Wineries in Sonoma envisages grapes dangling from the branches ready for the picking, or crushing since this side of California is basically the ground zero for wine production. And even if all of the wineries in this list offer the option to deliver your boxes of wine to your doorstep, tourists still flock to these vineyards if given the option to taste some of the grapes themselves first and taste the wine stored in the barrels next. If you are a wine enthusiast with a penchant for tasting parties over slices of cheese and out for the hunt for the next best-tasting Pinot Noir, check out the best wineries and vineyards in Sonoma to see which event suited your taste best.
1. Hanzell Vineyards
Located at Lomita Ave in Sonoma, Hanzell Vineyards has attracted wine-drinking connoisseurs whose tastes lean towards the Pinot Noir variety. The moment one gets into the vineyard itself though, a trip around the farm is done aboard the Range Rover. Stopovers include tasting some grapes fresh off the vine and selfie opportunities with the Mayacamas Mountain Range as your backdrop. The trip is then capped off with a trip to the wine cave. Visitors get to see the wine-making equipment before you get to see the Pinot Noir alongside the Chardonnay wines. Minimum recommended purchase for the tour charges to be waived is three bottles for USD 65.
Hanzell Vineyards
Address: 18596 Lomita Ave, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Hanzell Vineyards
Opening hours: 9 am - 5 pm
Average price for two: USD 90
2. Buena Vista Winery
A winery dubbed as the oldest premium winery in this side of Sonoma, Buena Vista Winery best explained the street name where they are found, right on Old Winery Rd itself. Tasting wine straight from the barrel makes you feel like you tasted the wine first ahead of the mainstream market. It makes you feel extra special that way. It was as if Buena Vista Winery successfully preserved the art of making wine in the old fashioned way.
Buena Vista Winery
Address: 18000 Old Winery Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Buena Vista Winery
Opening hours: 10 am - 5 pm
Average price for two: USD 75 to 85
3. Roche Winery
Roche Winery is rather young compared to other vineyards found in Sonoma as they started operating back in 1982. The tasting tour includes their signature sweet wine selection to go with their Merlot, sparkling wine, and dry rose wine, to name some. Previous guests highly recommend the vineyard and winery tour. For USD 45 per guest, everyone gets to enjoy wine tasting straight from the barrel served with some light fare. Wine club members get an advantage by paying only USD 35 per guest instead of USD 45.
Roche Winery
Address: 122 W Spain St, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Roche Winery
Opening hours: 11 am - 7:30 pm
Average price for two: USD 40 to 60
You might be interested in these Airbnbs!
4. Kunde Family Winery
Kunde Family Winery became known for their mountain top tasting tours. The trip costs at around USD 60 per guest by hopping aboard a shuttle for a 2-hour trip. Each tour spans two hours with the pinnacle (pun intended) was at the mountain top. The wine tasting was done there with the exhilarating views perfect for that weekend selfie. At an elevation of 1500 ft (457.2 m), guests like you get to enjoy Zinfandel wines aged 136 years more or less. Kunde Family Winery is open 7 days a week. Watch out for their “Bring Your Pooch” events in case you’d like to come over with your fur baby.
Kunde Family Winery
Address: 9825 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452, USA
Website: Kunde Family Winery
Opening hours: 10:30 am - 5 pm
Average price for two: USD 120
5. Sebastiani Vineyard & Winery
Sebastiani Vineyard & Winery takes pride in being one of the first wineries to take advantage of the limited licenses handed out during the Prohibition Era. That’s how long they have been in business. They have themed events based on what is their featured product for the month like the Cabernet-themed event where tasting is followed by a Cult Classic Sip & Learn Seminar. That makes it USD 85 per guest (by reservation only). Otherwise, the wine-tasting fee is waived upon purchasing any of their products. Most folks don’t mind paying for USD 10 per taste since it means getting to keep the glass. You may make reservations during their office hours from 11 am to 5 pm.
Sebastiani Vineyard & Winery
Address: 389 4th St, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Sebastiani Vineyard & Winery
Opening hours: 11 am - 5 pm
Average price for two: USD 100
6. WALT Wines
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
Based on First Street, WALT Wines has made a name for hosting wine-tasting parties with single vineyard Pinot Noir and Sangiacomo Chardonnay as their specialties. Reservations are best placed during office hours from 11 am to 6 pm. WALT Wines offer as many as 19 versions of Pinot ready for the tasting made from grapes harvested from the vineyard that spanned from Willamette Valley to Santa Barbara. This made the company the ultimate destination for the best Pinot.
WALT Wines
Address: 380 1st St W, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: WALT Wines
Opening hours: 11 am - 6 pm
Average price for two: USD 60
7. Ravenswood Winery
Ravenswood Winery’s success is attributed to the Ravens sighted close to the harvesting area while a thunderstorm loomed. The same grapes harvested from the said vineyard ended up winning awards at a San Francisco wine-tasting event - the same wine offered at the winery’s tasting events. Previous tasters actually got here on rented bikes and discovered tasty wine like the Gewurztraminer and the Moscato. For only USD 10, guests can taste up to 5 wine variants with the server known to the almost regular tasters as “Uncle Bob”.
Ravenswood Winery
Address: 18701 Gehricke Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Ravenswood Winery
Opening hours: 10 am - 4:30 pm
Average price for two: USD 60 to 150
8. The Donum Estate
The people behind The Donum Estate made it their mission to bring forth the best single-vineyard Pinot Noir this side of Sonoma. With their vineyards based in the Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and Carneros, they went the extra mile in creating wine products distinct from one another based on the vineyard from which its grapes were plucked from. Sounds exclusive. So exclusive that the only way to know the price paid per guest for the wine-tasting events is by contacting The Donum Estate itself by email or by phone number posted at their website. And if you’re after the Burgundy-style Pinots being tasted out at events staged at The Donum Estate, it is worth it.
The Donum Estate
Address: 24500 Ramal Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: The Donum Estate
Opening hours: By reservation only
Average price for two: USD 144
9. Hamel Family Wines
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
Located at Sonoma Hwy, the Hamel Family Wines has attracted the Sauvignon Blanc enthusiasts and Zin fans. Zin is short for Zinfandel, served in tasting parties classified as “Estate Experience” alongside the Isthmus for USD 60 per guest. This comes with a nice view of the Sonoma Mountain and a few bites of crackers and cheese. Some guests enjoyed the cave visit though since it’s where the barrels are stored, ready to be opened by the spigot for a taste of good wine. They’re open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursdays from they open between 1 pm and 5 pm.
Hamel Family Wines
Address: 15401 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Hamel Family Wines
Opening hours: 10 am to 5 pm
Average price for two: USD 120
10. Scribe Winery
Scribe Winery became known among wine connoisseurs for two things - the hacienda tours and the tasting area. Tasting parties would have at least 3 bottles of white wine and a bottle of red wine enjoyed with some olives, slices of cheese and meat. You have to contact them by phone or email to make reservations and get hold of their latest price quotation. Overall, the rustic approach to presenting the wine products in a farm-to-table manner gives assurance of the authenticity of the products.
Scribe Winery
Address: 2100 Denmark St, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA
Website: Scribe Winery
Opening hours: By reservation
Average price for two: USD 120
Red or white - Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Cabernet
Depending on your preferences, knowing which among the wineries in Sonoma serve the kind of wine will be the best way to start your journey in this side of California. If you like your wine sweet, you have a quick choice right down pat from this list. Having an idea which suits your taste buds best (and perhaps, your budget constraints as well) should also help. Overall, booking in groups is highly recommended. The best experiences become extra memorable when done with a friend. And enjoying high-quality wine that only the Sonoma Valley can offer is the best way to win even more friends.
History
Get Trip101 in your inbox
Unsubscribe in one click. See our Privacy Policy for more information on how we use your data
-
-
-
-
-
-
30 Best Things To Do In Petaluma, CaliforniaRuth Alexis -
-
-
-
-
Create an account to