10 fantastic and memorable wine country experiences in Sonoma County
Fabulous wine country view which may, or not be, in Sonoma! Enjoy!
Fantastic? and Memorable?
How great is this!!
It is beyond great! It’s fantastic!
When you travel anywhere, make the memories count. It’s more than a two-fer. Have a great time while doing it, then relive the experiences when you remember them.
That’s why I look for great experiences in wine country.
The experience of tasting wine in a vineyard or tasting room or winery should add to the joy and fun of tasting wine. It does not need to be by the water, or in a vineyard, but where you are tasting, the personality of where you are tasting, is totally part of the experience.
Unfortunately, you won’t always know that before.
Just remember, there are more wines than one can possibly drink.
(Now is not the time to say: Challenge accepted!)
There are more wineries than you can possibly visit.
(This is not speed dating!!)
So many choices!!
This is just in one small area of Sonoma County. It’s an embarrassment of riches!!
Even the town you are staying in can add to, or detract from, the experience. Trust me, there are way too many choices here as well.
There are probably more award-winning restaurants than you could ever eat at in wine country or wherever you travel. (Maybe, challenge accepted?)
What you should want, if you are spending good money and time to do so, is a place that makes you feel welcome. You should feel like you belong there.
It is never just the food or just the wine. The very best should add to your life in some way. The memories are good, and you want to relive them.
Here are my suggestions for 10 fantastic and memorable experiences:
Very Important Notes: These are my personal recommendations, and I do not benefit in any way by making them. When I find great wines and great places, I want to share!!
Some of the tastings were free with coupons from our hotel. Remember to ask about some wherever you are staying. Don’t waste time going to a place that doesn’t interest you.
Oh yeah, if you need some help in how do to this wine tasting stuff check out my Incredibly advice for wine tasting in wine country or even close to home.
If you are the impatient sort, here is the list (in no particular order)
(Take from it what you will. No downside. And read on!)
Alexander Valley Vineyards and Cave Tour
Wine Wall at The Matheson and wine tasting at Region at the Barlow (Counting these separately)
Papapietro Perry Winery and Kokomo Winery(Counting them together)
Meet the winemakers at Custom Crush facilities (Grand Cru)
Time out to sign up for great wine info! Wine guide too!
*****
Time out to sign up for great wine info! Wine guide too! *****
Alexander Valley Vineyards and Cave Tour
Alexander Valley Vineyards has a long history in Alexander Valley. (Alexander Valley is a wonderful wine region in Sonoma County with about 42 wineries. ) There are other fantastic wineries to visit there, but let’s just talk about this one.
Everyone I spoke to at Alexander Valley Vineyards was welcoming. If you want to just come for a free wine cave tour you can, but make a reservation. The wine tasting can usually be walk-in. Wines are also available by the glass.
Here are are your choices for the wine tasting.
My husband and I shared the Reserve Tasting. FYI. The reserve wines can be purchased only at the winery. The estate wines are widely available.
The tasting was informal and standing. The Primitivo was beyond delicious! Just saying.
The cave tour was fantastic. Huge shout out to Lucas for being incredible with both the wine tasting and the cave tour! I have been to many, many cave tours. I do not remember any other that was this informative and fun!
The caves at Anderson Valley Vineyards are huge! They keep going and going!
Each barrel tells a story. This one is French oak.
See where it says Toast?
There are many reasons why oak barrels for wine are toasted. One reason is to impart that delicious toasty flavor into the wine.
This one is American Oak.
Yes, American Oak and French Oak are different. The winemaker chooses different oaks based on his goal for the wine he is making.
I really, really simplified the barrel information above! Go on a fantastic cave tour to find out more!!!
So much fun!
Williamson Wines
If you want to have wine and food experiences to savor, this is where you want to go!
I have written about Williamson Wines before. However, I had new experiences this past trip that I want to talk about.
For the earlier post, check out Three of the Absolute Best Hidden Gem Wineries in Sonoma Wine Country. The two other ones mentioned are Bruliam Winery and Tongue Dancer. Both of them could absolutely be added to this list of memorable wine country experiences. I just didn’t want to totally duplicate that post. Check them out though!!
Williamson Wines tasting experiences are all about the wine and food! They even have a YouTube channel for recipes to have with their wine!
The wine and food party is on!!
Yep! The party is on!
In the Yoakim Bridge Vineyard!! It does not get better than this!
Incredible amount of choices!
Shout out to Tony who was our guide at the Wine and Cheese Pairing!
A resounding cheer to Sam Williamson who spent 3 hours with us when we ate delicious food and matched wines at Yoakim Bridge Vineyard.
Places with wines and matching food is rarely inexpensive. Williamson Wines gives you great value, though! Trust me. Many places are way more expensive, and give no explanation on why the food is being matched with the wine! Sometimes there is just some sort of charcuterie platter for purchase. I’ve made that mistake.
There were a number of WOW moments with Williamson Wines, both with the food and the wine. Eating in a Vineyard is the dream! These are lasting memories.
Downtown Healdsburg
Downtown Healdsburg has a fantastic Town Square.
Healdsburg Plaza at night.
Beautiful and calm.
Weekly Summer Party with a Band!!
All generations gathering. Eating and Dancing!! Music was great too!
There are less expensive places to stay than Healdsburg. If you don’t want to stay there, just hang around for the day. There is shopping, restaurants, and wine tasting rooms. Don’t forget that Tuesday night party open to all.
If you are there on a Thursday night, see if the neighborhood menu at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen looks good to you. It is right on the plaza. It is a set $55 three course meal. There is no corkage fee if you bring your own wine (1 or 2 bottles) from any Sonoma Winery. How great is that?!?
The Wine Wall at the Matheson and Region at The Barlow
A wall of wine is as amazing as it sounds. It is absolutely one of the best ways to try and compare wine in an informal way. (SEE THE PICTURES BELOW.)
The Matheson is a restaurant located on the plaza in Healdsburg. In addition to their wine bar, there is a full bar and restaurant. They also host winemakers every once in a while so you can taste their wine for free. YAY!
You can grab small bites along with your wine if you want. Or you can just go in and try a taste. They would be happy to show you how the whole thing works, if you want to stop by. Really friendly place.
Like I said, when finding a memorable place, you want to feel comfortable.
This is one section of the wine wall at The Matheson.
Can you see how the wines are different prices for different wines and sizes?
The Barlow is a 12 acre outdoor market in Sebastopol. (Sebastopol is closer to Santa Rosa and Petaluma than Healdsburg. Keep that in mind when planning your day.)
There are restaurants and stores throughout. However, right now I am suggesting you head to Region and its version of a wine wall. They don’t really call it that. It is however, a wall of wine. I love saying that.
This is part of the wine wall at Region at The Barlow.
Grab a glass and try any of the Sonoma County wines. Pay for the amount you want.
Region showcases about 35 Sonoma Wineries. They describe it this way on their website:
“Each week is a rotating Featured Winery with fun Winemaker Happy Hours, unique flights, Winemaker Dinners and much more!...all reinforcing wine's mission to bring people together. “
Fun Winemaker Hours?!? How great is that?
Make some memories there.
(There is also a Region in San Luis Obispo, CA. Same philosophy.)
By the way, they often have coupons around that will give you free tastings at some fantastic wineries. Be on the lookout when you are there.
(I found a Wine Wall like this on the east coast in Orlando. They should be everywhere! To read about it here if you want.
Have you signed up yet?!?! Now is the time!
*****
Have you signed up yet?!?! Now is the time! *****
Papapietro Perry Winery and Kokomo Winery
I had been to Papapietro Perry years ago when it was a really small stand up tasting room. It now has a fantastic area outdoors with open views. The entire feel of the winery is more open.
Papapietro Perry has a great story. It started as two friends making wine in a garage in San Francisco.
If you love Pinot Noir this should be on your radar!
My husband and I spent hours talking and tasting. Great people there all around. They describe the vibe as welcoming. It is!
Should you join their wine club, they make every effort to have members participate. They often offer virtual tastings alongside their on-site events.
In this same area, as in a shared parking lot, is Kokomo Winery. (There are a few other wineries there as well that you can try. Make a day of it if you want.)
Kokomo Winery is a family winery. The wine tasting can be right in the wine cellar. A relaxed fun experience.
Yep! Tasting is at a cellar. Well, not a cellar like basement cellar. A wine cellar!
This is wine’s version of farm to table. Not exactly, but the barrels set the tone.
Relaxed and fun!
Clearly they are not stuffy here. They go for unassuming. They succeed!
Gary Farrell
The views at Gary Farrell are exceptional!
The wine tasting experience is equally fantastic!
To be welcomed by name in a printed menu is incredibly classy!! Also, all the wines are matched with cheese!!
Pinot Noir for the win!
There are no listings of points or awards or tasting notes. They let the wines speak for themselves!
I would write more about the experience, but I’m letting the pictures do the talking. I will say that we were there for hours, savoring the wine and the views.
Baletto
Baletto is warm, welcoming and fun! It is located closer to Santa Rosa than Healdsburg.
You are surrounded by vineyards!
Wines are delicious, and being in the middle of the vineyards just makes it even better.
The whole atmosphere is relaxing!
As I’ve said, it is never just the wine or the place. It is the whole experience.
Their wines are very reasonably priced, and all of my wine notes use the word “ YUM!” My advice: GO!
Hook and Ladder
How can you not love a winery that was started by a fireman? The backdrop is a working winery, but the tasting areas have fire station memorabilia reminding people how it all began. The wine is delicious too!
Hook and Ladder is barely 10 minutes from Baletto by car should you want to go to both.
Since we were a walk-in, we had a bar tasting. Even though it was not in the beautiful outdoor area, it was still a great tasting.
Delicious, reasonably priced wine, and fantastic people! GO!
Meet the Winemakers at a Custom Crush Facility (Grand Cru)
Many wineries in Sonoma do not want to own all the equipment needed to turn grapes into wine. Many use a custom crush set up. The equipment and resources are provided by the custom crush facility.
If they have a tasting room at the facility, you can hopefully meet a bunch of winemakers. This is what we did at the Summer Open House and Marketplace at Grand Cru Custom Crush!
Meeting this many winemakers makes for a fantastic and memorable wine country experience!
Tremendous wine tasting too!!!
Fantastic stories of independent winemakers! For most, this is their passion project. Some have other jobs. Seeing and meeting these winemakers gives you such insight into the whole winemaking process.
Although we attended a seasonal event at Grand Cru, they do regularly offer tasting opportunities with a selection of the wineries. You can also book tastings at some of the individual wineries. We have done that with Bruliam. (See notes here from that on this post of hidden gem wineries in Sonoma.)
There are a few other custom crush facilities that offer what Grand Cru does.
If you have dreams about becoming a winemaker, this is your chance to find out the life of a small wine producer! Each story is different.
Go out and make some fantastic memories in wine country!!
I really think I wrote this post just so I could relive these memories!
Want some advice on how to plan this fantastic trip? I’ve got you!
Check out: The absolutely best advice for planning great times in Sonoma Wine Country. Yep, click on the title!
