Discover the best Sonoma Valley wineries for you!

• Sonoma Valley winery map

• Sonoma Valley Winery Profiles List

Introduction

Sonoma Valley is anchored by Santa Rosa on the north end and the little mission town of Sonoma with its beautiful plaza on the south end. Between the two towns are a couple dozen wineries - all of them interesting. They range from tiny tasting rooms to some of the most beautiful monumental wineries anywhere. The wines are generally full of flavor and nose with long finishes that make wine tasting a treat. Inexpensive to high-end lodging and fine dining is available in Santa Rosa but for small town wine country ambiance try Sonoma.

- Jim Preston

Must See Sonoma Valley Wineries - an introduction to the region.

• Ledson
  • Architecture - the French Gothic Norman structure is a delight to explore. Awesome!
  • Interior - stunning old world ambiance. Interesting little tasting areas.
  • Landscaping - large rose gardens, picnicking under huge oaks.
• Chateau St. Jean
  • Architecture - a large French chateau - beautiful!
  • Interior - an intimate and inviting chateau environment.
  • Landscaping - Wow gardens and fountains in the courtyard. What a place to taste wine, and picnic!
• Benziger Family
  • Setting - wooded mountains and hilly vineyards. Feels remote.
  • Landscaping - extensive gardens in the forest.
  • Gift shop - larger and more interesting than most.
  • Picnic area - good location under huge oak and with a nice view of the fine old home and gardens.
  • Vineyard tour - interesting and engaging tour of their organic vineyards. Travel in an open trailer behind a farm tractor. Very popular.
• Imagery
  • Landscaping - gardens plus a self tour vineyard education.
  • Art - nicely done art gallery in the tasting room.

Off-The-Beaten-Track Sonoma Valley Wineries

This small region doesn't have off-the-beaten-track wineries other than the tiny Eric Ross tasting room south of Glen Ellen. Almost all of the wineries are right off Highway 12 and it is a well-beaten track. Loxton and Wellington are often overlooked by the crowds and are a good bet for a quieter experience.

Romantic Sonoma Valley Wineries

A special ambiance for long quiet conversations and enjoying love. Usually we have a secluded outdoor scene in mind.

• Benziger Family - can get a little crowded but it is popular for a reason - the beautiful mountain setting. Several settings away from the traffic flow available for some seclusion.
• Chateau St. Jean - kick back and relax with wine in the beautiful courtyard gardens.
• Kunde - hang out next to the pond and fountain. Nice views, wonderful architecture and landscaping provide a romantic setting.
• Landmark - nicely landscaped grounds for a long stroll away from the crowds.

Discover Sonoma Valley Wineries Video

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Notes

Your tastes change frequently. Do wine ratings, gold medals, etc. really matter?

We have hundreds of winery interview videos in winery profiles. We shoot these at winery events because that is the cheapest way to gather content. It would be nice to go to each tasting room but this gets very expensive quickly. See our Compare Winery Features search engine for which wineries have videos in your target region.

We are adding our Discover California Wine Regions videos to the Recommended Wineries by Region pages.

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