Carruth Cellars

Best urban winery ever. These are rhe wines that make my California vacation worrh it.

Every time we are in San Diego we take the train ride up to visit. Really love the wines, I am very particular about my chardonnays and this one was spot on. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. The location is quaint and very nice. We visited twice when we were here in February. Can’t wait to visit the new location next time we are in town!

I was a wine club member when I lived in Del Mar for about two years and LOVE this place. Everyone who works there is so friendly and they make really good wines. Their events to support local and national causes are great and they do a great job of brining the community together. I am a very big fan of this urban winery!

i really do enjoy Carruth!
their wine is good
love the service
location is great (so close to my house!)
i hear they are opening up a new tasting room any day now.
my friend is a wine club member and we did a pick up last night… then enjoyed our free tasting!
she had the sauv blanc… it was yummy!
i had the… hmmm…i cant remember but i liked it! it was red and it would have been $ 12 a glass… but it was free because of my friends wine club membership!
i am tempted to join the club ($ 35 a month which includes a bottle of wine every month!)…but i think i may be here tasting way too often!

Fun little urban winery. I often meet my fiancé here on the way home from the train station. Cute rustic décor. It’s very dog-​friendly and you can get snacks to accompany the wine, although none are vegan.
There is a wine club, but I just don’t think their wine justifies $ 30+ prices. You can pick up a real nice Tobin James at Vons for example, less than $ 20 that has real character. Carruth wines (to me) just don’t justify their bottle price.
For now, it’s just a neat little place to meet for a so-​so glass of wine and can bring the dog.
Carruth Cellars has a restroom and has a few handicapped spots up top.

I’ve come here a few times due to both the wine and service. I have gotten some great tasting reds from here– their cabernet sauvignon is very good. The actual place does not have any seating which I think would be a great addition. I love the fact that they have the wine barrels right there and the simplicity of the décor. I usually try and go when Olivia is working. Olivia has a great eye for wine and has yet to steer me wrong. Because of her, I have bought wine from this winery and loved it even more when I came home to drink it. I would definitely suggest going when Olivia is working.

I came here on an exciting adventure with Cooking with Jason Unilocal event. We stopped here to experience a tasting hosted by Carruth. Unfortunately my experience was not so special. I have been too a lot of wineries and every place has very passionate people who tell groups about their wines. I didn’t feel much excitement nor overwhelming welcome from our host I felt it was a routine speech and we were a nuisance. I hate to say that, because they were nice enough to host us, but I feel saying this lets the owners be aware.
The wine was decent, but it seemed very expensive. It cost 40 for a bottle of red wine. I did like the atmosphere in there and will return one day to check out their new location. I have been to this place before and had a blast, just didn’t have the same experience.

I found a Groupon deal for this winery where you can participate in their annual grape crushing! I’ve always wanted to stomp on grapes with my feet, but when I made the reservations (after several attempts), they told me that I will just be using my hands instead– boo!
We arrived about 20 minutes early, but were given a couple of tastings while we waited for our tour guide. This urban winery is very small, but they plan to move to a bigger place down the block very soon, which I believe is the same area where they produce their own wines. After trying the Sauvignon Blanc, we walked over to the wine making facility and got a tour while learning about the creation of wine. All of their handcrafted wines are created onsite, using grapes from Northern and Central California.
Then we got to crush grapes using this giant metal thing and tasted the unfermented wine afterwards. If you want to touch the grapes, you need to sterilize your hands first. I was told that crushing needs to be done several times a day. The wine that was scooped out from all that crushing we did was very sweet and tastes like juice! We were able to see how the bottled version tastes like to compare, but it was too dry for me.
It was time to go back to the tasting room where we were offered a few more sips of our wine of choice. It was pretty fun learning more about wine, but too bad they don’t have any sweet wines like Moscato or Riesling. The staff was friendly and very personable during my visit here. They also have a wine club and movie nights here on certain nights, which seems like a neat idea if you live in the area.

Cedros Design District = so cool. A friend brought me here a few years ago and I shared the love with my parents a few months ago while looking to kill a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.
The area is great for exploring and a little wine tasting. Stroll up and down the sidewalk, go into the boutiques, enjoy the sunshine and SoCal vibe.
Carruth is on the far end of Cedros tucked away behind a long driveway. Follow the art and you’re headed in the right spot. You’ll be greeted by a friendly face and glass of vino.
My folks aren’t enophiles like myself. How could they be in central IL? Our guide took it easy and explained the wine in simple terms, skipping a few varietals along the way that she knew wouldn’t be too popular. Other guests were on the same level, drinking what they liked and steering clear of flavors outside their comfort zone. No snobbery here, folks.
Take advantage of the Unilocal check in offer while there for a small discount. And if you purchase a few bottles while there, tastings are complimentary.
5-​stars for the smiles and making everyone feel like they belong inside. Will be back.

Its been several years since I have been to Carruth’s and what a pity. Located on South Cedros in Solana Beach in the Cedros Design District. One of my favorite North County streets. Be sure to park your car down below their driveway. The wine pourers and staff are superb. They give you their full attention and are comfortable with conversing about the blends, techniques of wine making, and location to where the grapes were grown.
Carruth’s is planning to expand their winery. I am looking more into this as we speak.
They are philanthropic and have started Carruth’s Corks4Cause dedicated to their friend and former assistant wine maker Mitchell Wix. He was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer at the young age of 27. A portion of the proceeds from ‘The Unicorn Bordeaux Blend’ will be going to financially help Mitchell. It is a great tasting bottle of wine.
In their earlier production days they would have production parties where their friends and wine club members would help bottle their wines.
Way to go Adam and staff!

Carruth offers wine tastings of about six wines for $ 10 in their little cellar display room here. They don’t grow their own grapes, but buy them from vineyards up the coast. The stainless vat they have there is where they make their Sauvignon Blanc, which was the first wine we tasted. It was crisp and refreshing, less tart than most Blancs I’ve tried.
The only employee there, who was pouring the tastings, was a little overwhelmed with the number of people and so was running back and forth between four groups and thus was not able to explain much about the wines he was serving us, beyond the names. Luckily there was a price sheet with explanations.
Our favorites were the Chardonnay and the Malbec, the latter of which was sourced from Russian River Valley grapes. Very smooth and similar to a Cabernet in body and finish.
There were two reds that we found so unpalatable that we dumped them after the first encounter. The pours were very small but it was enough get a sense of each wine. I won’t influence your taste experience by telling you which ones we didn’t care for, since the tasting menu is preset by the winery.
We ordered the optional Nibbles plate, which consisted of cheese triangles and a sliced baguette. $ 10. It’s a nice accompaniment and cleared our palates well.
We noticed several people had brought along their dogs and children, who were waiting quietly. It’s a tiny, dark tasting room and the wines are decent but at $ 40 a bottle, we felt they were overpriced. Nevertheless, a fun stop on the row. You have to check out the bachelor pad bathroom with black fixtures. So retro 1960s. I was expecting a row of swinging beads. Hopefully no swingers.

I am a big fan but not necessarily because of the wine but let’s start with that because, y’know, it’s a winery.
Most of the wines are decent if unspectacular and certainly none of them are bad. But, with my limit knowledge of wines, i think only very few are truly memorable, mind blowing wines. I think their less common grapes like their Barbera and their Tempranillo are their most consistently delicious pours. However right now their 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles is really top notch. It’s worth the trip just for a glass of that. For the white wines their Sauvignon Blanc is light, crisp and has the perfect amount of summer fruitiness.
Okay now that I am done with the oenophile (read: wine snob) commentary, pinkies out, the truth is that I go there because it’s a fun place to relax and have a glass of wine. I personally don’t have the nose to distinguish between hints of chocolate or a sense of tobacco on the nose or whatever. I just like red wine and Carruth provides that in a friendly, relaxed setting.
For me the membership provides value be a use I get a nice bottle of red wine every month, a solid discount on additional bottles, free wine tastings for me and a friend and, perhaps most importantly, an excuse to go out and be social in a nice place with cool people.

I enjoy having a wine tasting spot so close to home. It’s very small but they put out some nice wines. I took my Mom here the other day and we had so much fun. We started with a nice Sauv Blanc and went from there until we ended with a really nice port. They have so many wines to choose from and their staff is so nice. They used to have cool outdoor movie nights but are not able to have them anymore. They will also be moving further North on cedros so make sure you look for them down the road soon. I am excited to check out the new sopt and see what they will do differently. Hopefully a bigger tasting bar and some tables and maybe some apps or wine crackers!

I, your humble Duke of Carruth Cellars, had refrained from posting a Unilocal review for the 5 years I’ve been drinking Carruth wines. But at this time, a review is due.
Your Duke had been a member of Carruth’s Wine Club for about 4 of those years. Over those years, I’ve extended the courtesy to withhold a Unilocal review for the simple reason that I didn’t know how to word one: the fun social experience of the tastings and Carruth events offset the mediocrity of the wine, and I didn’t want the business to suffer based on my honest opinion.
Today, that fun environment went away.
Owner Adam Carruth berated me on bringing in my 1y4mo Pit/​Lab mix, the lovely Wee Baby Ava, saying she growled at someone, insisting it wasn’t the first time, reminding me that he’s the owner, and stating she’s not welcome there.
Recognize that everybody loves Ava: she’s as friendly as they come. Granted she sometimes does bark and whine at other dogs, but it’s a brief behavior I contain without incident. Plus she’s never growled at a person or a dog. Ever.
It would have been fine for Adam to quietly express his feelings to me politely and on the side, but his dicky attitude, insistence that He Is The Owner! and generally inhospitable arrogance led me to immediately cancel my wine club membership.
Welll… in all fairness, I tried to do just that. In fact, I’m still trying*.
I would have loved to cancel the recurring credit card charges, then and there, and have Adam process it himself, but that’s simply not possible. Instead, unlike the immediate signing up on-​site, cancellation has to be done by email, to
, an email address that those of you who are in the latest rendition of the wine club, and getting charged for two bottles of wine a month, may want to note.
There are some very friendly and top-​notch staff working at Carruth — Andy, Renee, and Josh in particular. However, when the owner behaves douchely, that combination of poor attitude + mediocre biting wines = me no longer financially propping up his enterprise.
Speaking of which, there are plenty of other «urban wineries» around here serving middlin’ wine. I’m out of reasons to continue to support this one.
* UPDATE, 6÷15÷15: You may also want to note that I sent two emails requesting cancellation with no response. I really hope Carruth doesn’t make me have to go through the chargeback hassle with my credit card provider…

Favorite urban winery in San Diego! The staff is super friendly and cool and the wine is so good! Tastings are only $ 10 and every time I come in for a wine tasting, they always let me taste more than I’m supposed to. My favorite is their red blend! But you can’t go wrong with any of them!
It’s located just a few blocks from the beach so I love coming here on hot days. It’s a little hard to find since its tucked behind a building.
I purchased my urban winery passport from here. You pay a flat fee and it’s good for wine tastings to 11 urban wineries throughout San Diego. Carruth also has fun events like movie nights so check out their calendar!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Nestled back off Cedros Ave behind Coles Carpets, this venue is cozy. Staff is super friendly + excited about their products. From the moment you walk into Carruth, there are smiles on everyone’s faces and you feel like long lost family returned home for celebration.
THE CORKS
While our friend behind the bar, Renee, poured a broad selection of wines for us to try. However, the selections below were not our own.
2013 Sauvignon Blanc — Fantastically fragrant, this wine’s nickname is «Pool Boy.» Clean, bright, + citrusy.
2012 Chardonnay — Delicious and creamy with hints of vanilla, the grapes were sourced from the Bacigalupi Vinyard in the Russian River valley. I am not a Chardonnay person, but this is very tasty.
Zin Rosé — Family used to drink white zin all the time, so my palette really doesn’t favor this kind of wine. That said, their description of melon + candy apple is appropriate. It’s a sweet wine.
2012 Mendocino Pinot Noir — A pleasantly tannin (y?) red. This Pinot is light + tart in very nice ways.
2012 North Coast Barbera — Such a smooth drinking wine. Barberas are among my favorite reds. Carruth’s offering has gently present tannins + a beautiful nose. I could drink this all day long. (fave)
2012 Lake County Merlot — Tastes like fresh red berries + a pleasant dry finish. Easily a Merlot you could spend an evening drinking without a second thought.
2010 Dry Creek Zin Port — Among ports I’ve had, this is a very sweet wine. Flavor profile is raisin + sweet cherry. Carruth claims a bittersweet chocolate flavor in there, but I couldn’t pick it up.
THE VERDICT
If you like delicious wine + hidden little gems, then this place is for you! GO check them out!

Still a really cool place and as before, we had a great time. The Bartender was great. Friendly guy. Sorry, forgot his name. My fault. I had shoe trouble and couldn’t stand up straight. Had to sit and to drink. Does this matter at all to anyone? No. I’m just making excuses for my inability to remember peoples names. But is it really my fault I can’t remember names? I don’t know. Is it a requirement in life? Do I really have to remember everyone? No. I do not. The cool thing about Carruth Cellars is — they don’t care if you don’t remember their name just remember their wines and where it is.
The place can really get going sometimes so be prepared for fun. We went early and nobody was there but within minutes a few more came in and we started a party with some cool peeps from Montana. I don’t remember their names either. Doesn’t matter though, I’ll likely never see them again. However, I will not forget the fun times I have at Carruth Cellars.
Little tip here — don’t throw your tip money in the metal container on the bar. That’s where you spit your wine tastings. Oops! No I didn’t. Never mind, I don’t remember.

I really like the Rose’ at Carruth. They have two different kinds and both are excellent. I first stumbled onto this place a few years back after a friends mom’s memorial service. One of my friends was a regular so we were treated like royalty. Well it seems you don’t have to be a regular to get red carpet treatment here.
I’ve always received stellar service each time I have visited. I love the ambiance. It’s simple but open and welcoming. The Unilocal check in deal gives you ½ off the tasting fee. It’s a deal. For now I will stick to my Rose’. That and the service keeps me coming back for more.

We had a great experience at Carruth Cellars this weekend!
My Bf and I visited after getting tickets for their Barrel Tasting event. I believe this was their first barrel tasting event and I’m very happy we got to be part of it. The tasting consisted of 14 tastings, there were stations all over the winery (both indoors and outdoors) and the staff serving the tastings were very friendly and nice.
Some of my favorites included the Petite Syrah and the Merlot (Napa) — it’s very neat that they get their grapes from Napa and make the wine in Solana. We are lucky to be close enough to Napa to benefit from this process.
The event had live music and Red Oven Pizza was there with their food truck (we didnt get to try it) but we did get to enjoy a nice/​generous cheese plate which came with a nice warm loaf of bread and both Manchego and Brie.
We definitely plan to be back to Carruth we had a great experience!

Carruth Cellars is a fun, casual winery located on South Cedros in beautiful Solana Beach! They produce a variety of wines, with reds being the emphasis. All are pretty good, with some a lot better than others.
We recently visited Carruth Cellars on a slower Saturday evening at about 7:30. Carruth closes at 9:00, so there was plenty of time to try various tastings, all of which were provided by the friendly and knowledgeable staff as part of an Urban Winery Tasting Package we had purchased a month earlier at a Unilocal Event in San Diego. This allows us to visit all 11 member wineries in San Diego County. Carruth was the first one for us.
The first offering was a Sauvingion Blanc from Lake County. This was smooth and crisp, but not being a white wine fancier, I can’t really pass judgement. My lovely companion Mel really liked it, however. Next came a nice Rosè, which was a zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley. This was very good, in my opinion. But then the reds — we were offered four different selections; a Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley, a Grenache from Paso Robles, a Tempranillo from Capay Valley, and a Barbera from the North Coast. I really liked the Barbera, and the Cab was also excellent, in my opinion. The others didn’t work as well for me, but that is all about the taste buds, eh?
I applaud Carruth Cellars for using exclusively northern California grapes and for producing some very nice wines. The winery experience was very casual, as I mentioned, which works well for me. Give them and their wine a try!