Sonoma Wineries:
Korbel Champagne Cellars
Settled in 1865 by loggers, Guerneville boomed when the railroad hauled out tons of redwood lumber used to build San Francisco. The last train carrying logs and tourists rolled out of town in 1935. At what is now Korbel Champagne Cellars, the visitor’s center was once a train station. Korbel was founded in 1886 by Czech immigrants who built the massive, ivy-covered stone replica of a tower in Bohemia that you see today.
The guided tour here is among the most complete of all California wineries, and includes a museum, a film, an in-depth explanation of classic methode champenoise production, and a tasting of bubbly! Save a half hour or so to stroll the gardens of the Victorian-era house encircled by hundreds of antique rose bushes, spring-blooming bulbs, and a rare redwood hedge.
When you stop in Guerneville for a meal or a swim at one of the sandy beaches, which have lifeguards in summertime, you may see gay men and lesbians. Gay visitors from the San Francisco Bay Area have for years gathered in the Guerneville area. They are joined by all genders and ages every year at a huge, two-day bacchanal, the Russian River Jazz Festival at Johnson Beach in September, the best month of the year for crystalline-clear, warm days and nights.
From downtown Guerneville, take Armstrong Woods Road into Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve for walks and picnics in 800 acres of redwood groves on Fife Creek. Easy footpaths lead to centuries-old trees up to 300 feet tall. A less-developed, adjacent preserve, Austin Creek Recreation Area spreads out in thousands of acres of canyons and river glens that campers, hikers and horseback riders love to explore. Fishers head for Redwood Lake for the bluegill and black bass. Late winter and spring are lush with blooming wild azaleas, rushing creeks, and maples, ash and alder in full leaf.
Another of the old villages along the river, Duncans Mills is a cluster of galleries, cafes and shops, a campground and the only remaining North Pacific Gauge Railroad station, now a museum.
Take a Break from Wine Tasting with a Side-Trip to Northwood Golf Course »
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