Our trip to Sonoma was absolutely amazing. The combination of beautiful scenery, the amazing company, and the delicious food and wine made this trip one of my all time favorite vacations. I am already pushing for a return trip next year closer to harvest. This year’s grapes have just begun to bud and will flower in the next 2-3 months. The fruit appears on the vines shortly after flowering, but is not ready to be harvested for several months. California wines are harvested in September or October depending on the grapes and the weather. It is a much more busy tourist time: but I would like to see the cultivation process at least once.
During this trip, we visited 3 of Sonomas 16 appellations: Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Sonoma Valley. Of the three, Russian River was the family favorite. There are around 300 vineyards across Sonoma’s viticulture areas: we visited 9. Needless to say, there would be hundreds of unique options for return visits.
We took a different approach to transportation for our three days of touring the valley: private driver, rental car, and bikes. The private driver was hands down the best experience. Our driver was a sommelier and offered great information as we made our way to each of his hand picked locations. The wineries he took us to were some of the trip favorites. If you are thinking of a trip to Sonoma or Napa check him out!
The stunning environment offered countless photo opportunities for Charles, and he got some beautiful shots! This post includes a favorite, but pop over to the gallery to see all of our adventures.