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Wine barrels a plenty
Deerfield Ranch WineryIt is always a great day when you start the morning off by getting a massage. How to keep this feeling on a warm and sunny spring day? Head to wine country! After allowing ourselves the pleasure of practiced hands, we decided to head to Sonoma Valley to enjoy day sampling a few wines in various wineries. We’ve both visited Napa Valley wineries multiple times but this is our first trip to savor the delights of Sonoma Valley. Armed with a long list of vineyards we had some choices to make. We harbored no intentions of cramming a bunch of wineries in our day. We wanted to move slowly and enjoy the journey and could have easily made this trip a little slower.
The rolling hills of Sonoma Valley are beautiful, bright green and lush. Winding roads lead you past winery after winery. There are roadside fruit stands to tempt you and many bicyclists to avoid on the back roads who are taking advantage of the balmy weather. We were surprised by several roadside deli’s and BBQ’s.
We remember in the old days when tastings at wineries were free but those days are long gone. More than likely it
didn’t take long for two things to happen. One is that free wine would bring out the crowds, and secondly, it’s a great way for the wineries to make some fast cash. All of the wineries we toured charged $10 to $15 for a sampling of 5 one-ounce pours. Each of the wineries we visited had wines that we enjoyed and some that we did not care for as wine is a very personal experience. We bought a couple of bottles along the way but we did not find one that made us want to purchase a case ..….. too bad, maybe next visit.
Viasana Winery & Italian Marketplace
The patio view from this winery provides a magnificent view of Sonoma Valley. Acre after acre of well manicured grapevines. This property is unique in that the winery is at the top of these beautiful hills. If you are hungry you can purchase one of their wood fire pizzas or one of their gourmet sandwiches to eat on the patio over looking the valley—as it is also and Italian Marketplace.
We knew the key to surviving this day is to slowly sip the wines and savor
View from patio
at Viasana Winery some food along the way. We shared a sandwich here and it was excellent.
The setting is lovely and they have a banquet room that looks like they probably rent it out for weddings and special occasions. They have a very nice shopping area where you can buy dishes, oils, sauces and wine paraphernalia. The grounds are well manicured, flowers bursting with color.
By the end of the day we had decided we enjoyed our visit to this winery the most because of the splendid location and landscaping…..and the wines were good also.
The prices for their tastings vary depending on the number wines and whether you select the premium wines. They wave the fees if you purchase a bottle of wine or if you have a Visa Select credit card.
Buena Vista Winery Press House and Tasting Room
One of the oldest premium wineries in Sonoma Valley, founded in 1857. The tasting house is small and quaint. They have lovely old trees lining the property with picnic benches. It is at the end of a dead end road it provides a quiet setting. Buena Vista offers tasting both indoors
and outdoors. Rather than a gift shop this one had a small area set aside for a few quality gifts. They were far more focused on selling their wines.
In Sonoma Valley you can sign up for a wine bus that will take you to multiple wineries and you do not have to drive. The fee is $99 for the day.
Limos are very common and can be rented for about $80 an hour, plus tip.
The small buses can be hired for private parties. Cost varies depending on how many hours but they generally run $100 to $150 per person. All in all a lot less expensive than a DUI!
Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
We’ve enjoyed this wine a few times in our past and wanted to get a look at where this familiar product was produced. It is a larger more corporate looking winery. As you approach the tasting room they have a lovely fountain in front surrounded by trellises of Wisteria. It is rather inviting. They have a spacious tasting cellar that should be able to accommodate the summer and fall crowds. Again, shopping was available if you wanted to take
home a memory.
Hours later after visiting three wineries we realized we had already consumed a fair amount of wine. We needed a break from all the wine tasting so we headed into the town of Sonoma and ate at the
Sunflower Cafe Espresso and Wine Bar. You place your order at the counter, they give you and number and deliver the food to your table. They have lovely garden seating in the back. It was a nice place to watch people and we even saw a couple of hummingbirds. The food was very good and presentation was exceptional. After a late lunch we asked in the Café which small, quaint, boutique winery they would recommend….so we headed in search of Deerfield Ranch Winery.
Deerfield Ranch Winery
This one is unique in that they have their wine tasting set up in a room called the Caves. As you enter there is a long domed hallway, 500 feet or more in length with a ceiling of thirty feet. Huge wine barrels are stacked two high along the walk to the tasting room. It provides an interesting echo as you walk. Excitement builds as you get closer
California rolling hills
in Sonoma Valley-wine country because you can hear all the voices of people laughing, talking and enjoying the wines. The tasting room is large and comfortable with wine colored leather couches, multiple oak tasting tables and a small tasting bar.
I hope you have continued to read this far because we want to tell you about the charming town of Sonoma. The City Hall and a well-manicured park are the focal point of the town square. A variety of cute shops, theatres, restaurants, museums, churches, hotels and wineries line the town square. This is a town not to be missed. You can explore it in a few hours.
All in all, a wonderful day made possible by healing hands, nectar from the grape, and bright and sunny day.
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Maisondubonheur
Pierre-Alexandre
Wonderful entry!
Seems to be a beautiful place ! I'll have to do my homeworks before we visit as I've never pay to visit a winery and have a tasting. At the same time, most of the time, we rather taste than drink. I still remember places in NZ and Austalia, they are stoned when you tell them you don't want to taste all their wines, only this and that. Great entry, and see you very soon!