Burrell School Winery sits on the grounds of a historic schoolhouse in Los Gatos, and it’s one of the few tasting rooms in the Santa Cruz Mountains where you can bring your dog along while you sample wines. The winery specializes in handcrafted wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation, focusing on small-batch production that captures the character of the region’s elevation and terroir.

What makes this place work well for dogs is the outdoor setting. The vineyard grounds give you room to walk around with your dog between tastings, and the relaxed atmosphere means staff aren’t stressed about having a well-behaved dog nearby. You’re not squeezed into a crowded indoor bar—there’s actual space to move.

The winemaking approach here centers on hand-harvesting grapes at peak ripeness and concentrating flavors rather than chasing volume. That philosophy shows in what you’re tasting. The wines tend toward fuller styles that reflect the mountain vineyard conditions rather than generic crowd-pleasers. If you’re familiar with Santa Cruz Mountains wines from producers like Mount Eden or Bonny Doon, you’ll get a sense of the style.

Bring water for your dog since you’ll be outside and potentially in the sun depending on the season. The property has some shade from oak trees, which helps during warmer months. The tasting experience itself is unhurried—this isn’t a high-volume operation with strict time limits, so you won’t feel rushed if your dog needs a break or if you want to linger over a particular wine.

Los Gatos itself sits near Highway 17, making it accessible from both the Peninsula and the South Bay. If you’re exploring the wine country around here, you’re close enough to Uvas Canyon County Park for a hike before or after tasting. Parking is on the property, and you drive right up to the tasting room, so there’s no long walk from a distant lot.