Artistry typifies Cedar Mountain Winery, located in Livermore’s wine country in the East Bay Area. Owners Earl and Linda Ault have created something genuinely distinctive here—they’re not just making wine, but also displaying their own sculptures and paintings throughout the property, and they take the kitchen seriously too. The wines themselves are built on a philosophy the Aults take seriously: quality starts in the vineyard. Cedar Mountain uses Livermore-grown grapes exclusively, which means you’re tasting what the local terroir actually produces rather than fruit sourced from elsewhere.

What makes this place work for visiting with your dog is that it doesn’t feel like an afterthought. The grounds have a relaxed, creative energy that extends to welcoming dogs alongside their owners. You can walk around, look at the art installations, and settle in for a tasting without feeling like your dog is tolerated rather than genuinely welcome. The winery setting itself—surrounded by vineyards with views across the valley—gives you plenty of space to move around rather than being confined to a small tasting room.

The combination of serious winemaking, actual art on display, and genuine hospitality creates an experience that’s more interesting than standard wine country visits. It’s the kind of place where you notice details: how the owners have thought through the space, what wines they’ve chosen to focus on, how they’ve integrated their own creative work into the business itself. You won’t find corporate polish here, which is part of the appeal.

Livermore’s wine region has been producing grapes since the 1880s, so Cedar Mountain sits within real wine country history rather than a trendy new area. If you’re planning a visit, bring a water bowl for your dog and plan to spend time exploring both the tasting menu and whatever art happens to be on display during your visit.