Sonoma County Wine

Where to go? What to do? Sonoma County wine country has so many places to go, so many things to do.

Yes, all the travel guides and hubbub talk up Napa Valley as California's premier wine country. And there is no denying that the hoity-toity little valley deserves its accolades and your visit. Sonoma's easterly neighbor, Napa, gets all the mainstream press and the lavish accolades for its wine country, but it is also over-hyped and overcrowded with oenophiles wine neophytes. There is nothing as exasperating for a wine lover wanting to spend a quiet reflective day tasting wine in the bucolic splendor of Napa Valley than to drive headlong into bumper-to-bumper traffic on Hwy. 29, be the last person in a 10-deep packed crowd at the Beringer tasting room, or waiting 20 minutes to order a sandwich at Oakville Grocery to take to your picnic lunch at Joseph Phelps where you have to wait in line for a table. Summers in Napa Valley are all hustle and bustle, the roads are a parking lot of cars and tour buses, the restaurants are jammed, and the wineries are busting at their seams.

Doesn't sound too inviting, does it? Need a suggestion? Try exploring Sonoma County. The region is twice as big as Napa and overflows with diversity. It's a wine region that is a compact car full of clowns; open the door and those big-shoed, red-nosed people just keep climbing out. Basically, throw pretension out the window, take a left at the Hwy. 29 and 121 junction and go exploring. The region starts about an hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, spreads west to the Sonoma Coast and extends north to Cloverdale just on the edge of Mendocino County. There are an estimated 55,000 acres of planted vineyards with over 200 wineries to thirst over. There are also over thirteen different wine AVA's that offer unique and individual personalities and flavors. See Sonoma wineries for more information. So many places to go, so many things to do. And to quote John Mayall, there's "Room to move."

The Sonoma Count wine nexus is Sonoma Valley. It carries the burden as Napa Valley's neighbor to the east on the other side of the Mayacamas Mountain Range. Mountain is a relative term here, you don't need to strap on mountaineering gear to get over from Napa to Sonoma Valley, you just need to drive on Hwy. 121 west through Carneros or take Spring Road over the ridge or sneak through Franz Valley Road north of Calistoga or, better yet, take Spring Road west of St. Helena and enjoy the winding curves to the top and stop off at Pride Mountain and put your name on their mailing list. And while there are those other twelve AVA's in Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley is a great place to start your local Lewis & Clark Expedition. There are historic wineries, there's excellent food, there's an atmosphere of open-arm friendliness compared to their eastern neighbors, and there's country charm with panache as frosting on top.

Historically, the Franciscan fathers at Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma planted the first vineyards in California in 1824. Don't get excited, since these vineyards were of Mission grapes and were used to make sacramental wines and not meant to accompany anything more than crackers. The first wines for actual enjoyment were planted by a Hungarian, Agostan Haraszthy, at his Buena Vista Winery just to the east of town on Old Winery Road. He is widely acknowledged as one of California's wine pioneers, and while the winery has had its ups and downs and changes of owners, it has gone through extensive renovation, has an excellent museum celebrating California's wine history, and it's an excellent place for an afternoon respite. Worth a visit is a stop in downtown Sonoma's Plaza, an eight-acre national landmark downtown that was the site of Bear Flag Revolt in 1846 where the settlers declared independence from Mexico, an event that helped get the U.S. rolling to take California over as a territory. And who knows, after a few bottles of Sonoma Cab, this may be the place where Californians declare their independence from the government run by the flacks and puppet masters in Washington, D.C. There's a park in the center of town and the four sides of the square are packed with art galleries, boutiques, tourist shops, excellent restaurants and cafes, and Sonoma Cheese Factory known for its Sonoma Jack.

Before leaving Sonoma and heading north, a pleasant diversion is to another historic winery, Gundlach Bundschu, which is south of town off Napa Road. It's California's second-oldest winery, founded in 1858 by the German immigrant Jacob Gundlach. The winery has gone through its share of trials and tribulations. Its up in the hills to the east of town, has excellent Rieslings, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvigon, and is a fine stop for a picnic with a panoramic view of the valley. And if you like Zinfandel, it's always a treat to stop and get some of Joel Peterson's non-wimpy wines at Ravenswood Winery.

Otherwise, have your designated driver (or preferably your limo driver) point the car north out of town on Highway 12. Outside of town you will find a score of wineries to the left and right of the highway to stop and visit. And while everyone has a preference, the following are worth the time to sample: Arrowood, Kunde, Kenwood, and Chateau St. Jean. And for the literati out there on the road, take the time to visit Jack London State Historic Park to see the adventurer/writer's house, or rather remains of the burnt-out shell, and his tribute museum. It's a nice picnic and hiking area full of cliché California oak but also London's gravesite, where one can ponder the distance the writer traveled from Alaska's Call of the Wild to his Valley of the Moon.

Sonoma County gets more than its fair share of maritime air drifting in from the Pacific Ocean. In Northern California, this means fog. This fog does a couple of things. It helps cool down the vineyards at night and holds back the heat longer during the early mornings. The other thing it does is create these mystical landscapes and scenes of billowy cascades of fog over the region's mountains and hills and that eerily shift through valley's nooks and crannies. It's because of this shifting maritime air that varies throughout the array of wine AVA's that you get such of wide range of grape varietals.

Consequently, winemakers in the region have become more specialized. For example, the Alexander Valley is located more to the interior, gets less fog, and is known for its high mid-day heat. Consequently the focus turns more to Cabernet Sauvignon, where it is prized for its soft demeanor. Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Green Valley receive cooler Pacific air that helps replicate a micro-climate similar to France's Burgundy region and makes for lush Pinot Noir. On the other hand, say, "Dry Creek Valley," and think Zinfandel. And, as winemakers become more sophisticated and adept, they are experimenting with other grapes, particularly Rhône varietals such as Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, and Roussanne. Sonoma County is proving its diversity with produces practically every wine varietal imaginable—from light and toasty Sparkling wine to opulent and brooding Pinot Noirs, they are here.

There are almost too many excellent wineries to list; in fact, many of my favorite wineries to visit are warehouse wineries that aren't open to the public. However, the following are a few select wineries that are worth a visit either for their excellent wine, hospitality, festive atmosphere, or all three. Trust me, this is not an all-inclusive list either.

• Hartford Winery
• Gary Farrell Vineyards
• J. Vineyards
• Jordan Winery
• Kunde
• Martinelli Vineyards
• Meeker Vineyard
• Quivira Vineyards
• Ridge Vineyards
• Roshambo Winery
• Rochioli Vineyards and Winery
• Windsor Vineyards
• Chateau St. Jean
• Arrowood

Planning a wine tasting trip is not a simple chore. One does not simply drive up the highway and stop off at a winery on the left and then next switch to the next one on the right side. Most wineries are found on country roads that bisect Hwy. 101 or Sonoma Valley's Hwy. 128. The best thing is to plan ahead. There are many good wine country travel guides to consult, either in book form or via the web. One good reference site is the Russian River Wine Road, which has maps and information about wineries in the region.

It is also recommended to check in advance about specific wineries to confirm if tastings are offered to the public or can be arranged by appointment. Note that some wineries may charge a small fee for tasting, although you usually get to keep your glass as a souvenir or they may deduct the fee from any wine purchases.

The town of Healdsburg is about 30 miles north of Santa Rosa, and it is the poster child for an idyllic country living town with rustic grace. The town square has many fine restaurants, including Cyrus, Willi's Seafood Bar,and Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen, art galleries, boutiques, antique shops, and wine tasting rooms. I repeat, wine tasting rooms. Several regional wineries have opened up public tasting rooms around Healdsburg's town square. So park the car and spend a pleasant afternoon shopping, dining, and wine crawling to the various tasting rooms. Check in to the Hotel Healdsburg and you won't need a designated driver or a taxi to get home. The following are just a handful of representative wine bars waiting for you:

• La Crema
• Rosenblum Cellars
• Gallo Family Vineyards
• Davis Family Vineyards
• Kendall-Jackson
• Toad Hollow
• Seghesio

Sonoma County has some of the most interesting wine in California, more surprises than even Napa Valley, but…the region has so much more to offer. If you get bored in tasting too much luscious Pinot Noir, zingy Zinfandel, or spicy Syrah, there are countless activities to undertake. The following are just a few ideas:

• Wine-tasting (Naturally)
• Bicycling
• Shopping
• Antiquing
• River Rafting
• Kayaking
• Dining
• Hot Springs/Spas (Pamper yourself at the historic Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa)
• Hiking
• Golfing
• Historical Sites
• Infineon Racetrack (Formerly Sears Point Raceway)
• Camping
• Charles Schultz + Peanuts in Santa Rosa
• Jack London/Valley of the Moon
• Whalewatching
• Bodega Bay for Birding and Alfred Hitchcock

Have fun.

• Sonoma Winery Tours
• Interesting Facts About Wine
• How to Throw a Wine Tasting Party
• Definitions Of Wine Types
• Is Red Wine Good For You

• Dry Red Wine Types
• Red Wine Calories
• Wine Calories
• Wine Serving Temperatures
• Best Red Wine Under $15

• MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2004 Reviews
• Cheap Merlot Wine
• California Wine Country Trips
• Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2002 Review
• Category:Wine Regions