A few weeks ago, I spent a weekend in Sonoma (more specifically Healdsburg/Alexander Valley/Dry Creek Valley) with my husband and my parents. I thought it would be a good idea to share a recap of my mini-vacation to Sonoma and give y’all a few tips and recommendations.
Why did I call this Part 1? I have a lot to share with you about Napa and Sonoma both. I have visited both Napa and/or Sonoma about 10+ times! A lot….I know.
My parents have always loved the valley, and I went for the first time with them after I graduated college in 2012. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to take several more trips out there (several due to work bringing me out to the Bay Area). I also got married in Napa in October of 2014.
It is definitely my favorite weekend getaway location, and my goal is to do 1 trip a year from this point forward.
Moving on to our most recent visit…..
We arrived in Sonoma on a Thursday night. We did two full days (Friday/Saturday) in the Sonoma Area including Healdsburg, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. I personally think 2 full days is more than enough in wine country. You will be tired and sick of wine by the end of 2 full days of tastings (trust me!).
Table of Contents
Day 1:
On Friday, we started South and made our way North. We (surprisingly) made it to 5 wineries! However, we didn’t stop to take a lunch break, so that allowed for us to go to more wineries. Definitely make sure to eat a good breakfast and drink a lot of water if you do this!
All of the wineries we visited on Friday (list below) are part of the Visa Signature Wineries. What does this mean? It essentially means you get free tastings and/or a BOGO tasting if you have a VISA Signature credit card. This an amazing deal. If you are heading over to Sonoma and are looking to save a few dollars, this is for you! They are all top of the notch wineries, too.
Here are the Friday Wineries in the exact order we visited:
- St. Francis
- First time visiting.
- Good wines. Pretty ground/scenery – get a good picture here.
- Chateau St. Jean
- First time visiting.
- Very pretty grounds/lush gardens.
- Twomey
- Repeat.
- Great Pinot Noir’s. Owned by Silver Oak.
- INCREDIBLE!! Views and a very relaxing place.
- Rodney Strong
- Repeat.
- Very good wines – love their Cabernets. You can find at most stores at a reasonable price.
- Dry Creek Vineyard
- First time visiting.
- LOVED. We ended up joining the wine club.
- Incredible Zinfandels and a great atmosphere. Will be returning.
My Favorite From Day 1: Dry Creek Vineyard
After the wineries on Friday, we headed to our favorite local burger joint: Healdsburg Bar and Grill. It is such a fun place to relax and grab a burger and fries. It is located in downtown Healdsburg which is a great place to walk around and explore.
Day 2:
On Saturday, we started North and headed South. We somehow ended up going to SIX wineries on Saturday and made it to lunch. I have no clue how we made this work, but we did. We definitely didn’t spend much time at a couple of them.
- Silver Oak
- First time visiting.
- Amazing Cabernet (pricy, but worth it)
- Sbragia Family Vineyards
- First time visiting.
- Very pretty views and great wine! Get some good pictures.
- Amphora
- First time visiting.
- Didn’t spend much time here and wasn’t too impressed. The wine just wasn’t doing it for me.
- Cast
- First time visiting.
- Relatively new winery and was VERY impressed. Great views, good wine, overall a good experience.
- Alexander Valley
- Repeat.
- Great Zinfandels! We try to stop in and visit this one every time we go to Sonoma.
- Robert Young
- First time visiting.
- Our B&B host kept recommending this one, so we finally tried it! He was right. This was such a good winery. They produce very little wine, but the ones they make are AMAZING. If you go, you need to try the Bob’s Burn Pile Cabernet.
My Favorites From Day 2: Cast and Robert Young.
On Saturday, we ate lunch at the Dry Creek General Store. This is a must if you are in the Dry Creek Valley! It is an old General Store on the side of the road, but they have all kinds of fresh and yummy salads and sandwiches. It is always crowded, so that is a good sign 🙂
After we were done with the wineries, we went back to the Bed & Breakfast to freshen up for our dinner. We had dinner at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen. This place is incredible. If you are looking for a nice, relaxing dinner in Healdsburg, you have to check this place out. It may be on the pricier side, but I think you get what you pay for here. For as nice as it is, the prices aren’t bad.
- Also, this restaurant allows you to bring TWO bottles of Sonoma wine into the restaurant with ZERO corkage fee. This is unheard of in most restaurants.
Random Tips and Tricks:
- Flights Recommendations:
- You can fly into SFO, Oakland or Sacramento. SFO is by far going to be the busiest of the airports, but that is the one I usually end up flying into. I have never tried Oakland. Sacramento is very nice and quiet. I would just shop around and see what the best deal is.
- Pro Tip: Use Google Flights to compare rates.
- How many wineries should I visit in a day?
- It depends, but on average 3-5 is about all you can do in a day without rushing.
- Wineries open at 10 AM and most close by 5 PM.
- We did 6 on one day, but we were literally at one for less than 20 minutes. That is not the norm.
- It depends, but on average 3-5 is about all you can do in a day without rushing.
- Where can I find the list of free Visa Signature wineries in Sonoma?
- My Favorite Wineries in Sonoma to Visit:
- Twomey Cellars
- Jordan
- This a longer tour – reserve 2 hours.
- Alexander Valley Vineyards
- They have a pug and good zinfandel. What more could you want?
- Robert Young
- Cast
- Dry Creek Vineyard
- Favorite Restaurants in Healdsburg/Sonoma Area:
- Dry Creek Kitchen
- Dry Creek General Store
- Healdsburg Bar and Grill
- Get a burger and sweet potato fries!
- Bed and Breakfast:
- Bella Villa Messina
- We have stayed here twice now and have had great experiences both times! The rooms are cozy. The beds are very comfortable, great breakfast, great conversation and amazing hosts!
- Bella Villa Messina
Other Resources:
That pretty much sums up our mini-vacation to Sonoma! I feel like I left out a million details, but rest assured, I will be posting A LOT about Napa and Sonoma.
If you have any questions or want more specifics about anything from this trip, let me know! I am more than happy to give more details and recommendations 🙂
- Feel free to send me an e-mail at catheryn.grivna@icloud.com if you want to reach out to me directly! You can also use my Contact Form in my blog as well.
Hope y’all are having a great Wednesday!
-Catheryn
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