🎃 Spooky Candlelit Halloween Dinner at El Vaquero Winery 🕯️

Join us—if you dare—for a hauntingly elegant 4-course candlelit dinner at El Vaquero Winery! This immersive Halloween experience features four spooktacular dishes perfectly paired with four El Vaquero wines, all served under the flicker of dripping candles and a glow of eerie dark light.

Expect deliciously wicked food, spine-tingling ambiance, and of course…plenty of wine and fun! Costumes are highly encouraged—come dressed to impress (or frighten!) for an unforgettable night of food, wine, and Halloween magic.

👻 Tickets: $115 per person
💀 Deposit: $25 due upon reservation (invoice sent via email)
🧛‍♀️ Balance: $90 paid at the door

Seats are limited for this eerie evening of indulgence—reserve your spot now before it vanishes into the mist!

In an effort to improve our turn out and support our local community, we will be making the above changes as of December 1'st 2025. We ask our valued guests for patience as we work out the kinks with our new charging system and we look forward to providing a quality music and wine experience.

Join us from 7 PM - 9 PM (ish) for our weekly round of trivia with Michael Gaither! Top 3 teams win free bottle of wine and bragging rights!

"Make your reservations today at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com for the upcoming Rasquache Liberation Front show. Their last 4 shows at El Vaquero Winery have SOLD OUT.

Get ready for an exhilarating night of dance as the Rasquache Liberation Front (RLF) graces the stage at El Vaquero. Brace yourself for dance floor liberation with the RLF’s soulful blend of salsa, cumbia, Tex-Mex, and original tunes, infused with a touch of blues.

With seasoned veterans who've shared stages with icons like Los Lobos and Willie Nelson, the RLF will captivate you with musical prowess, delivering soaring melodies, sweet harmonies, and infectious rhythms honed alongside musical legends. Drawing from a rich array of Latin influences including Buena Vista Social Club, Flaco Jimenez, Eddie Palmieri, and Fito Olivares, the RLF's unique sound blends seamlessly with rock and blues, forming an irresistible concoction of Chicano music. "

Be sure to sign up for El Vaquero's Weekly email to get information on how to make reservations for Extra Large. Wine Club members will have access to make reservations 2 days before the general public.

At the end of a long, tough day, all we want to do is blow off some steam, and get reacquainted with the things in life that really matter to us-that's where EL comes in. Like a six-piece pressure release valve, EL is there with a cool blend of the funk, reggae riffs, latin beats, essence of jazz and soul that rejuvenates. Proclaiming their role as "fiesta facilitators", they dare us to dance (it's their motto), and we obey. Their lyrics hear our strife and speak of love, optimism and fulfillment. Frontman Russ Leal steps up to the mic. The consumate showman- generous, confident and full of energy- he is plainspoken and charismatic. "It's our goal to make you whole, by doing what we do with unadulterated soul," he sings. Why do we love you Extra Large? Because you know what we mean when we say we're tired, but you're not jaded. You give us permission to forget ourselves and relax, to rediscover fun and lightness of spirit, and as such, we are restored in the funky earnestness of your unfalteringly well-adjusted worldview.
To sign up for the weekly newsletter please see https://www.elvaquerowinery.com $10 Cover, delicious food by a tbd local quality food truck, and award winning wines.

Ten O'Clock Lunch Band plays Old and New School Blues, Rock Classics and Motown Gems to get you moving on the dance floor. They're a fun to watch, fun to listen to dance band with a sense of humor, all about the groove and the songs they love to share.

The Swag Tones are an energetic, genre fluid, era fluid seven piece band consisting of seasoned pro musicians that will keep you dancing with funk, soul, disco and a sprinkling AM Gold classics…

Don’t miss the Corralitos Wine Tasting Event of the year. This 4th annual event features 11 wineries, 3 breweries, 2 cideries, 4 Foodtrucks and music by the Alex Lucero Band, the best band in Santa Cruz for 2 years running (per the Santa Cruz Good Times magazine).

All this takes place on the beautiful grounds of the Aladdin Nursery, a company dedicated to beautifying our area for over the last 100 years!

The main tasting event runs 1 to 4 PM with an optional VIP tasting between 11:30 and 1 pm taking place on the neighboring El Vaquero Winery tasting patio. The VIP tasting which trialed last year was an amazing success with people raving about the ability to hear from local wine takers as they guide you through tasting of a wine that is special to them, and not available at the main tasting event.

There’s special early bird pricing available till October 5th.

Make reservations at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com to welcome back the Ripatti Rose Band for an outdoor show.

“This is a great rocking band with amazing guitar work by Dylan Rose and David De Silva on bass, drums by Keith Wieland and three great vocalists. Alisha Ripatti and Joscelyn Olson’s vocals cover a broad vocal spectrum beautifully from Fleetwood Mac to Heart to Led Zeppelin” - Bob Prikazsky (EVW Reviews)

Rooted in the Santa Cruz music scene, this talented lineup can traverse rock, blues, soul, funk, and everything in between. Be ready for a rock and roll show!

We’ll have award winning wines by Alex and delicious food from a local favorite quality food truck. Cover is $10, reservations are highly recommended at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com

Anthony Arya is an Americana Rock artist from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. He gained popularity at 16 after his appearance on NBC’s The Voice. Since then, he has released four full length albums winning national awards for his songwriting. From his soulful lyrics to gritty guitar riffs, Anthony brings the folk rock California sound of Laurel Canyon to a modern era. The Anthony Arya Band with their signature sound, is one of the most sought after bands around the Bay Area from Monterey to Sonoma.

⁦www.anthonyarya.com⁩

Listen Band Here: ⁦https://youtu.be/onyYGeT5FXs⁩

We’ll have award winning wine and delicious food from a local food truck. $10 Cover at the door (100% goes to the band), reservations are highly recommended at reservations.elvaquerowinery.com

We’re coming baaaack! Our FIFTH annual HalloweenBash @elvaquerowinery is Saturday October 25th from 5-8 pm!

It’s the annual mix of our usual fun tunes PLUS lots of Halloween tunes too! Costume contest, antics, guests, and lots of fun,

Mark your calendars and snag your table now at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com

Make reservations at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com to enjoy a Corralitos evening of classic Neil Young & CSN music.

“Not So Young” is a dedicated group of musicians that capture the mood and raw energy of the classic Neil Young songbook. Representing over 40 years of Neil Young music, “Not So Young” delivers a wide assortment from the Godfather of Grunge. Every time you see “Not So Young” perform you will be glad that you came out to “Feel the Neil”.

“”Not So Young” includes Jim Rosenberg (lead vocals and guitar), David Handloff (bass) and the majority of the Fabulous Ripatti Rose Band, including Dylan Rose (guitar), Alisha Ripatti (vocals), Keith Wieland (drums) and Jocelyn Olson (keyboards). The guitar work of this band is riveting and the vocals extraordinary with 4 vocalists delivering rich harmonies of Neil and Crosby, Stills and Nash tunes.

Cover is $10 at the door (100% goes to the band), we’ll have award winning wine and food from a local quality food truck. Enjoy, but first make a reservation at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com

Make your reservations for the Alex Lucero Band at El Vaquero Winery starring the winner of the 2023 and 2024 Good Times Best Local Solo Artist and Band award The Alex Lucero Band.

Alex Lucero might have grown up in “The Cowboy Capital of The World”, but don’t let that fool you. Despite being brought up in a very “country” esque environment in small town Oakdale, Ca, Alex actually grew up listening almost exclusively to the soulful music of the 60’s & 70’s. Artists such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison and Stevie Wonder have played a huge part in his musical influences and overall feel. Alex Lucero & The Live Again Band have received incredible response across Northern California being played regularly on multiple radio stations and on permanent rotation on the well known KPIG 107 “oink” 5.

$10 Cover, reservations are required at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com We’ll have award winning wines and a quality local food truck.

Come support young local artists with the Rio Del Mar Elementary & Junior High Rock Band Cover Craft! Time TBA!

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This Show will be open to Wine Club Members Only starting October 14th!

The chili cook off is back! Submissions for your chili recipe will start November 1st! Top 3 chilis win free wine!

The chili cook off is back! Submissions for your chili recipe will start November 1st! Top 3 chilis win free wine!

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Make reservations at http://reservations.elvaquerowinery.com to welcome back the Ripatti Rose Band for an outdoor show.

“This is a great rocking band with amazing guitar work by Dylan Rose and David De Silva on bass, drums by Keith Wieland and three great vocalists. Alisha Ripatti and Joscelyn Olson’s vocals cover a broad vocal spectrum beautifully from Fleetwood Mac to Heart to Led Zeppelin” - Bob Prikazsky (EVW Reviews)

Rooted in the Santa Cruz music scene, this talented lineup can traverse rock, blues, soul, funk, and everything in between. Be ready for a rock and roll show!

We’ll have award winning wines by Alex and delicious food from a local favorite quality food truck.

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