Sonoma County offers travellers an embarrassment of riches but until recently gourmands seeking a world-class dining experience often felt compelled to venture east to Napa Valley or south to San Francisco. Or come during the Christmas season and you can ring in the New Year at boisterous parties at the county’s restaurants, wineries and picturesque inns. But now the towns are abuzz year-round, thanks in part to festivals like January’s month-long An Olive Odyssey olive festival, the Sonoma County Fair, spring’s winery open houses and autumn’s harvest events. When to visit Sonoma County? Until a few years ago, agriculture-rich Sonoma County was primarily a summertime destination. It’s all about slowing down here, mingling with winemakers and locals, and knowing that it doesn’t get much better than this. You could whizz straight up US 101 to arrive at the county’s northernmost town, the poshly perfect Healdsburg, but that would be missing the essence of this nook-and-cranny wine region-like the towns of Sonoma, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa and Guerneville. In Sonoma County, it’s often the actual winemaker who’s filling your glass, with the faithful winery dog sitting nearby.Īn easy hour’s drive north of San Francisco, the journey through Sonoma County begins in the historic town of Petaluma, with its classical stone buildings. And then there’s the entire region encompassing it all, officially known as Sonoma County. Then, there’s Sonoma Valley, which refers to the area between Santa Rosa and the town of Sonoma (and is also known as the Valley of the Moon), which features individual wine regions such as Kenwood and Glen Ellen. There’s the town of Sonoma, with its historic Sonoma Plaza. Start your explorations with a quick geography lesson (the Sonoma County Visitors Bureau has an interactive map to help you get your bearings).
Often, it will be the actual winemaker who’s filling your glass, with his or her faithful winery dog sitting nearby.
Intimacy abounds at Sonoma County wineries. Take Forestville’s Joseph Swanwinery, which has been around since 1967 and still serves its award-winning wines out of a tasting room that’s really an old wooden-barrel barn. But in Sonoma County you’re just as likely to stumble across extraordinary wines being crafted in someone's backyard. Yes, it's increasingly famous for its premium wines, sharing the pedestal with Napa Valley for luxury cult collectibles like the waiting-list-only bottles from Kistler Vineyards, A. Spanning more than one million acres from the Pacific Ocean to the rugged Coast Range, Sonoma County defies typecasting. Bocce courts and some wine tastings are free. Insider’s tip: Splurge on a poolside private cabana for ultimate relaxation day-use fee includes an all-day pool pass.
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Inside the main building, where there’s also a full-service restaurant celebrating fresh, local ingredients, visit Coppola’s memorabilia-filled movie gallery, complete with some of his shiny Academy Awards.
Take turns watching the kids so you can slip away for wine tasting, or join an interesting tour. See who’s got game in your family with a round of bocce on pretty courts overlooking surrounding vineyards.
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On a warm afternoon in summer, relax by the fabulous pool while your kids wade in special shallow zones or splash in fountains, and you might start scheming how to work here so you never have to leave. This everyone’s-welcome play land isn’t just about wine, but relaxing in wine-country style-no matter when you were born. Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola adds his larger-than-life style to his estate-like compound near Geyserville, in the north end Sonoma County wine country.
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