Heading to Sonoma and LA

[chachee52]

My wife and i are heading for a trip to Sonoma, CA and then to LA for the 4th of July.
We are staying right in the middle of Sonoma, any suggestions of resteraunts or places to visit? Which vineyards are the ones to visit, which to stay away from?
The LA thing I think we got under control, she's been many times and we are staying with her Aunt and Uncle. I'm hoping to get to the Petersen Museum, and we are lucky that the Red Sox will be playing the Angels while we are out there so we will be able to catch our home town team.
Thanks for any suggestions. We are looking forward to this trip it's the first trip we've taken since we got married almost 3 years ago.

[tsolomon]

We were there in October and can offer some suggestions on wineries to visit.

Merry Edwards does a very nice tasting and you don't need reservations. They have a very good Sauvignon Blanc that is rated at 90+ points, but they are known for their Pinot Noirs.

Pride Mountain is another great winery that straddles both Sonoma and Napa. You will need reservations and the drive up Spring Mountain is worth the view.

I would head up to Healdsburg and Dry Creek area if you like Zinfandels. We liked both Mauritson and Passalacqua.

I would suggest the Russian River Brewing company if you're into beer. The food was great and Pliny the Elder is a top rated IPA.

If you're in downtown Sonoma, Roche Winery has a tasting room right next to the Girl and the Fig, which was a restaurant we really liked. Roche has good wine at a reasonable price, I like their Chardonnays and Pinots.

If you plan on heading over to Napa I can suggest some more wineries for you.

[chachee52]

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if we are heading to Napa. If we do, it'll be just for the day.
I will definitely put they wineries on the list. We are going to be in Sonoma from Saturday night - Wed morning. Just looking to hit a couple vineyards and site back and chill out with some good wines/drinks and some good food. Really looking for places we can just show up and be there. I'm not a big reservations guy. Especially on vacation, we just kind of go with the flow. Unless its an unbelievable place that we "can't miss", I'd rather just stick with the places that we can just drive into and say "I want to drink".

[poker]

I know its a week past your planned days, but...

Unless its an unbelievable place that we "can't miss", I'd rather just stick with the places that we can just drive into and say "I want to drink".

We can fix that at the annual
SoCal XIV MegaHerf July 13th
(just sayin' )

[Coach Deg]

When I did Sonoma on a tour. There was an old couple sitting on the patio at Gloria Ferrara winery drinking wine and eating this great looking sandwich. They said they got the sandwich at Sonoma Cheese Factory in downtown. So when our tour stopped downtown wife and I went to cheese factory. They had all kinds of tastings wines and foods. We ate some sandwiches and drank wine. Not elaborate but the sandwiches at Gloria Ferreira would have been nice.

[chachee52]

Originally Posted by poker

I know its a week past your planned days, but...



We can fix that at the annual
SoCal XIV MegaHerf July 13th
(just sayin' )

I wish I could. We were supposed to be out in CA for 2 weeks, but my dog had major surgery this winter and we had to cut our vacation plans due to 1) I had no more vacation time, and 2) The suregery was not cheap!!!

Originally Posted by Coach Deg

When I did Sonoma on a tour. There was an old couple sitting on the patio at Gloria Ferrara winery drinking wine and eating this great looking sandwich. They said they got the sandwich at Sonoma Cheese Factory in downtown. So when our tour stopped downtown wife and I went to cheese factory. They had all kinds of tastings wines and foods. We ate some sandwiches and drank wine. Not elaborate but the sandwiches at Gloria Ferreira would have been nice.

Heard tons of good things about the cheese factory. We are staying about one block from there, so We are sure to hit that place!!!