Beyond Napa Valley
Yes, Napa Valley is beautiful – a must-see. The variety and quality of wines available in the valley is well worth the trip here. I would never advise anyone to skip seeing Napa Valley and doing some wine tasting and food tasting, but you also don’t want to miss some great wine and beautiful terrain in the surrounding areas. There are also some wine tasting opportunities elsewhere there not quite as … well, expensive. Just like anywhere else, once you get outside of the “tourist” areas, you will save some money.
Sonoma County
Venturing outside of Napa Valley, you can find some great wineries in Sonoma County just to the west. There are over 60,000 acres of vineyards in this California county, and as you might imagine, the wine tasting here is a little less pricey than Napa County. Some of these wineries even offer complimentary tastings! Some of these have accompanying food choices and beautiful scenery, as well. Do just a tasting or opt for a full tour including wine cave tours at some places. Sonoma.com brags over 250 wineries in the county, but I count closer to 400.
Sonoma County Free / Cheap Wine Tasting
Alexander Vally Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA; www.avvwine.com; Zinfandel, Gewürztraminer
Frick Winery, Geyersville, CA; www.frickwinestore.com; Syrah, Mourvedre
Korbel Champagne Cellars, Guerneville, CA; www.korbel.com; Champagne – of course! And Prosecco
Locals Tasting Room, Geyersville, CA; www.localstastingroom.com; Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon
Pendleton Estates Vineyard and Winery, Cloverdale, CA; https://www.facebook.com/Pendleton-Estate-Vineyards-Winery-1027599243938182/; Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah
Sonoma Portworks, Petaluma, CA; www.portworks.com; Ports, Sherry and liqueurs
Where to Find More Information
To find wineries by location, specialty, food options, and much more, try visiting the Sonoma.com website.
Alameda County
Livermore Wineries
Livermore is located in the East Bay Area in Alameda County, so this is south of Napa – a trip via I80 or 680. Livermore Valley is home to more than 45 wineries. When we visited, we stayed at Leisure Street Winery, who is an RV host through Harvest Hosts. We parked in the parking lot and had use of their patio, which has seating for outdoor tastings, fire pits to take off the evening chill, outdoor yoga, live music events – and oh yeah! Delicious wines! We bought 4 bottles! My favorite is the Swirly Girl Rose. Next door to the Leisure Street is Wisner Vineyard. We scored a bottle of TATEDOG 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon here- and let’s just say that I’ll be buying some more of this ASAP ! This is a full-bodied wine that offers a very smooth fruity, blackberry and black cherry finish without being too sweet.
Livermore Valley Free / Cheap Wine Tasting (Under $15)
3 Steves
Caddis Winery
Cedar Mountain Winery & Port Works
Charles R. Vineyards
Crooked Vine Winery
Dante Robere Vineyards
Eagle Ridge Vineyard
Elliston Vineyards
El Sol Winery
Fenestra Winery
Los Positas Vineyards
Leisure Street Winery
Longevity Wines
Nella Terra Cellars
image Road Winery
Page Mill Winery
Rodrigue Molyneaux Winery
Rosa Fieroo Cellars
The Singing Winemaker
Where to Find More Information
https://www.lvwine.org/wineries.php
If you do visit Napa Valley
See this:
Castello di Amorosa – An authentically styled 13th century Tuscany castle and winery. The view of the vineyards atop the castle is breathtaking.
Do this:
Bike the Vine Trail, which winds along the vineyards. Wine taste along the way! And you don’t have to drive. Just don’t fall off your bicycle.
Reasonable Wine Tasting:
Silenus Winery. Recommend the Library Merlot, and the Sauvignon Blanc. Tasting on the lovely patio.
Eat Here:
Fumé Bistro. Sit outside on the dog-friendly patio. DO bring your dog(s), as they also have a menu for dogs! Our dog, Sabrina, ordered the bacon.