Fall 2015 Events in Sonoma County

It's harvest season and there's lots to see. You can even smell the harvest! Great weather, great wine, great food, and great music.

There are many events going on during the autumn season. Enjoy the bounty of Sonoma County.


September

4-6 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend - Wine tasting at the beautiful MacMurray Ranch, plus an auction, winemaker lunches and dinners, BBQs, all at various locations around Sonoma County. Info

8-10 National Heirloom Exposition at the Sonoma County fairgrounds. It's about the small, local farmer. Info

12 Beer in the Plaza in Healdsburg.  About 35 microbreweries. Info

12 Cajun/Zydeco Festival in Sebastopol. Food, beer, wine, and lots of music. Info

12-13 Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival on the beach in Guerneville. Info

16-22 Wine Country Film Festival in Sonoma. Info

25-27 Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival in Sonoma. Art, music, and lots of wine. Info

25-27 Sonoma Valley Crush. Harvest activities at various wineries. Info

26  Heirloom Tomato Festival at Kendall-Jackson. Info 

26-27 Wings Over Wine Country. Air show at Sonoma County Airport. Info

October

 2-4 BR Cohn Fall Music Festival has moved from the winery in Sonoma Valley to the town of Sonoma. Ringo Starr and the Doobie Brothers highlight this year. Info

2-4  Sonoma County Harvest Fair in Santa Rosa - Food, award-winning wines, beer, music, and the "World Championship" Grape Stomp. Info

10 Cotati Oktoberfest - Food, beer, yodeling contest, and oom-pah bands. Since it's Cotati they'll have vegetarian sausages available. Info

25  Pinot on the River in Healdsburg. It's actually in downtown Healdsburg which isn't on the river, but after a few samplings of Pinot Noir you won't care. Info

November

7-8 Wine and Food Affair - A northern Sonoma County food and wine event weekend with over 100 participating wineries. Info

27-28  Heart of Sonoma Valley Open House at about two dozen Sonoma Valley wineries. Info

Which Event to Attend?

• Event that gets the most people from all over the country: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
• Event that gets the most high-rollers: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
• The most fun event: Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival
• Event I attend every year: Sonoma County Harvest Fair
• Most crowded event (tie): Vintage Festival and Harvest Fair
• Loudest event: Wings Over Wine Country air show
• Wine event with the nicest overall atmosphere: Wine and Food Affair

Other Info

The harvest / crush / vintage - Grape harvest season this year started in August (a few weeks earlier than the normal). It usually runs until about Nov 1st with the busiest time about mid-Sept through mid-Oct. My guess is this year the busiest time will be all through the month of September and pretty well done by early October though it's really up to Mother Nature.

Individual winery harvest events - Many wineries have their own harvest parties and winemaker dinners. Check with your favorites to see if they have anything going on.

Concerts -  Entertainers appearing at various venues this fall include Lewis Black, George Thorogood, Frank Sinatra Jr., Rosanne Cash, and Smokey Robinson.

Thanksgiving weekend - Wineries are closed on Thanksgiving Day. The rest of the weekend is usually very busy with many putting on holiday open houses.  Check with your favorites to see if they have a special event. Be prepared for big crowds on Friday and Saturday.