impossible to get the event staff to respond to emails or phone calls when I was requesting assistance with simple wedding preparations. I was sincerely hoping they would make up for it on the actual day of the event, unfortunately they failed miserably. Do yourself the favor and have your event elsewhere as the winery staff recommended.

I LOVE the Bernardo Winery. This family managed winery is a great place to spend the day. I've visited nearly a dozen times and take all my out-of-town guests to the Winery. It's a relaxing place to enjoy a variety of wines and Cafe Merlot has delicious food. The wine tasting is reasonably priced and if you ask nicely, you might get a special tour of the grounds.

I helped my cousin plan her Italian-themed wedding at this venue a few months ago. The scenario was pleasant enough....it is an old winery that is nestled in the picturesque hills of north San Diego. However, it was not easy to deal with the staff, who needed a course in customer service. There was absolutely no "service with a smile." Everything from organizing the reception to the actual wedding seemed more difficult than it should have been. The day of the wedding, the staff was there with a decible meter to make sure the band didn't play too loud (though it was an ethnic band and quite low keyed) but they still managed to yell at the band leader in a very unprofessional way at some point of the afternoon party when one of the vocalists hit too high of an operatic note. The band also reported that they treated them as second-class citizens, though they were family members and were invited to be part of the party and given access to food and drink (which my cousin paid for, so they were not really authorized to make this call). To make matters worse, at the last minute they decided the band could not use the larger, existing stage (a kind of a terrace of sorts) and the 6-piece band had to make due with a 6 X 6 ft platform. Half the band performed on the grass! We give Bernardo Winery two stars for the interesting venue, but they really have to be more customer friendly to succeed in this business. Use caution if you select this venue for your special event.

My fiancee and I just visited this winery and EVERYONE is amazing not to mention the winery itself. The service impeccable and it's only $5 for 5 tastes. There was an amazing guy working there told us everywhere to go, what to do, and turns out he's the owner (Rossi is his name go figure)!!! I recommend this winery over any other it's a must see. Wendy Las Vegas

The Bernardo Winery was a gem of a time for us. The gem/craft faire on a Sunday wound us around facets of this historic winery's grounds. We shopped and bought jade, beads, polished Redwood, met with artisans making home crafted jewelry from beads and natural stones. Little alcoves lined with trees led us past shops including a bakery and Cafe Merlot and into the winery itself. A great bargain loomed inside the Bernardo Winery itself and my daughter and her friend opted to wine taste. When I declined my daughter said, "That sounds like fun." So, I changed my mind and partook as we had a driver designated--my husband who sat on the patio with the soda he purchased. For $5.00 you are handed a five -spot hole punch card that they punch after you've had a taste of each of your personal selections from the varied wine list. You also get to keep the tasting glass etched with the RB winery's logo--a great deal!!Then you can buy your selection. We bought a French Columbard and loved the Rosso Di Bernardo, a rich red wine. The staff admitted the list offers sale of bottles of your favorite wines to cases. We'll be back for holiday purchases. The Muscat from Italy was delicious--my daughter insisted I try a dessert wine. We walked by the grape vines and oak barrels to our car feeling happy. The staff were friendly in the winery situated on a 1928 land grant natural area. Don't miss it! The only thing we regret was not coming earlier for breakfast. We'll be back for the jazz on Sunday afternoons, too! The wine and close to Nature atmosphere will bring us back.