If you’re visiting California, checking out some of their world class wineries should definitely be on your agenda! There are, however, an astounding number to choose from and even selecting which wine region to visit can be an overwhelming task. Undoubtedly you’ll have heard of Napa Valley. Maybe you’ve seen the film Bottle Shock, and perhaps you’ve heard of the wineries Screaming Eagle or Opus One, all of which hail from Napa, but there’s so much more out there including a gem of a wine region, Sonoma, right next door.
Carry on reading to discover more about Sonoma, and why this diverse wine region should be next on your grape bucketlist.
What’s the main difference between Napa and Sonoma?
Whilst we won’t offer a full evaluation of the pros and cons of each wine region here, check out this article from Wine Folly, which summarises the two as “Napa Valley feels like Wine on the Ritz, while Sonoma Valley has a laid-back country feel”. Having visited both, the key differences from our perspective were:
Wine Style: Napa Valley is famed for big, oaked Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays, whilst Sonoma produces lighter Pinot Noirs, unoaked Chardonnays and even some excellent sparkling wines.
Tasting Price: Whilst both certainly have their extremes, it is fair to say Napa’s prices are on average at the higher end of the scale, with a tasting in Napa being US$30-50, whilst Sonoma’s tasting fees are typically around US$25.
Crowds: You’ll probably hear many anecdotes around the area about the traffic jams you can experience in Napa, and, whilst it can still get busy on weekends and holidays, the area in Sonoma is often a much more relaxed place to explore.
How can you visit Sonoma?
Geographically speaking, Sonoma is actually very close to Napa Valley and when you visit, you’ll be able to spot the ridgeline that divides the two regions on the horizon. Sonoma is incredibly close to the metropolitan hub of San Francisco, only an hours drive from the international airport (with views across the Golden Gate Bridge along the way!).
As such, it is possible to visit Sonoma as a day trip from the city, but with so many wonderful hotels, including the award winning Farmhouse Inn, and delicious restaurants in the area, catering to all budgets, we highly recommend you make the most of it and stay a night or two in Sonoma. Whilst in the area there are several options of how to explore the many wineries on offer:
- Rent a bike and focus on tasting rooms in and around the towns of Sonoma or Healdsburg; naturally this limits the number you can visit in a day
- Rent a car and drive yourself; although this may lead to arguments over who is the designated driver.
- Join a group tour; this allows everyone in the group to taste, however limits your flexibility on which wineries to visit
- Hire a driver for the day; our recommended option!
During our time in Sonoma, we utilised the team at NSWTD which was the perfect way to explore the wineries. You have the option of hiring a driver for the day either with a vehicle, which starts at US$50 per hour (depending on the vehicle type and size), or without a vehicle, where you can simply add the driver to your own hire car insurance for the day, costing US$30 per hour.
By hiring a driver, this gives you the ultimate flexibility around your itinerary, where you visit, how long you spend there and removes the need for a designated driver – everyone’s happy! The team at NSWTD are more than happy to help put your itinerary together and book tasting appointments, or if you already have an itinerary set up, you can just let them know your plans and they’ll make sure you get there on time. What’s more, these aren’t just glorified Uber drivers, you can expect a professional and passionate service, with locals who know Sonoma and its wineries exceptionally well.
Which wineries should you visit in Sonoma?
There are around 450 producers in Sonoma (even more than in Napa!), so knowing where to even start can be a challenge. Whilst this article broadly refers to Sonoma as the whole wine region, it is split into a number of sub-AVAs, which each have slightly different winemaking styles. Some of the key ones you’ll hear about include:
Russian River Valley: Located in the heart of the county, to the south of Healdsburg, Russian River Valley (‘RRV’) is best known for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and some sparkling wines.
Alexander Valley: Towards the north of Sonoma, this warmer region is well suited to bigger Cabernet Sauvignons.
Petaluma Gap: One of the furthest south, only a short distance from San Francisco, the trademark wind and fog here contribute to the production of high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Dry Creek Valley: With a diversity of soil types and elevations within the valley you can find a wide range of wines in Dry Creek Valley, from world class Zinfandels to Bordeaux blends.
After that whistle stop tour of some of the prominent sub-AVAs of Sonoma, you can start to pinpoint which type of wineries suit your taste in wine. It’s worth noting that although a winery may be located within one sub-AVA many have vineyards located across Sonoma giving you a chance to try wines from differing regions. We’ve listed out some of our favourite wineries as a starting point!
MacRostie: This tasting room is a staple of Russian River Valley and it’s worth visiting here for the views alone, although the wines certainly are the star of the show. With vineyards planted across several AVAs, most notably Sonoma Coast and RRV, your tasting flight will be a terroir driven journey across the region, tasting their delightful Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from different plots.
Gary Farrell: Another excellent spot in RRV, Gary Farrell is a winemaker (rather than a producer), who source grapes from vineyards across Sonoma and create a premium range of single vineyard designates which guides you through an interesting range of Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs. The team here are passionate about food pairings with wine and your tasting will come with a carefully selected platter of American and European cheeses to try alongside.
Jordan: Whilst most of the wineries mentioned here are very small production and unlikely to be sourced outside of the USA, Jordan is one of Sonoma’s more well known names. Located in the Alexander Valley, here wines are more akin to those of Napa, with their Cabernet Sauvignon most prized here. Jordan’s Chateau Block vineyard tasting is an unforgettable experience, where you’ll walk up to a shaded spot above the vineyard overlooking their magnificent estate and taste a range of Cabernets from the last few decades, all paired with local charcuterie from Healdsburg.
Seghesio: In the town of Healdsburg, a visit to Seghesio’s tasting room is a great way to try some of the more atypical styles of Sonoma wines. Their Italian heritage originates from immigrants in the 19th century and whose winemaking style is still held true. Expect a fantastic number of Zinfandel examples coming from Dry Creek Valley, alongside a number of other Italian varietals including Vermentino and Sangiovese.
Iron Horse: Our last, but by no means least, recommendation comes from Green Valley (a small AVA inside RRV) in the shape of Iron Horse’s sparkling wines. Their rustic tasting room has beautiful views across rolling vineyards, where you can try a flight of their delightful bubbles, showing off a different style to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Our final thoughts on... Exploring Sonoma Wine Country with NSWTD
During our trip to California we explored several wine regions, some we explored with a tour group and some we drove around ourselves, but our experience with NSWTD topped them all. The whole process from booking to pick up on the day was completely stress-free and easy and our driver for the day, John, was extremely knowledgeable about Sonoma offering interesting titbits of information on our drives between the wineries – we couldn’t have asked for a more friendly or professional service.
Find Out More…
NSWTD – https://napasonomawinetastingdriver.net/
Many thanks to NSWTD for hosting us during our time in Sonoma. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own, we wouldn’t recommend something if we didn’t love it!
