Wine Country Ramble

Deplane at the light-filled Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, where statues of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and friends welcome you to easygoing Santa Rosa, the Peanuts creator’s hometown. A museum honoring Schulz’s work is only seven miles from the terminal, and Sonoma-Cutrer and Kendall-Jackson wineries are even closer. This is wine country, but in Santa Rosa, beer fans find their tribe, too, at Third Street Aleworks, HenHouse, Cooperage, and Russian River Brewing Company. If you’ve always wanted to taste Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, one of the world’s most coveted beers, show up in late March and prepare to wait in line.

Brake in Kenwood for wine tasting: Kunde Family Winery has tastings, cave tours, and hiking trails on 1,850 acres, and St. Francis Winery offers food-and-wine pairings and a pedal-powered trolley tour. But there’s more to do than sip and swirl. Shop for handmade garden art and one-of-a-kind wine racks at Swede’s Feeds. For family-friendly comfort food, pull into Tips Roadside and order a tri-tip sandwich. Pause for a massage and soak in the warming pool at Kenwood Inn and Spa, or spend the night in villa-style luxury (don’t miss the wine-and-cheese hour).

Nestled in a woodsy expanse of oaks and madrones, Glen Ellen excels at the genteel country life. Oak Hill Farm sells produce and farm goods from its century-old Red Barn Store, while across the road, B.R. Cohnshowcases award-winning olive oils and vinegars alongside estate-grown wines. A handful of epicurean eateries attract connoisseurs from far and wide (reserve ahead for a table at Glen Ellen Star). Jack London State Historic Park caters to literature fans and nature lovers—the park preserves the ranch home of the legendary American author and adventurer. A museum houses London’s writing desk and early copies of his work, but most visitors heed The Call of the Wild and head outside to walk paths through London’s vineyards and vast open-space areas.

Sonoma is the name of a wine-growing region, a town, a county, and a downtown plaza. You could easily spend a full day at the last of those, where adobe storefronts buzz with apparel shops, tasting rooms, and eateries like The Girl and the Fig, Sausage Emporium, Tasca Tasca, and Valley Bar and Bottle. Sonoma’s delightful town square and surrounding blocks date back to when California was under Mexican rule, so be sure to visit the fascinating historic sites that are preserved as part of Sonoma State Historic Park. If you’d like to see Sonoma from above, take an easy hike on the Sonoma Overlook Trail on the edge of town, or saddle up for a horseback ride with Sonoma Valley Trail Rides and trot through Bartholomew Estate’s view-filled vineyards.  

Whether you’re seeking fruity Zinfandel or crisp Sauvignon Blanc, it’s here in Napa Valley, with this bustling town serving as the region’s hub. Napa’s revitalized downtown provides an opportunity for wine tasting while walking, not driving; just stroll down First Street and stop at any tasting room that strikes your fancy. You can also climb aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train, take a sightseeing gondola tour, admire the art at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, or sample an array of gourmet bounty at Oxbow Public Market. Or just do what the locals do for fun—paddle a kayak on the Napa River.

Once a rustic stagecoach stop, Yountville has transformed into a haute culinary destination. One such coveted restaurant includes no-introduction-needed The French Laundry. Besides spectacular meals, Yountville has dozens of wine-tasting rooms housed in grand buildings designed to replicate English-Gothic chateaus, Spanish missions, and Tuscan castles. For in-town tasting, walk along Washington Street to visit Jessup Cellars’ combined tasting room and art gallery and its wine-pouring neighbors: Handwritten Wines, Hope & Grace, Hill Family Estate, and Priest Ranch. Learn about the fascinating history of this region at the Napa Valley Museum, with exhibits on wine industry personalities, Native American tribes, and local artists.

Like other towns in Napa Valley, St. Helena brims with elegant boutiques, tasting rooms, and restaurants, but this burg does it with Western panache. Three blocks of Main Street look like a cowboy movie set—false-fronted buildings date back to the 1880s, with many listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shop and stroll to your heart’s content, then explore St. Helena’s wineries: Take the wine aroma challenge in Joseph Phelps’ wood-and-glass tasting room. Drink up mountaintop vistas and crisp Chardonnay at Pride Mountain Vineyard. Admire Venetian-style architecture and cool wine caves at Del Dotto. At Hall St. Helena, learn how high-tech organic farming results in top-shelf Cabernet. At day’s end, splurge on a room at Forbes five-starMeadowood Napa Valley. 

Walk down Calistoga’s main drag and you’ll catch whiffs of sulfur emanating from dozens of spas. Heed the invitation and indulge in a mineral-rich mud bath at Indian Springs or Calistoga Spa Hot Springs—you’ll be submerged to the neck in warm mud made from volcanic ash and peat, then left to bake. Visitors have been “taking the waters” at this down-to-earth town since its founding in the mid-19th century. Once your skin is rejuvenated and your cares forgotten, explore the shops tucked into Calistoga’s charming bungalows: Browse Ca’toga Art Gallery’s Venetian-style porcelain plates and note cards. Peruse the books at Copperfield’s. Shop for gifts you wish someone would give you at Blackbird of Calistoga. To escape the summer heat, reserve a tour of Schramsberg Vineyards’ caves, where bottles of bubbly age gracefully.

Situated on the far north end of Sonoma Valley, Geyserville is a delightfully unpretentious town where community matters just as much as wine. Stroll Geyserville Avenue to see 27 outdoor sculptures, then head to Catelli’s patio for handmade ravioli and local gossip. Poke around Bosworth & Son to find a perfect Stetson hat, locally made honey, or the right piece of hardware to fix your tractor. Sip Bordeaux-style blends at Mercury Wine or taste craft IPAs at Corner Project Ales. Play bocce ball at Francis Ford Coppola Winery and view the famous director’s movie memorabilia. You won’t want to leave this cozy town, but when you must, it’s a short cruise back to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.