Sonoma - Tastings and Tents

Become your own vintner

Saturday afternoon at Raymond Burr

Lake Sonoma

Although I've seen Sonoma on wine labels before, I didn't know much about the region except that it was somewhere by Napa. When we went up to the bay area this last weekend, our friends wanted to take us wine tasting in Sonoma. Although I've always wondered what Napa was like, they assured us Sonoma was quieter, cheaper and just as delicious, if not more so, than it's acclaimed neighbor. So we headed out from Berkeley on a clear Saturday morning, only to slam into traffic somewhere north of the Richmond Bridge. We inched our way up through Santa Rosa and smoothly sailed into Dry Creek Valley. The scenery became stunning - rolling green hills, hot blue skies and leafy vineyards on all sides. Our first stop was at Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard right off the highway. Yes, the man who directed Apocalypse Now loves to make wine - and the tasting room looks like a tiny museum dedicated to that iconic film. Tastings were $5 or $10, depending on which menu you selected, and the 

The pool and Grill at Francis Ford Coppola

View from main balcony at Ferrari

wine was good. However, what set this vineyard apart from anything else I've seen (besides the museum factor) was that Coppola apparently wanted his vineyard to be a family retreat of sorts. Besides vineyards and movie paraphernalia, Coppola boasts a large pool with a lifeguard, cabanas available for daily rental, poolside bar and grill and live music on the weekends. This "family friendly vineyard" is where membership doesn't just include good deals on wine, but a family fun park pass as well. An interesting concept, but a little much for us, and we hit the road to explore more vineyards and search for a campsite. We planned on camping at Lake Sonoma, a gorgeous man-made lake just north of all the vineyards we were driving through. We finally found Liberty Glen campgrounds on the south end of the lake, where we staked a claim on a site and ate a quick lunch.  Heading back down into the vineyards, we couldn't resist stopping at the fancy-looking Ferrari winery.

This is more like it! Tasting room at David Coffaro

The Ferrari family owns a casino in Las Vegas, and the huge grounds and mansions of this winery seemed to attribute that fact. Here the wine was fine, (tastings: $5 - $15) but walking around the estate was quite an experience. Although Ferrari was fun to see, we hightailed it out of there in search of something less showy.

We found a few more great little wineries before heading back to our campsite. First was David Coffaro, hidden somewhere along Dry Creek Road, with the office and barrel room doubling as the tasting room. As we casually enjoyed our sips, we even met David Coffaro when he hurried into the room in his work clothes, said hello to us while grabbing a gardening tool, and hurried out again.

Liberty Glen Campgrounds

We also enjoyed Preston winery, which had the most amazing olive oil from olives grown and pressed on the property and delicious home-made sourdough bread for sale, along with great wine. Raymond Burr vineyard was tucked away off a tiny road, with beautiful views and a picnic area where they often host events and summer barbeque's. Tastings were free and the attendants very friendly.
We made it back to the campground with plenty of daylight left to enjoy the summer evening and explore the beautiful grounds. The campground sits on top of a hill overlooking the lake, and has a few loops of campsites, which serve as great jogging or walking paths. Ten dollars a night and rarely full, most of the sites consist of a table, fire pit and tent spot, with leafy trees and great views. We thought there would be no running water and maybe a port-o-john, but about half the spouts were working and there were also some primitive toilets.
After the chill and fog of the bay, camping under the full moon in the warm night was a welcome treat.   As soon as we somewhat successfully brewed some crude coffee in the morning, we headed back down the mountain, slowly making our way back to the highway via the meandering and scenic back lanes. We encountered countless bikers out for a morning ride, and I have to admit I was extremely envious of their beautiful rolling ride. If I'm ever in that area again, I'm bringing my bike!

On our way back to Berkeley, we stopped at a little town called Healdsburge, located right off the 101.  This European-like village has a green grassy park as the town square, shops and restaurants on every side, and shady streets which make strolling enjoyable. After perusing the main streets, we found a French bakery and cafe with the most amazing baked goods selection, and delicious breakfasts. It was cute and bright, and completely crowded on a Sunday morning. While I could have easily stayed a few more days in this adorable town I had never heard of before, we walked back to the car and continued our journey onwards. After a wonderful and relaxing weekend - complete with camping off the beaten path, sampling delicious wines from friendly vineyards, and french fare in a cute square - I can't wait to come back. Sonoma may be the road less traveled, but isn't that exactly what makes it more enjoyable?