Koi Zen Cellars

We live near this winery and it is the only place I can find my FAVORITE wine. I refuse to say which wine it is because then it will sell out! I have turned all my friend's onto it & I am so thankful to have such nice & kind people running this winery. They have always been so generous with their pours & they have always figured out a way for me to get my hands on my favorite wine. I also visit this winery when my family participates as a vendor during their craft/vendor fairs a couple times a year. I bring my daughter with me & sometimes a friend of hers & we always have a really great time. I have been here several times, well, more than several times. Though I am not a member, I sure feel treated like I am a member. I have attended & held fundraisers here & I have been here for live music or just a quiet place to have girlfriend talk. I love that there are different things happening different days, but it isn't overwhelming like other wineries that get so incredibly busy that they lose their charm completely. I appreciate Koi Zen for the zen it brings me. I would 10/10 recommend if you are looking for a place to enjoy wine with friends and/or family. Looking forward to my next visit, even though I just walked out with 3 bottles of my favorite wine tonight! Lisa & Darius & their staff are all great & deserve all the kudos. They all work really hard. With love, The birthday girl

Went Saturday night when they have live music. Wine was great. Had the Graciano. Great story behind the wine. Love the atmosphere. Enjoyed the evening. We decided to do it once a month. You have to experience it.

Koi Zen is an independent and singular wine bar with a warm vibe and welcoming staff. I've been a member for several years. This year we have had lovely live music of many genres and fun game nights. Lisa and Darius are wonderful humans.

Great winery. bought a splash of Zinfandel with bold tannins. Cozy tasting rooms, you can bring your own snacks. . cheese, sausages, fruits.. good place to sit and visit with friends. i Bought a dark chocolate truffle. i enjoyed my evening.

I wanted to give a shout out to Koi Zen Cellars! My husband and I have been members for years. They are family run, and both their urban winery and wines are award winning! The owners Darius and Lisa make coming in like visiting old friends. I highly recommend checking it out if you live near or are visiting the San Diego area.

Best wine tasting that I've ever been to educational wines were excellent really recommend the dessert wines fantastic

This place is a hidden gem. Great winery, great staff. Really nice experience

Some really nice wines, and an extremely pleasant place to meet while savoring some of them.

Koi Zen Cellars is a hidden gem in a business park in Carmel Mountian Ranch, located in San Diego's North County. Once you walk thru the doors you are transferred to a warm and welcoming place where people gather to drink a variety of award winning wines. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, as are the customers. Many friendships have been formed over a glass or 2 of wine. On weekends you can listen to live music or maybe catch a game of Trivia. You also maybe catch a Bingo game during the week or a fundraiser going on. Koi Zen Cellars is a great place to hang out with friends or even hold a private event with more of your friends or associates.

Great experience here again for a wrestling mom event! The venue is perfect for hosting, and the wine is consistently good. The sparkling white I ordered was amazing. I often get a bottle to go--the port I purchased last year was a huge hit at Thanksgiving. While it's tucked in a business park, this spot is a must-try hidden gem!

Koi Zen is a jewel in the Rancho Bernardo area. Lisa and Darius are the most wonderful hosts with remarkable wines, a "Cheers" atmosphere and so many community events like Trivia and music nights. The staff is knowledgable and ready for you to taste and see what hits your wine palate. I at a wine club member and enjoy very nice discounts on wine plus the free couple of glasses during the month. Funny how many reviews compare Koi Zen to a precious stone so it must be true!

Last year I purchased a 12 days certificate, I used it for 12 of my friends, Lisa always welcomes us and had everything set up for my friends. We had such a great Christmas happy hour. The wine was great and we will be back, Darius stopped in to check on us as well! Love them both!

When I'm in the mood for a quiet moment to read my book with a nice Port or Bubbly and a little nook/space to hide, Koi Zen Cellars is my favorite spot. Or perhaps to hang out with a friend to "catch-up" on our lives with snacks (yes you can bring snacks). Sure it's located in a business park, but that's it's secret charm. The owner Lisa & Winemaker Darius are the most gracious hostess and if you ask for a "tour" of the winery - they will gladly show you around.

Koi Zen is a true hidden gem. They have great events all week long and music on the weekends. Their wines are delicious . It is a great place for a quick glass at the end of the day, ladies night or just hang out!

Koi Zen is our home winery. After visiting for the first year, my husband and I became members. Experience warm, welcoming, joyful atmosphere, live music, game nights, art appreciation, attentive service. Once you have consistently great wine in your home cabinet you won't go back to mediocre wine. The website is worth checking out as it is so well done and informative.

Service is great, friendly. They make their own wines here, been open 10 years, and a hidden gem in the RB area. Relaxing environment , and space can be reserved for book club and such. They also have club memberships for wine bottles and tastings. Wines are tasty and prices reasonable for small batch production. Really enjoyed their 2019 Petit Petite and 2022 Barbera. And enjoyed each story behind how they came up with the names for the some of the wines.

An amazing local wine cellar! Service was amazing and it is so relaxing inside. We stopped in one afternoon and it was such an amazing experience. Truly a new favorite of mine in the area, cannot recommend it enough.

Excellent wines at the right price. Someone in my family says so and is very knowledgeable. They make VERY interesting blends. Friendly and always pleasant service and ambiance. Definitely recommend this urban winery.

Great wine, great atmosphere. Staff and owners fabulous. Live music Friday and Saturday nights and trivia once a month. Fun place!

Great hidden gem! Fabulous array of wines to taste and the vibe is relaxed, warm and inviting. Bonus, on the weekends they have live music to enjoy while you sip your wine. Unfortunately the kitchen was not open on our visit but we look forward to going back and trying the food offerings

KoiZen is my home away from home for great wine, fun music and dear friends. I have been a member for 10 years and live the atmosphere and caring owners. You will enjoy yourself when you are in this wonderful locale!

Saw live music here one Sunday, which was a lot of fun. The wine is pretty good overall, we settled on one of their white wines. Had an excellent time overall

Koi Zen is a great little escape from reality. We stopped by on our way Wednesday to the grocery store to pick up some last minute items for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so crowded everywhere it was nice to sit, chat and enjoy a glass of Cab and some chocolate. Koi Zen has various activities throughout the year (upcoming shopping for small business Saturday and a ceramic wreath making class on Sunday). The location is great, small business area but very peaceful and tranquil when you walk inside. The staff is always so welcoming and nice and their wines are great (I am more of a red person but their others are tasty as well). They sell little snacks like chocolates that were really good and have different wine themed gifts if you want to enjoy a glass while doing some light shopping. Great place, well worth checking out!

Great wine, atmosphere & music Koi Zen Cellars is a great place to meet friends and relax. We enjoy the classes offered here, also. The owners are actively involved in service, with great membership advantages!

What a hidden gem! Cute set up with little coves for privacy or big room with a TV. The wine was excellent. I even went home with two bottles of Chardonnay! This will be our go to place from now on!

Koi Zen Cellars is a great wine and event go to for delicious wine, bingo, live music venues, classes on wine and dinners. One of favorite places to frequent.

Lovely place and very friendly owners. Had a great time with girlfriends while playing Bingo and sipping on wine. We will definitely be back

Lovely urban winery tucked in an office park. Upon entering, you'll be transformed into a wonderland. From comfortable tables and couches, to the barrel room in the back, you'll feel at ease. Service was wonderful - so warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable. Lovely place to share a bottle. The wine was bold and expressive. Perfect pairing with the provided chocolates and breadsticks too. They even offered us a pen and sticker. Would certainly return.

I wanted to give a shout out to Koi Zen Cellars! My husband and I have been members for years. They are family run, and both their urban winery and wines are award winning! The owners Darius and Lisa make coming in like visiting old friends. I highly recommend checking it out if you live near or are visiting the San Diego area.

Super cute find! In an industrial area so kind of hidden but great find. We did the wine tasting and enjoyed all of them. Ending up taking a bottle of the rose home! The lady behind the bar I forgot her name but begins with a N might of been Natalie or Natasha sorry! She was amazing tho great service and great recommendations. They were having trivia that night and had a full house!

Went back for a visit when we were in San Diego. Koi Zen is still rockin it!!! Their new Cab is fabulous as are many of the other new wines. The fact that they source their grapes from different vineyards and areas gives an amazing variety every time we visit! We stocked up on our favorites as we know they will sell quickly! Nicely done Koi Zen!!

Wonderful cozy winery! They focus on mainly reds but they had a few whites that were pretty good. They only have indoor seating but it's a good amount of space. You can do 6 tastings for $20 or buy by the glass or bottle. They rotate the wines on their tasting pretty frequently too. The grapes they have are all sourced from different areas in California (paso Robles, Santa Barbara, lodi, etc.). While the wine was good, the service is really what makes this place so great. Everyone is super friendly and the owner also was walking around saying hi to people. We liked the wine and atmosphere so much we became wine club members! Excited to come back.

Small winery in Rancho Bernardo. Who knew? It's in the back of a business park. I got the symphony crescendo sparkling wine. I have had a few of their wines and the majority are good.

Wonderful place. Wine is very good. Good place to relax after work and enjoy an excellent glass of wine.

What a hidden gem! My husband and I shared a bottle of zin and it was very good. The service was great and very friendly. They let us try and explained the difference between the zins. Nice live music on Thursday! We will be back!

I love this place! I've been to a lot of wineries in a lot of different locations. This setting is a little different, in an industrial park, but who cares? The wines are great, the people are sweet, prices are fair, the ambiance is comfortable, and they offer snacks! There is nothing Not to love. I think I'll go back today!

Winery in an industrial park, that was a little unexpected. Small, but nice interior. The one business decision, not to sell/serve any non alcoholic wine, seems very out of touch with today's sensibilities. I had called ahead regarding the wine issue and they refused to allow us to bring a bottle of our own. Two of our group of seven, do not drink alcohol. They could have simply had an uncorking charge, we'd of happily paid it. I guess they are more concerned about their wine snobbery, than they are being great hosts and making everyone feel welcome and truly enjoying the evening on par with their friends. We were there to listen to a great live blues band, but our friends couldn't participate in the celebratory atmosphere of hoisting their glass of wine, multiple times throughout the evening. With such a non inclusive atmosphere we won't be back. Besides, the expensive Cabernet Savignon was of the poorest quality.

Definitely a warm and welcoming winery to come sit and enjoy. I attended their 8th anniversary celebration and the owner, Darius, was such a gracious host. He said, "I think your gonna like this one," and he was right. The crowd came for a good time and all enjoyed themselves. Thank you Koi Zen for an afternoon of good wine and good people.

Amazing staff - super knowledgeable and attentive. Such a hidden gem. Although they don't serve food, the board they have available is sizeable. Wines were lovely. If you're a Yacht Rock fan, you'll love chilling on the couch in the zen room or by the Koi Pond.

Decent little spot in an area that needs some wine tasting rooms. Unfortunately, service has declined since signing up as a member here...which ended this evening. When we first started out here they had some great service and entertaining folks serving up their wines! Tonight, they posted (buried on their website) that their hours open to the public would only be until 5:30 tonight due to a private event starting. So, we hustle down there and show up to pickup our monthly bottles around 5:10, couple staff members were present, one single other customer was at the bar asking a few questions when we walked in. Server asked if we were with a private party coming in later this evening, we said no just here for our monthly pickup and to grab a glass of wine. We were able to grab our bottles but with 20 minutes until their private party was to begin we were told we couldn't be served. What a waste of time to head down there to be turned away. Time to find a new spot to join up at!

Awesome winery in the business district of Carmel Mountain Ranch! I was surprised when I found out about this place because I did not know such a place existed so close to me. So cool! They are very safe during these times. Tables are spaciously set apart. & clean! I did a wine tasting & everything that I tried was nice & refreshing! I cannot wait to come back when they do live music & to bring my pup when they are not bottling.

Cute spot. Stopped in with my boyfriend for our first visit - we've been meaning to drop in for a while since it's so close. Well, we finally decided to and there was an event going on in the room below the tasting room. The tasting room was still open and people were in it but no one was behind the bar. We waited, and waited... looking at the merchandise, tried to find a menu but none was to be found, watched the events pop up on the tv, and no one came over. Funny, because there's a side saying that you're on camera walking in, so we must've been seen. Anyway, someone FINALLY walks over, behind us, goes into the back, saying nothing to us, and comes out and walks behind us once again to go back to the event without saying a word. If you cannot manage an event and a tasting room, close the tasting room. We left and will not be back. Horrible service.

Wineries that don't have all wines available for people to try at the cellars weird me out a bit. The one we were interested in isn't available as a taster or a glass and we had to buy the whole bottle. That made me really uneasy bc we didn't like any of the ones we tasted. I tried a white, rose and red. Our options were quite limited so we went with the pinot grigio which was the best but only available by the bottle. The rose was actually super weird to me. Kind of tasted like makeup or something. I wasn't a fan. The winery is in the middle of nowhere similar to breweries on Miramar and was packed. The crowd is definitely much older here.

This is a surprise finding in an industrial center! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the wines are excellent. Our favorites are the Zinfandels - rich and fruity and delicious. it is a bit of a drive for us, but we will be back!

We came here to redeem a promotion - 2 flights for the price of one ($10). The pours were okay for the flights, we have seem more generous ones at other places. Pretty crafty place within a industrial area. We did kind of wish it had outdoor seating as it was such a beautiful day, though the area we were in felt kind of private with the grapes backdrop. Merchandise was scattered throughout the store. While trying the flights, I found Riesling and the Symphony were my favorites. I now know my preference is whites rather than whites. Mr. W preferred the Symphony for whites and the Syrah for reds. For the dessert wines, Muscat Canelli Ying tasted like sugary goodness of a moscato. Ruby Red Yin tasted like a dessert brandy. Some knowledge absorbed during our visit here: Staff was very informative and knowledgeable in letting us know more about their process. Takes about 18 months for reds. Reds are more earthy and alcoholic due to the way that they are made. They are stored and fermented in French Oak Wood. 6 months for whites. Whites arent as stable as the reds. They are more light, crisp and refreshing tastes. Almost like you're taking a bite of a crisp apple. Mr. W was disappointed in the pond as there was no real Koi fish but a rubber one. There was one bathroom and looks like a kitchen/storage room in the making. Decent spot. Okay area to grab a drink and talk. Looks like they have trivia night on some nights.

Cool locally-owned winery. The owners, Lisa and Darius, are helpful and treat everyone like family. The entire KZ crew is the same and greets all with a smile and a wealth of knowledge about wines. The wines taste amazing and are made in smaller batches. They also hold special events to support surrounding neighborhoods. Koi Zen offers live music at times and also a membership option, which I suggest. If you've missed this unique winery, you have to stop and check them out.

My wife and I stumbled upon Koi Zen about a year or two ago to support an event that my mother was hosting at the winery and quickly fell in love with the place. We're both wine drinkers and have visited several wineries through California and Arizona, but Koi Zen is only one of two wineries that we've actually joined memberships with. It's a small, but very nicely laid out winery quietly tucked back in the Carmel Mountain industrial park and their wines definitely do not disappoint. The staff here is always friendly and despite only seeing us every couple months, they always seem to recognize our faces when we walk in. About two months ago I met a friend here who also enjoys good wine and he ended up liking it too and also established a membership. I always look forward to picking up my wine from Koi Zen, or just dropping in for a glass of wine on a weekend afternoon. I would highly recommend trying Koi Zen regardless of how often, or not you drink wine. It's not just the wine that makes this place special, but the environment and the people that make it all happen.

Super chill tasting room and tonight is live music! My second time here and I love it! Thanks Lisa for being a great hostess! Lovely wines, amazing variety. Not a chard person, this one I like. Pretty sure I need to be a member :) FYI a little hidden, over by the Costco in Carmel Mountain.

What a fun place! Off the beaten path -- delicious wines -- reasonable wine club -- fun local entertainment "events" Knowledgeable tasting room staff, pleasant ambiance. Ample parking and it's business park location make this tasting room and retail establishment easy to access. We plan on visiting again ... and again ... and again!

This is a nice tasting room (in a business complex) near San Diego and makes for a fun evening tasting wines and/or hanging with friends. The wines were good (not great), but the workers are friendly, and you gets 5 tastes for $10 which is about as good as you can find. Worth a trip--you'll have fun.

Koi Zen Cellars is a beautiful venue! I had a comedy show there last week and we had about 45 people in attendance. Lisa was so accommodating to all of the guests, rearranging seating so that everyone was comfortable. The space is beautiful, the wine was fabulous and those that had the cheese plates said they were just delicious! If you are looking for a place to just enjoy some wine- this is it! If you are looking for a bit of entertainment along with your wine- check out their event schedule! We will be back as often as our schedule allows!

I can't believe I've never rated Koi Zen before (but have voted for them in San Diego's Best multiple times.) This hidden gem in a industrial neighborhood of Carmel Mountain is an absolute favorite of mine. The owners are very welcoming, all employees are knowledgeable, and there is truly ample seating everywhere. Koi Zen hosts tons of really cool events, one of which was sponsored by the San Diego Humane Society. Reps from the SDHS came in with baby kittens to cuddle with while Koi Zen printed special labels on some bottles and sold them while giving (forgive me if my % isn't correct) something like 50% of all sales to the SDHS. You can't get any better than that! Except....you can because their wine truly is delicious!!

What a neat place to grab some wine and unwind with some friends. Koi Zen has a super friendly and helpful staff. They have tasters os wine available. Full glasses and bottles. Its a great place for group or an individual to go to and hang out. If you want you may purchase chesse and crackers. We ordered some goat cheese and crackers. It was delicious. They have a small water fountain area in the main sitting room. And it has Koi swimming in it. Thats a nice touch! Do not worry about parking, there is plenty of parking available in the lot. Or at least there was when I went to Koi Zen. There was a neat pairing special called Ying n Yang. Two dessert wines and a homemade chocolate truffle candy and an ice cream dish with wine infused berries. I loveed this pairing and hope that they keep serving it up. Overall this place is simply enjoyable. A place that I would come back and visit again.

We had a great time at Koi Zen Cellars, great wine, friendly service and super chill atmosphere. I loved the "Shimmer of Zin" delicious rose of Zinfandel. Thank you Lisa and Darious (the owners) so friendly and fun! We will definitely come again.

oh wait...i've been here! My friend is a wine club member and she needed to do a pickup. we came to pick up her shipment and do a tasting. the guy helping us was super nice and friendly! the wine was good enough...nothing like Napa wines...but it was nice. the wine club...hmmm...you can't get comp tasting on every visit...they give you 4 tasting per month and we used up 2 on this day...and you have to hold onto your vouchers! i would totally lose mine! other wine club memberships keep your info on file and give you comp tastings on every visit...that's how it should be.. the space was nice...

TOOTALLY not what you would expect out of a wine tasting experience. But surprisingly good, and a fun place to try some vino! Koi Zen Cellars is situated about halfway between downtown SD and Escondido. It's a place you would almost certainly not stop in if you didn't know about it. It looks on the outside like any other office buildings. That being said, I came here with my family and we were pleasantly surprised by the experience. The staff was friendly, there was a cute doggo with equal friendliness, and the wine was good! I would absolutely come back, even just to make the trip to get out of the city. It's a comfortable setting, nice and quiet, and parking was a cinch.

Darius and Lisa. Koi and Zen. Merlot and Chardonnay. Perfect pairings! Walking into Koi Zen you feel like you have walked into your super knowledgeable about wine cousin's house. Why? Because Lisa and Darius are the nicest warmest people you will ever meet pouring you wine samples. So try the tasting first. $10 for 6 tastes. If you like whites, try the Chardonnay. If you like reds, I insist you have the merlot. I thought I didn't like Merlots. But this one is different. I am a Zin fan usually but this merlot rules! They have fun events too. Check their calendar for wine pressing and get an insider look at the process. It is a complete package! Seriously go visit my wine cousins and #sipbackuncorkrelax!