12 of the Best Restaurants and Wineries in California Wine Country
There are a few wine regions that make up California Wine Country, but Napa and Sonoma are the big ticket areas. The Sonoma and Napa Valleys are about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco and are separated by the Mayacamas Mountains. Napa is the glitzy, glamorous, fancy valley; long established as a wine and food mecca. Sonoma is way less pretentious and expensive and has plenty of authenticity, along with great wine and food. There is only one twisting and turning mountain road to connect the two – most people take the long way around the edge of the mountains if they are visiting both. Take the mountain road, the views are amazing and it’s a fun drive!
The towns in the valleys are often set up around a central square. Sonoma itself has a large square, with the town hall set within its lovely gardens. The town dates back to Spanish settlement times and has a number of historical buildings from that era. There are wine tasting venues in the towns as well as at the wineries in the valley, so you probably wouldn’t even need a car, but that would be doing yourself a disservice. I really enjoyed my drives through wine country; the Sonoma Valley was gorgeous and narrow and the grandeur of the wineries along State Route 29 in Napa was something to see. Some of these tips about driving in Europe will help you in the US too!
Trying to set an itinerary to make the most of your time can be a bit overwhelming – there are a lot of options – especially if, like me, you don’t know anything about Californian wine. There are loads of blogs and guides out there to read and help plan. Don’t try and master it. Don’t stress about whether you’ve been to all the places you should go. Just pick a couple of wineries, enjoy them and if you get the chance to go back, try some different ones! The stress of trying to get it right is going to suck you in if you let it!
I was fortunate to have a distinctly local experience, staying with my winemaker friend Danielle and her wine grower husband Dan. I arrived on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (without actually realising it was a holiday weekend when I booked the flights to San Francisco). It is considered the start of summer in the US and the weather cooperated. It had been cold and raining the previous week, but Memorial Day weekend saw blue skies and hot weather. I was lucky enough to attend a family and friends’ BBQ the day I arrived and a pool party at a large winery property the next day. On my last night, they took me up to the vineyards where Dan works and we did a tour around the vines on a gator and took in the stunning views from the top of the mountain range. I did zero planning for my trip, choosing to leave myself in the hands of Danielle and Dan and the tips their friends also gave me. So here are some spots I really enjoyed that you might want to check out if you make it to California Wine Country.
Sonoma County
Sunflower Café, Sonoma
The Sunflower Café was my breakfast spot of choice, I went three times in the four mornings I was there! It has a focus on local produce and healthy breakfasts but still has waffles and eggs benedict on the menu if you need a hangover cure! There is a really pretty, quite large courtyard out the back with lots of cooling greenery and yellow tables and umbrellas. It feels a little like eating in a sunflower! Be prepared for a line to order, but once you get your order in, the food comes out super quickly.
Harvest Moon, Sonoma
Harvest Moon is Danielle and Dan’s favourite restaurant in town. They tell me the menu changes frequently but a couple of staples remain year round like the rib eye steak, the caesar salad and there is always a pasta dish and a fish dish. The food is locally sourced, seasonal and generous. The service was knowledgeable and friendly, but never intrusive. I would have been very happy there as a solo diner. Plenty of local wine options and whilst I had a couple of experts on California wine dining with me (we had a delicious Unti Grenache from Dry Creek Valley), I’m sure our waiter would have happily provided appropriate pairings if required.
Farmers’ Market, Sonoma
Every Tuesday of summer, there is a farmers’ market in the main square of Sonoma which runs from around 4pm till dark. There is great produce available, food trucks and a band. It is very much a local affair. You take a blanket or some chairs down and can bring your own alcohol into the park. There were older groups who had staked out the tables in the park and brought linen and crockery with them, lots of families and kids. It had a great vibe. Try a poke bowl and seek out the excellent donuts!
Lasseter Family Winery, Glen Ellen
Lasseter’s is the winery where my friend Danielle is Assistant Winemaker so I was lucky enough to get a private tour! But tastings are available by appointment and I would highly recommend it. The wines were fantastic and are served with paired cheeses. I really enjoyed the rosé blend of estate-grown syrah, mourvèdre and grenache called Enjoué which means joyful or playful in French and the Paysage which is a Bordeaux style red blend. The property itself is really pretty and a lovely environment to sit and try some great Californian wine. And check out the wine labels – works of art in their own right.
Salt and Stone Restaurant, Kenwood
Salt and Stone is just down the road from Lasseter’s, on the main road that runs through Sonoma valley, surrounded by vines. There is a lovely patio to enjoy a full meal or you can show up to the bar for Happy Hour (2.30pm – 5.30pm) and have some Pacific Oysters for $2 each and small plates for $6.
Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs
Ridge Vineyards has two locations, one in the Santa Cruz Mountains which was first planted in 1886 and one at the very northern end of the Sonoma Valley where I visited. Ridge’s most famous wine is the Monte Bello, a Cabernet Sauvignon blend which took out fifth place in a Paris Tasting event in 1976. Thirty years later, the tasting was recreated and the 1971 and 2000 Monte Bello cabernets won first place in both the original vintage and new vintage categories at the “Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary Wine Tasting”. Beating the French wines is something the winery is very proud of!
Tastings start from $10 and you can sit out on a beautiful shaded terrace, overlooking the old vines and rolling hills of northern Sonoma. I was lucky enough to be served by a lovely American woman who also happened to have dual Australian citizenship, having lived there for 12 years. The tasting of 4 wines, plus the Monte Bello for $10 extra took around an hour to complete and I learned a lot about the history of the vineyard and Californian wines in general.
The Shed, Healdsburg
Ridge is located about five minutes away from the town of Healdsburg, a really pretty little town. The huge, light-filled, industrial space of The Shed is home to a dine in cafe, a take away larder and produce shop and an upmarket retail space. It has its own fermentation bar – how very Californian! The food was local in focus and fresh and light. You can expect dishes like Mendocino Sea Urchin with Local Seaweeds; Charred Leek Terrine with Nantucket Scallops; and Salad of Heirloom Carrots and Dates with Wild Pecans and Salted Yogurt. I had what felt like a little piece of California for lunch, a strawberry and duck salad and a glass of rosé.
Noble Folk, Healdsburg
After my virtuous salad for lunch, I made up for it with some ice cream from Noble Folk on the square in Healdsburg. The list of ice creams available changes frequently and you can have four tastings before you commit. They also serve some great looking pies.
Williamson Wines, Healdsburg
Williamson Wines is owned by an Australian couple who moved to the area 30 years ago. Staying true to their roots, it was the only winery I visited where the tasting was free of charge! It is located just off the square and is a tasting room rather than a winery based cellar door. Four wines were served along with cheese and chutney and jam pairings. It was a pretty slick operation, with a very practiced spiel from the young man who served me. Definitely worth calling in if you’re in town.
Napa Valley
Sterling Vineyards, Calistoga
Sterling Vineyards was the only winery I visited that was a big, corporate tourist experience. It is actually owned by the massive Australian corporation, Treasury Wine Estates. I didn’t realise that until I arrived and the man operating the gondola told me (yes, there is a gondola to get up to the top of the cliff where the winery is located). There were a number of tasting options, I chose the base level which involved a self-guided sip and walk tour for $35 and you keep your glass at the end (not much use to international travellers who travel with carry on only!). I tried four wines at different stations as I wandered around the winery, learning about the wine making process from the videos playing on big TVs at different points. Whilst the experience was a little soulless and the wines that I tried didn’t excite me, the view from the top of the winery out over the Napa Valley was gorgeous and it was interesting to get the comparison of the big corporate versus the family experience I had at Lasseter.
Bottega, Ottimo & Bouchon Bakery, Yountville
Yountville is the food centre of the Napa Valley. I took a little drive here just to look at Thomas Keller’s institution The French Laundry! The town itself is pristine and pretty. I had lunch at Bottega, an Italian terraced restaurant with very professional service and an extensive menu of Italian classics. There was also a foodhall and retail market called Ottimo just across the way from Bottega (also owned by chef Michael Chiarello) where you could tuck into some pizza or salumi or pasta in a more relaxed environment. Across the street was Bouchon Bakery if you’re just passing through and would like a sandwich and a great looking cake from Thomas Keller – or can’t quite stretch to The French Laundry!
I feel like I barely scratched the surface of these valleys, especially when it comes to understanding California wine. I’m informed by the locals that the whole concept of drinking and driving is a little more lenient around these parts, but a lifetime of Australian values about that, combined with driving on the other side of unfamiliar roads, meant I kept myself to the 0.05 approach! That limited my tasting options a little bit, but if you can get a driver or even focus on tastings within the towns themselves I’m sure you can get a broader experience than I did. But, as I’ve warned Danielle and Dan, that just means I’ve got an excuse to return!
