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Welcome to Wine Country

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Top Reasons to Go | Getting Oriented | Planning

Updated by Matt Villano

Top Reasons to Go

Biking: Cycling is one of the best ways to see the Wine Country—the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys, in Sonoma County, are particularly beautiful.

Browsing the farmers’ markets: Many towns in Napa and Sonoma have seasonal farmers’ markets, each rounding up an amazing variety of local produce.

Wandering di Rosa: Though this art and nature preserve is just off the busy Carneros Highway, it’s a relatively unknown treasure. The galleries and gardens are filled with hundreds of pieces of art.

Canoeing on the Russian River: Trade in your car keys for a paddle and glide down the Russian River in Sonoma County. May through October is the best time to be on the water.

Touring Wineries: Let’s face it: this is the reason you’re here, and the range of excellent sips to sample would make any oenophile (or novice drinker, for that matter) giddy.

The Napa and Sonoma valleys run roughly parallel, northwest to southeast, and are separated by the Mayacamas Mountains. Northwest of the Sonoma Valley are several more important viticultural areas in Sonoma County, including the Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River valleys. The Carneros region, which spans southern Sonoma and Napa counties, is just north of San Pablo Bay. Coombsville, recently recognized as a discrete wine region, sits in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley and is the closest of all local wine regions to San Francisco.

Napa Valley. You’ll find big names all around, from high-profile wineries to world-renowned chefs. Napa, the valley’s oldest town, sweet-life St. Helena, and down-to-earth Calistoga all make good home bases here. (Calistoga has the extra draw of local thermal springs.) Yountville has become a culinary boomtown, while the tiny communities of Oakville and Rutherford are home to major wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Grgich Hills. Rutherford in particular is the source for outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sonoma Valley. Historic attractions and an unpretentious attitude prevail here. The town of Sonoma, with its picture-perfect central plaza, is rich with 19th-century buildings. Glen Ellen, meanwhile, has a special connection with author Jack London.

Elsewhere in Sonoma. The winding, rural roads here feel a world away from Napa’s main drag. The lovely Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander valleys are all excellent places to seek out Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc. The small town of Healdsburg gets lots of attention, thanks to its terrific restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, and chic boutiques.

Life is lived well in the California Wine Country. Eating and drinking are cultivated as high arts. If you’ve been daydreaming about driving through vineyards, stopping for a wine tasting or a picnic, well, that fantasy is just everyday life here.

It’s little wonder that so many visitors to San Francisco take a day or two—or five or six—to unwind in the Napa and Sonoma valleys. They join the locals in the tasting rooms, from serious wine collectors making their annual pilgrimages to wine newbies who don’t know the difference between a Merlot and Mourvèdre but are eager to learn.

The state’s wine industry is booming, and the Napa and Sonoma valleys have long led the field. For instance, in 1975 Napa Valley had no more than 20 wineries; today there are nearly 400. A recent up-and-comer is the Carneros region, which overlaps Napa and Sonoma counties at the head of the San Francisco Bay. Another exciting area: Coombsville, in southeastern Napa, which recently received an official AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation recognizing its unique characteristics.

Great dining and wine go hand in hand, and the local viticulture has naturally encouraged a robust passion for food. Several outstanding chefs have taken root here, sealing the area’s reputation as one of the best restaurant destinations in the country. The lust for fine food doesn’t stop at the doors of the bistros, either. Whether you visit an artisanal olive-oil producer, nibble locally made cheese, or browse the fresh vegetables in the farmers’ markets, you’ll soon see why Napa and Sonoma are a food-lover’s paradise.

Napa and Sonoma counties are also rich in history. In the town of Sonoma, for example, you can explore buildings from California’s Spanish and Mexican past. Some wineries, such as Napa Valley’s Beringer, have cellars or tasting rooms dating to the late 1800s. The town of Calistoga is a flurry of Steamboat Gothic architecture, gussied up with the fretwork favored by late-19th-century spa goers. Modern architecture is the exception rather than the rule, but one standout example is the postmodern extravaganza of Clos Pegase winery in Calistoga.

Binding all these temptations together is the sheer scenic beauty of the place. Much of Napa Valley’s landscape unspools in orderly, densely planted rows of vines. Sonoma’s vistas are broken by rolling hills or stands of ancient oak and madrone trees. Even the climate cooperates, as the warm summer days and refreshingly cool evenings that make the area one of the world’s best grape-growing regions make perfect weather for traveling, too. If you’re inspired to dig further into the Wine Country, grab a copy of Fodor’s InFocus Napa & Sonoma or the in-depth Compass American Guide: California Wine Country.

Planning

When to Go

“Crush,” the term used to indicate the season when grapes are picked and crushed, usually takes place in September or October, depending on the weather. From September until November the entire Wine Country celebrates its bounty with street fairs and festivals. The Sonoma County Harvest Fair, with its famous grape stomp, is held the first weekend in October. Golf tournaments, wine auctions, and art and food fairs occur throughout fall.

In season (April through November), Napa Valley draws crowds of tourists, and traffic along Highway 29 from St. Helena to Calistoga is often backed up on weekends. The Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa, and Healdsburg are less crowded (though even that is changing). In season and over holiday weekends it’s best to book lodging, restaurant, and winery reservations at least a month in advance. Many wineries give tours at specified times and require appointments.

To avoid crowds, visit the Wine Country during the week and get an early start (most wineries open around 10). Because many wineries close as early as 4 or 4:30—and few are open past 5—you’ll need to get a reasonably early start if you want to fit in more than one or two, especially if you’re going to enjoy the leisurely lunch customary in the Wine Country. Summer is usually hot and dry, and autumn can be even hotter, so dress appropriately if you go during these times.

Getting Here and Around

Air Travel

If you’d like to bypass San Francisco or Oakland, you can fly directly to the small Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa on Horizon Air, which has direct flights from Los Angeles, Portland, Las Vegas, and Seattle. Rental cars are available from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz at the airport.

Bus Travel

Bus travel is an inconvenient way to explore the Wine Country. Service is infrequent and buses from San Francisco can only get you to Santa Rosa or the town of Vallejo, south of Napa—neither of which is close to the vineyards. Sonoma County Transit offers daily bus service to points all over the county. VINE (Valley Intracity Neighborhood Express) provides bus service within the city of Napa and between other Napa Valley towns.

Bus Lines

Greyhound.
800/231–2222 | www.greyhound.com.
Sonoma County Transit.
707/576–7433, 800/345–7433 | www.sctransit.com.
VINE.
707/251–2800, 800/696–6443 | www.nctpa.net/routes-schedules/vine.html.

Car Travel

Driving your own car is by far the best way to explore the Wine Country. Well-maintained roads zip through the centers of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, while scenic routes thread through the backcountry. Distances between towns are fairly short, and you can often drive from one end of the Napa or Sonoma valley to the other in less than an hour—if there’s no significant traffic. This may be a relatively rural area, but the usual rush hours still apply, and high-season weekend traffic can be excruciatingly slow, especially on Highway 29.

Five major roads cut through the Napa and Sonoma valleys. U.S. 101 and Highways 12 and 121 travel through Sonoma County. Highway 29 heads north from Napa. The 25-mile Silverado Trail, which runs parallel to Highway 29 north from Napa to Calistoga, is Napa Valley’s more scenic, less-crowded alternative to Highway 29.

TIP If you’re wine tasting, either select a designated driver or be careful of your wine intake. (When you’re taking just a sip or two of any given wine, it can be hard to keep track of how much you’re drinking.) Also, keep in mind that you’ll likely be sharing the road with cyclists and joggers; keep a close eye on the shoulder.

When calculating the time it will take you to drive between the Napa and Sonoma valleys, remember that the Mayacamas Mountains are between the two. If it’s not too far out of your way, you might want to travel between the two valleys along Highway 12/121 to the south, or along Highway 128 to the north, to avoid the slow, winding drive on the Oakville Grade, which connects Oakville, in Napa, and Glen Ellen, in Sonoma.

From San Francisco to Napa: Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, then go north on U.S. 101. Next go east on Highway 37 toward Vallejo, then north on Highway 121, also called the Carneros Highway. Turn left (north) when Highway 121 runs into Highway 29. This should take about 1½ hours when traffic is light.

From San Francisco to Sonoma: Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, then go north on U.S. 101, east on Highway 37 toward Vallejo, and north on Highway 121, aka the Carneros Highway. When you reach Highway 12, take it north. If you’re going to any of the Sonoma County destinations north of the valley, take U.S. 101 all the way north through Santa Rosa to Healdsburg. This should take about an hour, not counting substantial traffic.

From Berkeley and other East Bay towns: Take Interstate 80 north to Highway 37 west, then on to Highway 29 north. To head up the Napa Valley, continue on Highway 29; to reach Sonoma County, turn off Highway 29 onto Highway 121 heading north. Getting from Berkeley to Napa will take at least 45 minutes, from Berkeley to Sonoma at least an hour.

Restaurants

Star chefs from around the world have come into the Wine Country’s orbit, drawn by the area’s phenomenal produce, artisanal foods, and wines. These days, many visitors come to Napa and Sonoma as much for the restaurants’ tasting menus as for the wineries’ tasting rooms.

Although excellent meals can be found virtually everywhere in the region, the small town of Yountville has become a culinary crossroads under the influence of chef Thomas Keller. If a table at Keller’s famed French Laundry is out of reach, keep in mind that he’s also behind a number of more modest restaurants in town. In St. Helena the elegant Restaurant at Meadowood has achieved almost as much critical acclaim as the French Laundry, yet is considerably easier to get into. And the buzzed-about restaurants in Sonoma County, including Cyrus and Farmhouse Inn, offer plenty of mouthwatering options.

Inexpensive eateries include high-end delis that serve superb picnic fare, and brunch is a cost-effective strategy at pricey restaurants, as is sitting at the bar and ordering a few appetizers instead of sitting down to a full-blown meal.

With few exceptions, dress is informal. Where reservations are indicated as essential, you may need to make them a week or more ahead. In summer and early fall you may need to book several weeks ahead.

Hotels

Napa and Sonoma know the tourism ropes well; their inns and hotels range from low-key to utterly luxurious, and generally maintain high standards. Most of the bed-and-breakfasts are in historic Victorian and Spanish buildings, and the breakfast part of the equation often involves fresh local produce. The newer hotels tend to have a more modern, streamlined aesthetic and elaborate, spa-like bathrooms. Many hotels and B&Bs have excellent restaurants on their grounds, and those that don’t are still just a short drive away from gastronomic bliss.

However, all of this comes with a hefty price tag. As the cost of vineyards and grapes has risen, so have lodging rates. Santa Rosa, the largest population center in the area, has the widest selection of moderately priced rooms. Try there if you’ve failed to reserve in advance or have a limited budget. In general, all accommodations in the area often have lower rates on weeknights, and prices are about 20% lower in winter.

On weekends, two- or even three-night minimum stays are commonly required, especially at smaller inns and B&Bs. If you’d prefer to stay a single night, though, innkeepers are usually more flexible in winter. Many B&Bs book up long in advance of the summer and fall seasons. Many B&Bs and small inns also discourage the presence of children though fall short of actually prohibiting them. If you’re traveling with children, be sure to ask about them when booking to make sure they will receive a warm welcome.

Bed-and-Breakfast Associations

Bed & Breakfast Association of Sonoma Valley.
800/969–4667 | www.sonomabb.com.
The Wine Country Inns of Sonoma County.
800/946–3268 | www.winecountryinns.com.

Tours

Full-day guided tours of the Wine Country generally include lunch, and cost about $60–$100 per person. Reservations are usually required.

Gray Line.
The national outfitter offers a tour that covers the southern Napa and Sonoma valleys in a single day, with stops for shopping and sightseeing at Sonoma Plaza and lunch in Yountville. | Pier 43½, Embarcadero | San Francisco | 94131 | 415/434–8687, 888/428–6937 | www.grayline.com.

Great Pacific Tour Co.
This friendly outfitter operates full-day tours of Napa and Sonoma, including a restaurant lunch and a tour at Domaine Chandon. Tours are offered in passenger vans that seat 14. | 518 Octavia St. Hayes Valley | San Francisco | 94102 | 415/626–4499 | www.greatpacifictour.com.

Visitor Information

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