FAQs
Our most commonly asked questions.
If we don’t have your answer, please call (707) 963-9327 or email info@charbaywinery.com.
You sure can. We can only take a maximum of 6 guests at each tasting. If there are 6 people, you can book all spots. Or if you have less than 6, you can still book out all 6 spots. The private tasting fee is $300.
You are welcome to book anywhere between 1 and 7 guests. If you would like to book a private tasting, you can book out all 7 spots, whether there are 7 of you or not. If you are less than 7 and don’t want a private tasting, you will be paired up with the other guests booked at the same time. It’s a great way to make new friends while tasting some delicious ports and wines…
We are totally family-oriented, so you are welcome to bring kiddos and respectful dogs.
I’m sorry but we are restricted to a maximum of 7 people at a time.
Our tastings are about 1 1/2 hours in length.
You’ll be enjoying these fine artisanal products handmade at our winery: Charbay 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbay 2007 Syrah, Charbay 2006 Still House Port and Charbay 2006 Distillers’ Port
We are only open by appointment on Saturdays at 11am. You can make a booking online through Cellarpass (add link), call (707) 963-9327 or email info@charbaywinery.com
If your order is not successfully delivered and is returned back to us, we will contact you to arrange re-shipment. The carrier will make three delivery attempts before returning the package to us. Please note that if your wine is returned to us, you will be charged the shipping cost required to re-send the package.
Bottles are fragile and issues arise from time to time. Call us at (707) 963-9327 or email info@charbaywinery.com, and we will fix the situation quickly.
If you’re not satisfied with any of the products from us, call us (707) 963-9327 or email info@charbaywinery.com within six months of purchase and we’ll make it right.
At Domaine Charbay, we’re relentless in crafting the best products. With that, we are proud to offer a full satisfaction guarantee on all of the products purchased online. However, we cannot replace products purchased from other retailers or restaurants. If you would like the same product but it is no longer available, we will discuss with you a satisfactory alternative. In rare instances, we reserve the right to deny our return policy to customers who we suspect are attempting to abuse the policy.
Only someone 21 or older with ID can sign for your delivery. The carrier will make three delivery attempts before returning the package to us. If you won’t be at home, we recommend that you use a work address or have your parcel held for pick-up at your local FedEx store.
If you need any assistance with your order, need to change the address, want to send a gift, just ask us. Either call (707) 963-9327 or email info@charbaywinery.com
We’re here to help.
As a family-owned winery, we do it all by hand, including picking, packing and shipping. We’ll be packing orders on a Saturday and shipping these out on the following Monday. When you’ll receive your order will depend on the shipping time you selected. Please be patient with us, as we try and do it all. We know it will be worth the wait…
Unfortunately CA law prohibits us from selling our spirits directly to you, as we must strictly adhere to the 3-tier system. We are more than happy to find convenient options for you, though. You can start at charbay.com/find but feel free to reach out directly as well – we are happy to help!
Due to legal restrictions we are only able to ship to the States where are products are registered: AK, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IA, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NC, ND, OR, WA, WY
Most definitely, soooooo good.
Distillers’ Port – Pairs well with ripe cheeses, roasted nuts and non-sweet cheesecake. Medium bodied cigars pair well, also. Still House Port – Pairs well with dark chocolate, semi-dry cheesecake, ripe cheeses and French bread, smoked roasted almonds/nuts.
For a number of very good reasons that all related to producing the best quality possible.
- Reduction – We lose a lot in the process of production. Why would we do that? To achieve a flavor that is outstanding. Basically it’s a 10 to 1 reduction. Meaning, when we start with 10 gallons of wine, the final distillate will be 1 gallon.
- Fruit quality – We start with expensive Napa Valley grapes because they are the highest quality we can source. Starting with quality means we end with quality.
- Evaporation – It’s affectionately known as the ‘angel share.’ It’s the loss that occurs through the barrel aging process. Typically 2-3% annually. You can imagine how much this really added up when we aged Brandy No. 83 for 27 years and Brandy No. 89 for 24 years.
A main difference relates to grape types. French Cognac has very strict regulations governing the varietal of grapes – only white wine and must be grown in the Cognac region. California Brandy places no restrictions on the varietal or location. This gives the distiller the freedom to craft a multi-dimensional Brandy using a collection of flavors rather than a limited range.
In 2006 an agreement was signed to ban the use of “Port” unless it’s made in Douro Valley in Portugal. However, we were making Port long before that date, in the traditional way. As a historical producer we were grandfathered in, granted the right to use the word “Port” on our labels.