Taste the Best of
Sonoma Valley

Enjoy a full day in beautiful Sonoma Valley. Indulge in wine and cheese tasting, special vineyard attractions, and shopping at unique shops and local artists’ galleries. Experience some surprises along sleepy byways.

Take your camera. You’ll drive through the best of the scenic wine country, and have some unexpected photo opportunities. The 17-mile long Sonoma Valley is like a buffet for the senses. Take a lot of small bites and you’ll be able to enjoy more of this abundant feast.

Start with a tour of historical Petaluma Adobe rancho and be transported back to the time of General Mariano Vallejo's role in the birth of the California Republic. Follow gently winding roads through hilly vineyards to the southern end of the Sonoma Valley.

At the intersection of Highway 116 and 121, a quick right turn at the stop sign will take you up the hill to Schug Carneros Estate. After a complimentary tasting, you might be able to talk the tasting room host into a tour of the wine caves.

Follow Highway 121 south and stop to sample champagne at Gloria Ferrer Champagne Cellars. The Cline Winery has a tasting room housed in an 1850's farmhouse surrounded by six spring-fed ponds.

When you visit the Viansa Winery, its architecture, gardens, and sunny mediterranean hospitality will make you'll feel as though you are in Italy. Adjacent to the tasting room featuring handsome serving bars is a gift shop offering gourmet condiment sampling and a deli with everything you need for a picnic on the patio overlooking the southern end of the Sonoma Valley.

I promised a few thrills on these day trips, and you can experience one on your way back north on Highway 121. Soar over the valley in the open cockpit of a vintage biplane. This will definitely be one travel adventure tale that will be hard to top.

If you’ve got kids along, or if find scale model trains fascinating, stop at Train Town and ride the scale model trains over five bridges and trestles and through two tunnels.

In the town of Sonoma visit historical Sonoma Plaza, Mission San Francisco Solano and the barracks.

More than a half dozen wine and cheese-tasting rooms, French cafés and bakeries, and many shops and art galleries surround the plaza. A visitors’ center is staffed by friendly local folks who can answer all your questions about the area.

For cheese-tasting, I recommend a walk to the Vella Cheese Factory , housed in a stone-walled historical building at 315 2nd Street. The Vella Company has modernized its operation with solar power, but its cheeses are still made in the traditional, proven way. In the late summer you can top off your cheese sampling with a handful of sweet, juicy, wild blackberries from the bushes next to the parking lot.

For more local history, an interesting spot is the Sonoma Historical Museum, at the old train depot. General Mariano Vallejo’s historical estate “Lachryma Montis” on West Spain Street, is open for tours. You can stroll the pleasant walking trail through the vineyards.

Just a few blocks south on Napa Street, Sonoma Market has great picnic supplies--or just a look around at the appealing display of epicurean delights. Follow the aroma of baking bread down the street to the Artisan Bakery and buy a loaf of their award-winning breads.

Sonoma Valley Highway

On the topic of barking dogs, if you have the family pet along, there is a dog park up ahead at 13630 Sonoma Highway. For more pet friendly attractions and wineries that welcome dogs, see Fun for Dogs.

Because there are many wineries in the Sonoma Valley, all producing excellent wines, I'll mention some options that may help you choose which ones to visit. At Imagery Estates, you can view the Imagery original wine label art collection. The estate’s wines are labeled with artwork commissioned from world-renowned contemporary artists.

Nearby is Arrowood Winery. No frills here, except that in the relaxing tasting room you can sample unusual Sonoma wines, such as Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Sangiovese.

A little farther ahead turn left on the Arnold Drive byway. The little village of Glen Ellen offers fine little bistros and restaurants, B&B’s and the Jack London Lodge and Saloon. Continue on past the saloon a short distance and on your left you’ll see a picturesque gristmill worthy of a quick photo stop.

Double back and venture into the hills on London Ranch Road, which ends at Writer Jack London’s Beauty Ranch, now a state park. Take a meditative stroll in the haunting ruins of his Wolf House. The stone House of Happy Walls contains a museum of the writer's memorabilia and London’s rolltop desk.

Coming back down the hill you’ll see Benziger Family Winery on the left. Take the 45-minute tractor-pulled open-air tram ride through the vineyards for an enjoyable lesson about environmentally-friendly wine growing in this interesting volcanic region. Do some tasting and visit the underground estate caves.

Kenwood and the Grand Dames of Winery Estates

On the right you will come to the grand dames of the northern Sonoma Valley vineyard estates. Each of these architectural marvels is worth visiting, and each is unique.

Kunde Winery is set in a leafy country setting and conducts free underground cave tours.

Chateau St. Jean’s exquisite grounds were inspired by the formal gardens of Italy and southern France. An elegant hospitality house features reserve tastings for enophiles. The gift shop sells picnic items for a picnic under the trees.

Landmark Winery sits in a pleasant garden on the edge of a serene pond. During the summer they offer free 15-minute Belgian draft horse-drawn wagon tours.

Stop by the Kaz “tasting room,” aka The Barn, and experience winemaking close up and personal. Most days you’ll get to meet Kaz, the winemaker, vineyard manager, tasting room manager and owner.

St. Francis Winery, housed in a mission-styled Visitor Center offers a Reserve Wine and gourmet Food Pairing.

Ledson’s impressive 16,000 square-foot French Normandy winery estate has six tasting rooms, a gourmet marketplace offering cheese, olive oil and tempanade samplings, and sells local artisan foods and fresh-baked breads and desserts.

Continue to the north end of Sonoma Valley to Santa Rosa, the end of this day trip. Enjoy your evening in Santa Rosa. See the Santa Rosa City page for entertainment and restaurants.

For a free map and detailed itinerary of this day trip, go to Sonoma Valley free map and dowload it to your computer for your personal use.