Sonoma Wineries:
Sonoma
Valley Winery Guide
Each of the valleys in Sonoma County is a distinct micro-climate or combination of them, depending on how near to the sea, the sheltering hills and mountains, and the elevations of the vineyards. Add to this various soil characteristics, and you can begin to understand the uniqueness of the terroirs that define the American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) of Sonoma County. Sturdy Cabernets are produced in the warm, dry, volcanic soils of the Alexander Valley, while the miniscule, moist and cool Green Valley appellation is famous for fruity, intense Pinot Noirs. The Dry Creek Valley is known around the world for spicy “old vine” Zinfandels made from grapes that thrive during a long, hot season.
Twice the size of Napa County, Sonoma County produces wines with a broader range of character due to more climate variation and cooler days. Hang times for grapes are generally long, resulting in concentrated, fruit-forward wines with softer tannins, overall, than the big Cabernet varietals from Napa.
The birthplace of the California wine industry, Sonoma County is also a long-established center of specialty foods production. From the old Italian and Mexican families to new residents enjoying the fabled wine country lifestyle, Sonomans love good food. They grow the crops, they harvest and hand-make the foodstuffs, and they are the inspired originators of what is called “Wine Country Cuisine.” Road-side stands and restaurants here are sought-out for their heirloom fruits and unusual vegetables; artisanal cheeses, exotic herbs, honeys, and free-range poultry and lamb. You can visit a mushroom farm, a goat cheese-maker, a Gravenstein apple orchard, and more than a dozen outdoor farmers’ markets. Pick your own blueberries and pumpkins. Cut your own Christmas tree, take a horse-drawn carriage ride around a farm or a winery and watch olives being pressed for oil.
On the pages that follow, you can plan you own Sonoma Valley winery tour and sample the best Sonoma Valley wineries and wine tastings.
- Sonoma Winery Tour
- Alexander Valley Winery Tour
- Dry Creek Valley Winery Tour
- Valley of The Moon Winery Tour
- Russian River Winery Tour
- Green Valley Winery Tour
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