Pairing Wine Tasting with Your Passions

For the History Buff: A Taste of the Past

For those fascinated by winemaking history, these wineries are living pieces of the past, with stories spanning centuries.

Winery Stops:

• 🏰 Château Montelena (Calistoga, Napa Valley) – One of the wineries that put Napa on the world stage by winning the 1976 Judgment of Paris, beating out French wines in a historic blind tasting.
• 🏡 Buena Vista Winery (Sonoma Valley) – Founded in 1857, this is California’s oldest winery, featuring historic caves, 19th-century architecture, and costumed guides.
• 🍷 Inglenook (Rutherford, Napa Valley) – Established in 1879, this grand winery (owned by Francis Ford Coppola) boasts a stunning château and an impressive library of vintage wines.

Pro tip: Take a stroll through Sonoma Plaza, home to Mission San Francisco Solano, the last Spanish mission built in California, before heading to Buena Vista for a glass of history.

For the Art Lover: Sip & Stroll Through Creativity

If you love sculptures, architecture, and fine art, these wineries turn wine tasting into an artistic experience.

Winery Stops:

• 🎨 Donum Estate (Sonoma Valley) – A world-class open-air sculpture collection, featuring monumental pieces by Ai Weiwei, Keith Haring, and more.
• 🏺 Jessup Cellars (Yountville, Napa Valley) – This friendly tasting room is full of inspiring art and world class wine.
• 🖼 Hess Persson Estates (Napa Valley) – It all started with a Picasso. Donald Hess supports living artists and has an eye for talent.  Not to be missed. 

Pro tip: Include a visit to the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa or the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.

For the Foodie: A Wine & Culinary Adventure

For those who believe wine is best enjoyed with incredible food, these wineries offer expertly curated food and wine pairings.

Winery Stops:

• 🍷 Sequoia Grove Winery (Rutherford, Napa Valley) – Offers expert-led Cabernet and food pairing experiences.
• 🍽 St. Francis Winery & Vineyards (Sonoma Valley) – Famous for its multi-course food and wine pairing menu, one of the best in Sonoma.
• 🍷 Hamel Family Wines (Sonoma Valley) – Known for biodynamic wines paired with locally inspired gourmet bites.  Chef Thomas Mendel was awarded Best Young Chef 2024. 

Pro tip: Stop by Hestan Vineyards in Yountville to see their Hestan Cookware and Ruffoni Copper Cookware collections, then visit CIA at Copia in Napa, home to the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum with rare kitchen tools.

For the Equestrian: Sip with a Side of Horses

If horses are your passion, Napa and Sonoma offer equestrian-friendly wineries where you can watch, ride, and sip.

Winery Stops:

• 🏇 Tamber Bey Vineyards (Calistoga, Napa Valley) – Located inside an equestrian training facility, home to championship Arabian endurance horses.
• 🐴 Bartholomew Estate Winery (Sonoma Valley) – Offers horseback riding tours through vineyard trails before a tasting of estate-grown wines.
• 🐶 Larson Family Winery (Sonoma Valley) – Once a rodeo ranch, this family-friendly, dog-friendly winery embraces its equestrian past. 

Pro tip: Make it a full equestrian day by riding at Bartholomew Estate, then heading to Tamber Bey for a wine-and-horse lover’s dream tasting.

For the Outdoor Adventurer: Vineyard Walks, Bike Rides, Balloon Rides & Half-Marathons

Love the great outdoors? These experiences blend adventure and wine.

Outdoor Adventures:

• 🎈 Sonoma Ballooning (Sonoma) – Take a hot air balloon ride over vineyards at sunrise for a breathtaking wine country view.
• 🚶‍♂️ Cuvaison Winery (Carneros, Napa) – Offers vineyard walks where you can explore rolling vineyards while learning about terroir.
• 🚴‍♂️ Sonoma Valley Bike Tours & Rentals (Sonoma) – Rent a bike and take a self-guided or group cycling tour through wine country.
• 🏃‍♀️ Napa to Sonoma Half-Marathon (July) – One of the most scenic half-marathons in the country, running through vineyards before a post-race wine festival. 

Pro tip:  Balloon Flights are sunrise adventures and pair perfectly with a Platypus wine tour after your flight . 

For the Film Buff: Wine & International Film Festivals

Wine and cinema go hand in hand at these world-class film festivals in Napa and Sonoma.

Film Festivals:

• 🎥 Napa Valley Film Festival (November, Napa) – Features independent and international films, filmmaker Q&As, and gourmet food and wine pairings.
• 🎬 Sonoma International Film Festival (March, Sonoma) – Celebrates indie films with tastings from local wineries during screenings.
• 🎞 Healdsburg International Short Film Festival (October, Healdsburg) – A festival dedicated to short films from around the world, blending storytelling with Sonoma wines.

Winery Stops:

• 🍷 Ashes & Diamonds Winery (Napa Valley) – A retro, mid-century-modern-inspired winery that feels like a movie set.
• 🎭 Francis Ford Coppola Winery (Geyserville, Sonoma) – A must for film buffs. See Coppola’s Oscars, movie memorabilia, and even a desk from The Godfather while sipping wine.
• 🎞 Domaine Carneros (Napa Valley) – Known for its French château-style elegance, reminiscent of a grand film backdrop.

   

  Pro tip:  The historic Sebastiani Theater on the Sonoma Plaza  has great year-round showings.

   

For the Music Lover: Wine & Festivals

Napa and Sonoma don’t just serve up world-class wine—they also host some of the best music festivals on the West Coast.

Music Festivals:

• 🎸 BottleRock Napa Valley (May, Napa) – A three-day festival featuring top headliners, plus the Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage, where celebrity chefs and rock stars cook together.
• 🎸 La Onda (May 31 and June1, Napa) – See the hottest Latin musical acts covering many genres.
• 🎶 Healdsburg Jazz Festival (June, Healdsburg) – A boutique festival featuring jazz legends and rising stars, often held in scenic wineries.
• 🎤 Huichica Music Festival (June, Sonoma) – A laid-back indie and folk festival at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, blending music, wine, and a vineyard backdrop.

Winery Stops:

• 🍷 BR Cohn (Sonoma Valley) – Once owned by the manager of the of the Grammy award-winning band, The Doobie Brothers.  Award winning wines and olive oils.
• 🎵 Gundlach Bundschu (Sonoma Valley) – Hosts concerts year-round in its outdoor amphitheater.

Pro tip:  Sonoma Tuesday Night Farmers Market has free live music on the Sonoma Plaza May through September.