A Local's Guide to Sonoma Wine Tasting

By vicsin
updated 3 months ago

I, personally, am a huge fan of the Sonoma Valley wine country. I believe there are many beautiful, amazing wineries in Sonoma that don't have quite as much "attitude" as in the other valley. If you can stay near the quaint Sonoma town square, it's very easy to get around because it is so centrally located to many of the different regions of the valley. Here are some of my favorite wineries to visit:

Sonoma, CA

Sonoma is a historically significant town in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. Sonoma is centered around...

Sonoma is a historically significant town in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. Sonoma is centered around its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Spanish colonial past. Sonoma today is a center of the wine industry for the famed Sonoma Valley Appelation. The city population was 9,128 as of the year 2000 census/decennial.

When not wine tasting:

Depending on what kind of food you want and how fancy you want to go, there are some great places right around the Sonoma Square for dinner. The Red Grape (www.theredgrape.com) is a casual pizzeria with thin crust pizza and pastas on First Street West, half a block off the square. The Swiss Hotel is right on the north side of the square (Spain Street) and has a lot of different things and a back patio.
For something a little fancy (although nothing in Sonoma is real fancy, but still may be expensive), my Mom always recommends Cafe La Haye (East Napa St about 1/2 block off the square) or The General’s Daughter is pretty fancy if you want to do a big night out.

There is a tiny alley off the East side of the square that leads back into this little area with a great Irish Pub and another casual restaurant plus an ice cream store. We will go here sometimes for pub grub and for some Guiness.

If you want to do some hiking/walking, you can wander around the square with lots of great shops and even some tasting rooms right within 2 blocks. Picnicking right in the park there is also good.

As well, I would recommend these 3 south of town:
Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves – They have fantastic champagne, great reds and an amazing deck up on this hill with a beautiful view.
Cline – Very quaint setting, a family owned winery with some really great cheaper wines
Viansa – I am partial to Viansa because I was married here, and I love the setting. They have a great Italian market with an overwhelming selection of dips, aiolis, olive oils and chocolates, all available for tasting. It’s usually a great spot for lunch with a BBQ going and great picnic tables to sit at. It also is up on a hill with an amazing view, so it gives a different perspective. Unfortunately, all of these reasons make it stop #1 for the large tour buses and the swarms of people can really do one in. I suggest it first thing in the morning or during lunch without much expectation of tasting the wine.