Wine Region Tour Itineraries
Northern California is blessed with great wine growing regions. The challenge is deciding which one to explore. We can help you choose the area that best fits your needs for time, budget and palate. It is an embarrassment of riches.
The rustic region of Sonoma County is northwest of San Francisco and a wine lovers’ playground, but it lacks the tourist infrastructure of its more upscale and better-known neighbor, Napa Valley. Sonoma's 60,000 acres of vines, adjacent but separated from Napa by the Mayacamas mountains, are divided into a number of significant AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). Some, like Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast, benefit from a cool marine influence that brings early morning fogs and cold nighttime temperatures, making them ideal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing areas, which contributes to the great Sparkling Wines you find here. Other areas like Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, are warmer, and produce superb Cabernets, Syrahs and Zinfandels. |
The Napa Valley is one of the premier wine regions in the world and North America's premier wine and food destination. This roughly forty-mile-long valley, northeast of San Francisco, has a perfect climate and soil for growing the king of red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon. Top Napa bottlings are the benchmark for this varietal in the US. But Napa isn't just Cabernet—other Bordeaux red varieties like Merlot and Cabernet Franc grow well here, too, as does Sauvignon Blanc. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s. The region is home to more than 125 exciting restaurants, awarded more Michelin stars per capita than any other wine region in the world. Here is where the farm-to-table culinary scene meets the creativity of some of the world's best chefs, resulting in a wide range of culinary adventures |
Commercial wineries flourished in Monterey beginning in the 1960s. Over time, certain areas of Monterey County have been found to have their own distinct characteristics. Within Monterey County, there are now eight smaller AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), each one with its own unique identity, giving visitors a chance to compare and contrast the types of wine each produces.
Today, approximately 85 vintners and growers are established throughout Monterey County, between them growing over 40,000 acres of wine grapes. |