Most visitors book a Sonoma wine tour for one reason: someone else drives. The tasting rooms are spread across a county far bigger than Napa, the back roads are slow, and California’s limit is 0.08. These eight are the shared and private days worth reserving, from small vans that leave San Francisco after breakfast to … Read more
Napa vs Sonoma is the first decision most wine travelers make in Northern California, and the two are closer than they look: a single ridge, the Mayacamas, separates them. Napa is one compact valley built around Cabernet Sauvignon and reservations. Sonoma is a county of 19 appellations, cooler toward the coast and looser at the … Read more
Healdsburg wineries come in two shapes, and a good day uses both. Around the town plaza, tasting rooms sit close enough to walk between before lunch. Just outside town, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley hold the estates: century-old Zinfandel vines, a straw-bale winery, a French-style chateau. These seven tastings, plus one private day, cover … Read more
Sonoma County wineries are spread over a territory far bigger than Napa, and that changes how you book them. The cellar doors sit in small towns and on back roads an hour apart, most tastings run by reservation, and the good ones fill on weekends. These eight are tastings and guided days you can reserve … Read more
Where to stay in Sonoma depends on which Sonoma you came for. The county is big, and its wine country runs from the old Spanish town of Sonoma in the south to the farm roads of Healdsburg and the Russian River Valley in the north, an hour of driving between them. These six hotels and … Read more
Sonoma wine country is bigger, looser and more varied than its famous neighbor over the Mayacamas. Napa is one valley; Sonoma County is a patchwork of 19 appellations, from the old mission town of Sonoma to foggy Pinot Noir vineyards near the Pacific and the Zinfandel benches above Healdsburg. This guide covers the four areas … Read more