Sonoma Wine Country is a always a great excursion from San Francisco. It is known for great wines and great food. It has over 400 vineyards, and if you have time you can head over to Napa Valley which is just east of Sonoma.
Sonoma is about an hour drive north of SF, over the Golden Gate Bridge and past Sausalito. You can stop off at the observatory on the north side of the bridge to take photos of San Francisco.
Viansa Vineyard is one of the first vineyards on the route north, only about 30 minutes north of San Francisco. The legacy of Viansa Sonoma dates back to 1896 when Samuele Sebastiani arrived from Tuscany and saved enough money, while making cobblestones for San Francisco streets, to purchase vineyard property in 1904. They have wine tastings of course, good quality food and sitting areas inside and out. It is casual cafeteria style.
One of the most popular vineyards for patio sitting is Gloria Ferrer vineyard. Their family wine making history goes back 600 years to Spain. They have several restaurants, wine tastings, and a large patio that overlooks the vineyard. This vineyard specializes in sparkling wine (using the champagne method to get the delicate bubbles), and is the first to produce it in the region.
The food is great, and it’s a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Driving further north, about 10 minutes away is Cornerstone Gardens and Market Place, a wine country marketplace featuring a collection of local craft stores, gift shops, boutique wineries and tasting rooms, artisanal foods, art-inspired gardens, live music, and home to Sunset’s Gardens + Outdoor Test Kitchen. The Park 121 Cafe & Grill is a casual restaurant with tasty food at reasonable prices.
Known as the happiest place in California, the town of Sonoma is a good place to visit. The historic Sonoma Plaza, a remnant of the town’s Mexican colonial past, has great shops and restaurants. San Francisco Solano de Sonoma an historic Sonoma Mission, founded in 1823, is located in the main square. A good restaurant to try here is The Girl & the Fig.
Take a look at a map and see which vineyards you want to go to, or just keep driving north and drop into places you see on the way. These are just a few of the vineyards in Sonoma. It is an easy day trip depending on how long you want to stay. If visiting Napa as well, you may want to stay overnight. They also have many organized tours from San Francisco, that way you can drink without worrying about driving.
Where to Eat?
There are so many good places to eat in Sonoma and Napa regions, that it is very hard to come up with a list. You can’t really find bad food in this area.
However, here are some of my pics:
- The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma
- El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma
- The Spoon Bar for small plates in Healdsburg
- Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg
- Stark restaurant for seafood in Healdsburg
- Glen Ellen restaurant in Glen Ellen
- John Ash & Co Vintner’s Inn in Santa Rosa
This web sites provides more info on good restaurants in Sonoma county.
Where to Stay?
There are many great places to stay in Sonoma and Napa regions. Here are a few Sonoma area suggestions:
- Farmhouse Inn
- Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
- The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa
- Timber Cove Resort
- Vintners Inn
- Inn at Occidental
- Hotel Les Mars
If you do go to Napa Valley, check out Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (do not confuse it with Stag’s Leap Winery which is also in Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap district). Founded in 1970, by a Polish man from Chicago, Warren Winiarski (ironically his last name in Polish means “son of wine maker” even though his family was never in the wine business). It is the vineyard that put California (and the US) on the map for serious wine lovers. It won a prestigious award at the 1976 “Judgement of Paris” blind tasting for its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon.
I love their wines! My favourite is Artemis. I can’t afford Cask 23, but maybe one day I will get to try it.
Another Napa Valley vineyard, Chateau Montelena Winery won the white wine award at the Paris competition: Chateau Montelena 1973. The French were stunned. This was featured in the movie “Bottleshock”.
And try Oakville Grocery for casual good food. I also tried Michelin rated The French Laundry a few years ago, and although yes it is high end fine dinning, I think you can find excellent quality at better prices in Napa. In my opinion, it’s a bit over-rated.
Here is a guide for Napa Valley restaurants: Napa Valley.com
Enjoy! Cheers!
