Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery, Sonoma, California

Just a short walk away from the wonderful downtown square in the center of Sonoma you’ll find the historic Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery.  The winery is over a 100-years-old and they’ve used that time to perfect their fabulous wine.

Inside their beautiful tasting room is a long wooden bar flanked at one end by an enormous fireplace which was blazing on the cool winter day when we visited.  The lady who served us was friendly and very knowledgeable about the wine and the Sonoma area.

Tastings are $10 for 7 wines and the fee is waived for wine club members.  It’s not waived if you buy a bottle (unlike many other wineries in Sonoma County).  Our Visa Prestige card didn’t get us this tasting for free (also unlike many other wineries in wine country) but it did get us a 10% discount on wine you purchase – which worked out well since we left with both a bottle of the 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir and the Sonoma County 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.

We found the Pinot Noir to have rich black cherry flavors (just as promised) and to be a complex red wine that didn’t really remind us of very many other Pinot Noirs!  In general we go more for Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, but this Pinot Noir really impressed us!

The 2006 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon was good but not excellent.  We bought it because it seemed easier to drink and more “middle of the road” than some of our favorites.  We tend to get really excited about really big, bold, dry Cabernet that might not go over so well at a dinner party (more for us!)  This should be very well received by most everyone.

We also (unexpectedly) loved the 2008 Un-Oaked Russian River Chardonnay.  We’re not big white wine drinkers.  (Red wine goes better with chocolate ), but this white wine had us wanting more!  We found it very fresh and clean tasting.

Sebastiani Winery is open from 10-5 daily and offer complimentary tours of the winery at 11:00AM, 1PM and 3PM.

The classy Beringer Vineyard is a large winery in the heart of the Napa Valley.  There are lovely views out over the valley and their grounds, but unfortunately no picnic tables to enjoy it from.  We wound up eating lunch on the benches in front of the tasting room.  Not bad, but not the ideal spot either.  There isn’t any shade, either.  Not a problem on the day we visited, but in the middle of the summer it might be less pleasant.

They offer several different tours of the winery with prices ranging from $15-$40 per person.  They have different tasting rooms – we chose to visit The Old Winery Tasting Room where it was $10 to taste 3 wines.

There is a long wooden bar and the room was decorated with large, framed, black and white photographs of famous people visiting the winery.   We sampled a variety of different wines – everything from red to white to sparkling rose!  We particularly enjoyed a Gewurzaminer and the lovely 2008 Premier White Zinfandel – mildly sweet with a fruity clean finish – we can see it pairing very nicely with some spicy food.

The winery is open daily – except Thanksgiving; Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Winery Hours:
May 30 – Oct. 23 Daily 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Oct. 24 – May 29 Daily 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Beringer Vineyards is located at 2000 Main Street , St. Helena , California in the heart of the Napa Valley.

V. Sattui Winery is a family owned winery established in 1885.  The winery is beautiful and the perfect place to break for lunch on a day of wine tasting in the Napa Valley.  The big old stone building is a wonderful backdrop to the picnic tables where you can rest under the shade of the huge oak trees.  Relax to the sound of the fountain while you sip your wine and eat treats brought from home or purchased from their convenient and extensive deli.

While we brought our own lunch from home, we did get a chance to sample several of their cheeses – fabulous!  We also took home a large block of the rich chocolate fudge.  It went very nicely with some red wine and disappeared all too quickly!

Their tasting room charges $10 for tasting 6 of 9 reserve wines, or $5 for 6 of their “classic” wines.  It has a very long wooden bar with plenty of room on all but the busiest days.  We found the service good and the staff knowledgeable about the wines.

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to go wine tasting in the Valley of the Moon (Sonoma Mountain AVA) near Glen Ellen.  It was a beautiful, sunny day so we wanted to combine wine tasting with some outdoor time.  The paved paths of Sonoma Valley Regional Park were the perfect answer!

Right outside Glen Ellen, the park offers both paved and unpaved trails, a dog park, picnic tables, barbeque (BBQ) facilities and a port-a-potty.  The paved trails are fairly level and make for an easy stroll.  They’re great for families with small children in strollers and those just out for a relaxing walk.  If you want a little bit more exercise there are lots more unpaved trails.  These, too, are pretty easy.  They’re mostly level, wide and well-maintained.

Springtime brings particularly spectacular wildflower displays to the park.  To really appreciate the beauty of the display, though, you should be prepared to get off the paved trails and explore the park more thoroughly.  The un-paved trails provide sweeping views of fields carpeted in brilliant color and dotted with oaks.  If that doesn’t work for you, don’t worry – even from the main paved trails the colors are amazing.

Any time of year, Sonoma Valley Regional Park would make a great spot for a lunch time picnic on a day spent wine tasting in the Valley of the Moon.  Glen Ellen is home to several wineries.  Benziger, Chateau St. Jean, Ledson, St. Francis, and Kunde wineries (and their tasting rooms) are all nearby.