Sonoma

There is no bad time to go to Sonoma Valley: hello wine and cheese! But, it is especially beautiful in the fall when the trees and the vines change colors. We were lucky enough to visit over Thanksgiving on a particularly sunny and warm day.

Sonoma valley is less formal and more quaint than Napa, but equally as fun. If I had to describe Sonoma in one word, it would be “charming.” If you have a chance to visit both, you should, because each area has its own personality. It is a little closer to San Francisco than Napa and most of the wineries do not require reservations in advance, so it’s a perfect occasion for a spur-of-the moment trip.

Just as with Napa, with all the driving involved, we only had time to visit four wineries in one day – Preston Winery, Bella Winery, Ferrari-Carano Winery, and Francis Ford Coppola Winery. I’m sure you can fit more in your itinerary if you are good with directions or are familiar with the area (we took a few wrong turns here and there).

Preston Winery was a cute winery with an old house where you could get some wine (cheap) and a back yard with benches and picnic tables and lots of CATS. I’m not a cat person, but I have to say it was really cool to watch (and pet) all the different cats that were roaming around or lounging in the sun. The crowd consisted of a few families and couples who seemed like locals.

Bella Winery sits on top of the hill, which offers great views of the surroundings. When we got there, it was mid-afternoon and the giant lawn in front of the winery was full of people houla-hooping, dancing, and enjoying wine in the sun. It felt very communal and idyllic. The wine tasting price, just $10, also included freshly-made paella and a tour of wine caves.

Ferrari-Carano Winery has a beautiful building with even more beautiful gardens. The owners have managed to replicate the atmosphere of Italy to the T. It was a little more stuffy than the other two wineries, but it was fun to walk around the grounds and enjoy the beautiful gardens.

Our final stop on the way back to San Francisco, was Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which, while a little more touristic and cheesy – they had a lot of movie memorabilia and movie props from Coppola’s movies, including “the Godfather” desk – had also some of the best wines that day.

Overall, I’d say that Sonoma is where most of the locals go, while Napa is more of a touristy place. Either one, though, is worth visiting. I, personally, cannot wait to get back to the cats. And if somebody opened a dog winery, I’d probably move to Sonoma immediately.