Sonoma Wineries: Green Valley Winery Tour
The Route
From Highway 101, take River Road west, go south on Martinelli Road to northwest on Highway 116. Head south on Green Valley Road to Harrison Grade Road, and east on Graton Road. Go north on Highway 116 to Forestville.
The adventurous spirit discovers the secrets of Green Valley, an often overlooked triangle of the Russian River valley between Sebastopol, Occidental and Guerneville. Misted by the nearby Pacific Ocean, gloomy redwood groves live in rocky canyons and creekbeds and march across wild, windy, hilltop ridges. Ocean fogs drift in through the “Petaluma Gap,” remaining longer here than in the rest of the river valley, causing long hang times and later harvests than in most California grape-growing regions.
Below lines of low hills, spreading like rivulets on either side of the Russian, vineyards and orchards dominate the landscape in a micro-climate perfectly suited to the growing of apples, prunes, and wine grapes known for their singular character. In the Farm House Restaurant, a classic American farmhouse built in 1873 on River Road, a painted mural depicts the halcyon early days of this western part of Sonoma County long before the wine industry transformed the diverse agricultural economy and the way of life.
Gradually being encroached by the vineyards of a dozen or so premium wineries and grape-growers, a handful of orchards still produce the pale red and green striped Gravenstein apple, now considered an heirloom apple, beloved for the making of pies and applesauce.
Continue the Green Valley Winery Tour at Martinelli Vineyards and Hartford Family Winery »
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.
Photo Credit: The pictures on this page are by Lisa Moore. www.studioponderosa.com
