Merlot With Your Mutt: Dog-Friendly Wineries Around The World

Posted by Erin Ballinger

Wine lovers and tail waggers, rejoice! From the Willamette Valley to the Loire Valley, we’ve compiled a list of 16 picturesque and dog-friendly wineries around the globe. Start planning your wine country trip, and don’t forget to raise a toast to Fido when you get there!

Fido enjoying some wine-colored water just for pups. Photo by @scarecrow_86

Willamette Valley, OR

Pup-loving pinot drinkers will want to head to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, named Wine Region of the Year in 2016 by Wine Enthusiast magazine. This area is known for its New World Pinot Noir wines, and you can sample them with your dog by your side at the following wineries:

  • Keeler Estate Vineyard is so dog friendly it even offers a wine club just for dogs called the Pinot & Puppies Club Membership! This $5 add-on to a standard membership includes a welcome gift, puppy play dates at the vineyard, organic dog treats and more. A portion of each membership is donated to Homeward Bound Pets animal shelter.
  • Cana’s Feast Winery produces Old World-style wines from varietals originating in the regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Puglia, Bordeaux, Southern Rhone and Bourgogne. Stop in with your canine companion and try a flight of five to seven wines or a glass of Pinot Noir.

For an active way to see the region, bring Fido while you cycle by vineyards, hop farms and quaint towns along the dog-friendly, 132-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. Stop by wineries for tastings, brewpubs for a pint, and restaurants for farm-to-table cuisine. There are also dog-friendly campsites along the trail. The valley’s temperate climate is ideal for year-round cycling.

Frenchie Winery has gone to the dogs! Photo by @sashafierce_the_aussie

Napa Valley, CA

Of course, we can’t discuss wine destinations without mentioning dog-friendly Napa Valley. California’s renowned wine country is world famous for good reason. Its top-quality wine, beautiful scenery and the sheer number of vineyards make it an oenophile's paradise. Start your trip at Dog-Friendly Wine Tours. Your guide will give you a wealth of information during your trip, which stops at different wineries for tastings, as well as helpful hints for the rest of your visit to Napa.

  • Frenchie Winery, Napa Valley’s first winery for dogs, is a must-visit for pet parents. In addition to barrels of water on tap for Fido, its outdoor tasting room at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena also has five enclosed beds where your pooch can rest while you tour the winery. The "Frenchie Cam" allows you to watch your pet while you taste wines like the Napoleon Bonaparte Red or Louis XIV Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring owner Jean-Charles Boisset’s French Bulldog on the label.
  • St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery in Rutherford spoils dogs with treats and dog bandanas in the tasting room while their owners sample Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals. Keep your eyes peeled for the Great Pyrenees dogs who herd sheep at this #NapaGreen vineyard.
  • At Mumm Napa, also in Rutherford, dogs are welcome to join human guests on the beautiful outdoor tasting patio. Sit back, relax and enjoy Mumm’s sparkling wines in a serene atmosphere. Dogs are even allowed inside Mumm Napa's Fine Art Photography Gallery, which houses a permanent Ansel Adams exhibit and works from other photographers.

“This wine is doggone good!” Photo by @nycgizmo

North Fork Wine Country in Long Island, NY

There are several dog-friendly wineries to visit in Long Island’s North Fork, which is located just a half hour from the Hamptons. While it’s a convenient day trip for Hamptonites, the North Fork is also a charming and less-frequented destination ideal for travelers seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle.

  • Dogs are welcome inside the small, pub-style tasting room and at picnic tables on the outdoor patio set amongst the vines at Palmer Vineyards in Riverhead. Order a tasting flight and listen to live music for a great day out with Fido. The winery has a resident cat, so make sure your dog gets along with felines!
  • At Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards in Peconic, sample varietals like Pinot Gris and Carmenere during your tasting. Then, relax with a glass at picnic tables or Adirondack chairs under the sun. In the warmer months, play lawn games in the four-acre yard and bring your own meat and veggies to grill on one of the three BBQ stations. Pair your picnic lunch with a bottle of Osprey’s Dominion wine. During the winter months, dogs are allowed inside the tasting room.
  • Outside the North Fork in St. James, dogs can hang out at outdoor tables overlooking the vineyard and Stony Brook Harbor at Harmony Vineyards, located just 70 minutes from New York City. The quaint tasting room was originally constructed in 1690 as a home. Try the Harmonious Red Blend, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon paired with cheese and charcuterie platters. Dogs are only allowed in the warmer months when you can sit outside.

Fido can sip on water while you taste wines. Photo by Facebook.com/RoundBarnWDB

Lake Michigan Shore Wine Country, MI

Did you know that there’s a wine region worth visiting in the Midwest? There sure is! Head to Michigan to explore more than 100 wineries and cideries, many of which allow canine companions.

  • Round Barn Winery welcomes dogs at all outdoor areas of its estate in Baroda. Live music, food trucks and good wines attract crowds on the weekends, so tasting reservations are recommended in the summer and fall. Round Barn also hosts a popular Wine & Wags event each June to benefit local dog rescues and shelters.
  • Bring your pup to Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan to taste the winery’s small-batch European-style wines. You might even be greeted by the owner’s dogs! Sit outside while you sample varietals ranging from Dry Riesling to Apple Wine to Cabernet Franc.

Meet Cork the dog at Las Nubes Winery in Mexico.

Dog-Friendly Wineries Around the World

If you’re up for an international wine-centric vacation with your canine companion, here are some amazing wineries around the globe that make splurging on an airline ticket totally worth it:

  • In Baja California, head to Las Nubes Winery in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe wine region. Leashed dogs can tag along as you visit the tasting room and sample their Syrah and other reds. Reservations are required for Saturday tastings.
  • Castello di Verrazzano, nestled in the heart of Tuscany in Italy, also welcomes four-legged friends. The winery, located in a historic castle in Greve In Chianti in the Chianti Classico wine region, offers breathtaking views and amazing Old World wines. Dogs are allowed at tastings, tours and strolls in the Italian garden. Pups need to be carried through the cellars during tours. Advance reservations are recommended.
  • Near Chinon in France’s Loire Valley wine region, Chateau du Petit Thouars permits unleashed chiens on the estate grounds and leashed dogs inside the cellar and tasting room. Dimitri, the estate owner’s Cairn Terrier, may even greet you on your tour! Dog owners will want to book the Picnic in the Vines tour and tasting, which allows visitors to picnic outside with their pup at a beautifully dressed table in the vineyard.
  • Down under in Melbourne, contact Gourmet Pawprints for a Doggy Winery Tour of the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula. Hop aboard the “Bella the Dog Welcoming Bus” for your excursion, which includes a morning snack, two to three wine tastings at different vineyards, and a two-course lunch with wine pairing. While you eat, your pooch will be pampered with a massage and a movie on the bus. Each pup-friendly winery tour also promises some off-leash fun at a vineyard, park or beach!

Have you been to a dog-friendly winery? Leave a comment or tweet us @BringFido!