Lo-Fi Wines

Low-intervention wines from two lifelong friends, with a walk-in tasting room in Los Alamos, California

Best known for: Lower-alcohol wines with native yeasts and minimal additions

Lo-Fi Wines in Los Alamos, California, makes lower-alcohol wines for the dinner table rather than the trophy shelf. Behind the label are lifelong friends Mike and Craig, whose preference for less manipulation shapes both the winemaking and the prices. Most still wines cost $25–$32 a bottle, and the range rewards a little curiosity: Cabernet Franc and Gamay Noir share space with Mencía, Arinto and Trousseau. This is a useful stop for drinkers interested in looking beyond the usual Chardonnay-and-Cabernet pairing.

The production choices are specific: native yeasts, neutral barrels that avoid strong new-oak flavors, little to no added sulfur, and no pH adjustments. Whole-cluster fermentation keeps grapes on their stems, while carbonic maceration encourages fermentation within intact grapes. Both methods fit Lo-Fi’s focus on youthful wines made for everyday drinking. Bottles such as the 2024 Jurassic Park Chenin Blanc and 2024 Coquelicot Cabernet Franc add vineyard-specific options to the broader selection.

The tasting room sits downtown at 448 B Bell Street, with Friday-through-Sunday afternoons running from noon to 6 p.m. No reservations are required, making Lo-Fi an easy stop to work into a Los Alamos weekend without anchoring the day to an appointment.