Sonoma Wine Tours
Your Travel Guide to Sonoma
County Wineries
County Wineries
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Sonoma Travel Guide
A Complete One Day Travel Guide For Great
Complete travel guide to Sonoma county wineries, where to go, best Sonoma vineyards, and Sonoma valley wines for your self-guided Sanoma Wine Tours. After many, many days visiting just about everything the area has to offer, we’ve designed a guide for those of you who want the best and only have one day to experience it. The next three pages contain a complete one day guide to Sonoma's wine country. Copy and paste to your Word program, print, and enjoy your self-guided wine tour.
Sonoma, Kenwood, & Glen Ellen Guides Now Available
This guide contains a one day plan for a “perfect day” in the Sonoma wine country. In addition to this guide, there are two additional guides, one for the Kenwood wine growing area and another for the Glen Ellen wine region. Both guides are available free on the web and are updated frequently to reflect the constant changes in the Sonoma Valley.
Honest Reviewing
Our guide contains all the elements essential to a great wine country experience and everything we suggest has been personally experienced and enjoyed by your crack team. Unlike the maps, brochures, and magazines you’ll find on your visit we do not take any fees from the sites we suggest you visit. Our no cash policy keeps our reviews objective and honest.
Easy Reference
Of course we’d like you to read all our witty commentary but we know that a lot of you (guys) just want to cut to the chase so for you there is a list of all places recommended at the end of each Wine Tour Guide. There’s also a full list at the end of each day with the info repeated if you really want the short scoop. In addition, we summarize each place with a brief “what’s so special” section at the end of each site description. For the Sonoma Tour Distilled click here...........
Lodging
Of course the first thing you do before planning a trip is figure out where you want to stay. While we do tell you about a few hidden winery cottages, we feel lodging is so dependent on specific wants (pool, hot tub, free wine) and budgets that we wanted you to be able to tailor your stay to suit your personal needs.
That’s why we recommend you call Stay Sonoma at 1-866-647-8888 or better yet visit their great web site at www.staysonoma.com. You can book your stay online and know you’re getting the real 411. The founder, Wendy was with the Visitors Bureau for years before going out on her own and knows every place to stay in Sonoma, and she can get you a great rate ‘cause she knows where all the bodies (or casks) are buried.
Before You Go
Also at the end of the guide, there’s a section for phone calls and arrangements you should make before you start your day or even before you start your trip. These are mainly for stuff not usually open to the public or special tours or events that you’ll need to book in advance. We’d hate for you to get somewhere and then miss something really cool because you needed to call first. We’ve also given you the two best places to look for events each month so you won’t miss a really cool festival or music happening while you’re off wine tasting.
SONOMA PERFECT DAY TOUR
As you probably know, Sonoma Valley has three distinct wine growing areas: beautiful Kenwood, charming Glen Ellen, and the area in and around downtown called just plain Sonoma. Sonoma has a distinct personality. Poor Sonoma, it is continually being compared to Napa, and anyone that has been to both famous wine country regions knows that Sonoma stands on it’s own. Down home, yet sophisticated. Wine is taken seriously in Sonoma but with a big dose of fun. Sonomans (is that a word?) love to party down, and the Plaza is party central. There is a “there” there. (We know because we live here and we just have to go to every festival, every tasting, every winemaker dinner there is because we are continually researching for this guide . . .. gasp! A terrible job but someone has to ….well, you know)
A Little Revolutionary History
Sonoma has a sense of place and time. Sonoma is ground zero for wine and the wine business in United States. It’s an old mission town founded by Father Altamira as the most Northern in the California mission chain. Back in 1823 Father Altamira traveled from Point Reyes to Napa looking for a site for the northern most mission of the California missions. He, like many tourists today, found everything he wanted in Sonoma, so he founded the mission here (yes, we did say Napa, he bypassed Napa for Sonoma). It functioned only a few years as a mission. In the 1830’s the Mexican government secularized the missions in California, much like our military bases changing uses today to better fit the needs of the day. General Vallejo, now known as the founder of Sonoma, came up from Mexico to convert the Mission San Francisco Solano into a pueblo, or small community, making it a frontier center of Mexican authority.
This “authority” was tenuous, and it turns out rather short-lived. The Bear Flag Revolt was a turning point in California history. A band of about 30 “Californios” arrested the cooperative General Vallejo and his men without firing a shot. Vallejo offered the band of mountain men, settlers, and opportunists some wine, (much as the residents do today when there’s conflict) establishing Sonoma early on as the historical center for the future wine industry. Even though the “revolt” took place in the early morning, it didn’t deter the victors from over doing it with the wine, carrying on ‘til all hours of the night (you can trace these historical influences to current day behavior).
They did manage to set up an independent form of government and William Ide; a non-drinking carpenter from New England was the one and only President of the Republic of California. The fledgling Republic was also short lived (do you see a pattern here?); California was brought into the United States 25 days later in 1846. The Bear Flag came down, and up went the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America. The site where the Bear Flag was first raised is in the Sonoma Plaza, commemorated with a large rock and bronze figure. In modern history seven national flags have flown over Sonoma.
Maybe the revolving governments spawned the present day quirky political sensibilities of Sonomans. There seems to always be some kind of controversy brewing. Lines are drawn, and sides are taken when it comes to Casinos, Resorts, and chickens in the plaza.
A Little Wine History
The California wine business has its roots in Sonoma (pun). Sonoma’s soil, topography, and climate make for perfect viticulture. It was designated as a sight to grow grapes by the Catholic Church, when Father Altamira pressed (polite for enslaved) the Native Americans into service. They toiled away on vines that ultimately produced sacramental wine for not only the mission dwellers, but for the thirsty souls in the San Francisco mission also. The art of grape growing and wine making took a quantum leap in terms of quality and variety with the arrival of a rather questionable, but passionate Hungarian nobleman, Agoston Haraszthy in the 1830’s. He brought from Europe a wide range of varietals, merlot, chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and they all thrived in the Sonoma Valley. He established a winery with beautiful stone cellars, known as Buena Vista (Beautiful View) that is now the oldest continually producing premium winery in the United States. The acreage he cultivated is now the Sonoma appellation.
Whatever your quest is. . . living the rich colorful past, tasting great wines, biking country roads, hiking the chaparral and oak covered hills, dining in first rate restaurants, you can do it all here. For a complete guide to all of Sanoma's activities, click here...
California Wine Tour Guides is not responsible forany harm or disappointment which may result from using the informationherein contained and does not endorse or support any of the recommendedplaces or activities. Since the wine country is constantly changing,some of the businesses may no longer be active or may have changedtheir locations. Websites for all recommended stops are linked to theguides, you may want to check before you plan your trip.
SONOMA WINE TOURS
Complete travel guide to Sonoma county wineries, where to go, best Sonoma vineyards, and Sonoma valley wines for your self-guided Sanoma Wine Tours. After many, many days visiting just about everything the area has to offer, we’ve designed a guide for those of you who want the best and only have one day to experience it. The next three pages contain a complete one day guide to Sonoma's wine country. Copy and paste to your Word program, print, and enjoy your self-guided wine tour.
Sonoma, Kenwood, & Glen Ellen Guides Now Available
This guide contains a one day plan for a “perfect day” in the Sonoma wine country. In addition to this guide, there are two additional guides, one for the Kenwood wine growing area and another for the Glen Ellen wine region. Both guides are available free on the web and are updated frequently to reflect the constant changes in the Sonoma Valley.
Honest Reviewing
Our guide contains all the elements essential to a great wine country experience and everything we suggest has been personally experienced and enjoyed by your crack team. Unlike the maps, brochures, and magazines you’ll find on your visit we do not take any fees from the sites we suggest you visit. Our no cash policy keeps our reviews objective and honest.
Easy Reference
Of course we’d like you to read all our witty commentary but we know that a lot of you (guys) just want to cut to the chase so for you there is a list of all places recommended at the end of each Wine Tour Guide. There’s also a full list at the end of each day with the info repeated if you really want the short scoop. In addition, we summarize each place with a brief “what’s so special” section at the end of each site description. For the Sonoma Tour Distilled click here...........
Lodging
Of course the first thing you do before planning a trip is figure out where you want to stay. While we do tell you about a few hidden winery cottages, we feel lodging is so dependent on specific wants (pool, hot tub, free wine) and budgets that we wanted you to be able to tailor your stay to suit your personal needs.
That’s why we recommend you call Stay Sonoma at 1-866-647-8888 or better yet visit their great web site at www.staysonoma.com. You can book your stay online and know you’re getting the real 411. The founder, Wendy was with the Visitors Bureau for years before going out on her own and knows every place to stay in Sonoma, and she can get you a great rate ‘cause she knows where all the bodies (or casks) are buried.
Before You Go
Also at the end of the guide, there’s a section for phone calls and arrangements you should make before you start your day or even before you start your trip. These are mainly for stuff not usually open to the public or special tours or events that you’ll need to book in advance. We’d hate for you to get somewhere and then miss something really cool because you needed to call first. We’ve also given you the two best places to look for events each month so you won’t miss a really cool festival or music happening while you’re off wine tasting.
SONOMA PERFECT DAY TOUR
As you probably know, Sonoma Valley has three distinct wine growing areas: beautiful Kenwood, charming Glen Ellen, and the area in and around downtown called just plain Sonoma. Sonoma has a distinct personality. Poor Sonoma, it is continually being compared to Napa, and anyone that has been to both famous wine country regions knows that Sonoma stands on it’s own. Down home, yet sophisticated. Wine is taken seriously in Sonoma but with a big dose of fun. Sonomans (is that a word?) love to party down, and the Plaza is party central. There is a “there” there. (We know because we live here and we just have to go to every festival, every tasting, every winemaker dinner there is because we are continually researching for this guide . . .. gasp! A terrible job but someone has to ….well, you know)
A Little Revolutionary History
Sonoma has a sense of place and time. Sonoma is ground zero for wine and the wine business in United States. It’s an old mission town founded by Father Altamira as the most Northern in the California mission chain. Back in 1823 Father Altamira traveled from Point Reyes to Napa looking for a site for the northern most mission of the California missions. He, like many tourists today, found everything he wanted in Sonoma, so he founded the mission here (yes, we did say Napa, he bypassed Napa for Sonoma). It functioned only a few years as a mission. In the 1830’s the Mexican government secularized the missions in California, much like our military bases changing uses today to better fit the needs of the day. General Vallejo, now known as the founder of Sonoma, came up from Mexico to convert the Mission San Francisco Solano into a pueblo, or small community, making it a frontier center of Mexican authority.
This “authority” was tenuous, and it turns out rather short-lived. The Bear Flag Revolt was a turning point in California history. A band of about 30 “Californios” arrested the cooperative General Vallejo and his men without firing a shot. Vallejo offered the band of mountain men, settlers, and opportunists some wine, (much as the residents do today when there’s conflict) establishing Sonoma early on as the historical center for the future wine industry. Even though the “revolt” took place in the early morning, it didn’t deter the victors from over doing it with the wine, carrying on ‘til all hours of the night (you can trace these historical influences to current day behavior).
They did manage to set up an independent form of government and William Ide; a non-drinking carpenter from New England was the one and only President of the Republic of California. The fledgling Republic was also short lived (do you see a pattern here?); California was brought into the United States 25 days later in 1846. The Bear Flag came down, and up went the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America. The site where the Bear Flag was first raised is in the Sonoma Plaza, commemorated with a large rock and bronze figure. In modern history seven national flags have flown over Sonoma.
Maybe the revolving governments spawned the present day quirky political sensibilities of Sonomans. There seems to always be some kind of controversy brewing. Lines are drawn, and sides are taken when it comes to Casinos, Resorts, and chickens in the plaza.
A Little Wine History
The California wine business has its roots in Sonoma (pun). Sonoma’s soil, topography, and climate make for perfect viticulture. It was designated as a sight to grow grapes by the Catholic Church, when Father Altamira pressed (polite for enslaved) the Native Americans into service. They toiled away on vines that ultimately produced sacramental wine for not only the mission dwellers, but for the thirsty souls in the San Francisco mission also. The art of grape growing and wine making took a quantum leap in terms of quality and variety with the arrival of a rather questionable, but passionate Hungarian nobleman, Agoston Haraszthy in the 1830’s. He brought from Europe a wide range of varietals, merlot, chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and they all thrived in the Sonoma Valley. He established a winery with beautiful stone cellars, known as Buena Vista (Beautiful View) that is now the oldest continually producing premium winery in the United States. The acreage he cultivated is now the Sonoma appellation.
Whatever your quest is. . . living the rich colorful past, tasting great wines, biking country roads, hiking the chaparral and oak covered hills, dining in first rate restaurants, you can do it all here. For a complete guide to all of Sanoma's activities, click here...