Flying Suitcase Wines

Updated April 16, 2024

Silicon Valley’s Walkable Urban Wine Trail Is A Little-Known Haven Of Charming Family-Owned Wineries

## Flying Suitcase Wines (San Carlos, California): what to know before you go

Flying Suitcase Wines operated an urban winery/tasting room at 915 Washington St, San Carlos, CA 94070 (coordinates: 37.4989252, -122.2443556).

Important update (outdated-data flag): the winery’s own website states the tasting room closed permanently on Dec 21, 2025, with wine still available online (shipping, and potentially local pickup by arrangement) and occasional periodic openings while they wind down operations. Suitcase Wines

That closure changes how you should plan: treat this as a buy-online producer with a closed physical tasting room, unless the official site announces a pop-up opening.

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## What Flying Suitcase Wines is known for

This spot was part of the walkable cluster of San Carlos tasting rooms sometimes described as the area’s “urban wine trail,” with multiple wineries close together.

A few concrete details that show up consistently across sources:

– It was positioned as a family-friendly tasting room (including a small kids’ play area) and dog-friendly. Suitcase Wines
– The brand story is tied to founders Anders and Vikki Vinther, who moved from Denmark; the name is described as a nod to Anders’ Danish heritage and a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Corks
– The winery offered a range of varietals (one source specifically notes a focus on Syrah). Corks

If you’re writing this up for RealJourneyTravels.com, the honest framing is: a small, personable Peninsula tasting room that built a reputation on hospitality and approachability—now primarily an online purchase.

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## Can you still visit? Here’s the practical answer

### Current status
– No regular tastings: the winery states the tasting room is permanently closed as of Dec 21, 2025. Suitcase Wines
– You can still buy wine: their site says you may purchase online for shipping, and you can arrange a pickup time, with periodic openings announced on their site. Suitcase Wines
– Direct contact exists: the site provides a phone number and an email contact for “Vikki” for more info. Suitcase Wines

### If you’re trying to plan a same-day stop
Don’t rely on third-party “hours” pages alone. Listings like Yelp/Tripadvisor still show the former weekend schedule (e.g., Sat/Sun 1–5 PM). Those were accurate historically, but the winery’s own closure notice is the more reliable, newer signal.

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## What the tasting experience was like (when it was open)

Multiple sources describe it as a small, cozy tasting room—the kind of place where staff can actually talk you through what’s in the glass instead of running a scripted “wine flight” conveyor belt.

A specific example of the winery’s own product-page style: they published detailed tasting notes and pairing notes for at least some wines (e.g., one red blend lists dark cherry/white pepper/cassis aromas and pairing suggestions like grilled meats and semi-hard cheeses). Suitcase Wines

That matters for travelers because it signals the operation leaned into education and guidance, not just pouring.

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## If you’re doing the San Carlos “urban wine trail” thing

Even with Flying Suitcase’s tasting room closed, San Carlos is still known (in travel writeups) for having several tasting rooms close together, making it feasible to build a short, walkable afternoon around wine.

A few practical tips that stay true for any urban tasting-room crawl:

– Plan for pacing: two tasting rooms is often the sweet spot if you want to taste thoughtfully rather than “check boxes.”
– Hydration and food aren’t optional: urban districts can trick you into forgetting winery-country habits—eat first, carry water.
– Use reservations when offered: small rooms fill quickly; some reviews/lists explicitly recommend reservations because seating can be limited.
– Group composition matters: if kids or dogs are in your party, always verify policies day-of—policies change, and older posts may be stale. (Flying Suitcase was known as kid- and dog-friendly when open.) Suitcase Wines

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## Reviews snapshot (context, not hype)

Tripadvisor describes Flying Suitcase Wines as a family-friendly winery and tasting room bringing grapes from multiple California regions (Napa, Russian River Valley, Amador County, etc.) and lists a 4.7/5 rating based on a small number of reviews.

That’s useful as a signal, but it’s also a reminder: small sample sizes can swing ratings. For editorial integrity, treat it as “well-reviewed by those who went,” not proof of universal fit.

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## Buying bottles now: what to do (post-closure)

If your goal is to feature the winery in a travel guide while staying accurate:

1. Point readers to the official site first for any periodic openings and the clearest “how to buy” instructions. Suitcase Wines
2. Frame it as shipping/pickup-friendly rather than a sure-thing tasting stop. Suitcase Wines
3. Use product pages for specifics (tasting notes, pairing notes, vintage details) so you’re not inventing descriptors. Suitcase Wines

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## Accessibility & inclusivity notes (what we can and can’t claim)

– I can confirm the business presented itself as family-friendly and dog-friendly while the tasting room was operating. Suitcase Wines
– I cannot verify current accessibility features (step-free entry, restroom setup, hearing accommodations, etc.) from the sources surfaced here. If you want that in the post, it should be checked directly with the winery via their listed contact. Suitcase Wines

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## Two internal links (only if they exist on your site)
I don’t have access to RealJourneyTravels.com’s internal URL structure, so I can’t add factual internal links without risking broken or invented URLs. If you tell me two target pages (or your slug conventions), I’ll stitch them in cleanly and contextually in one pass.

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