Yesterday I offered some of my favorite Napa-area wineries to visit during wine country vacations. Today I turn my attention to nearby Sonoma.

Sonoma is a trickier area to visit because it is much larger and is split in two by a huge freeway. Touring this area takes longer than Napa, so keep that in mind when planning your trip. Try splitting the area into north and south regions to make things simpler.

Drinkhacker’s Top Sonoma Valley Wineries Worth Visiting (in alphabetical order)

B.R. Cohn – Owned by a former Doobie Brother.

Chateau St. Jean – Hit the reserve room, then the deli.

Cline – One of the first wineries you hit coming into the area. Feed the fish out back.

Eric Ross

Ferrari-Carano

Hanna

J Wine – Sparklers usually come with canapes.

La Crema – An easy stop if you’re in the Healdsburg town square.

Lambert Bridge – Again, go for the reserve tasting, which comes with a cheese plate.

Little Vineyards – Perhaps the smallest tasting room you’ll ever enter.

Longboard – Open late, so easy to hit for a last stop.

Loxton

Matanzas Creek – A bit out of the way, but worth it.

Quivira – Goats plus good wine.

Ravenswood – You’ll be surprised how many varieties of zin they have that don’t appear at your grocery store. Always have gifts for the kids, too.

Rosenblum – Another Healdsburg plaza winery, easy to hit up.

Sunce – Bocce court out back.

VJB Cellars – In the process of moving, I believe.

Get Napa Wineries to Visit advice here.

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