Sonoma County Wineries Off the Beaten Path

Below are a few suggestions for smaller, maybe somewhat hard to find wine tastings in Sonoma County. For every Chateau St Jean or Kendall Jackson, there are dozens of little charmers like these.

 

Mat (winemaker) and wife Barb (everything else),
owners of Paul Mathew Winery
photo from paulmathewvineyards.com

My criteria for this list is:

• You'll have to search them out
• They aren't big names
• These are all owned by real people, not corporations, though some may be rich guy ownership hiring the farmers and winemakers.
  
• They don't make a lot of wine, quality over quantity
• Their tasting fees aren't outrageous
• They have excellent reviews

Notes:

• This isn't a personal endorsement, as I haven't been to many of these. These are a few wineries that meet the above criteria.
• This is really just a starter list. There are many more wineries you've never heard about, and should seek out.
• There are also many "industrial park" wineries. I haven't listed any here as I'm going for places out in the valleys. You will find dozens of tiny, low overhead family wineries in the most unlikely places.

Visiting:

• Some of these, because of their size, require a reservation to be sure there will be someone there to help you. Others will suggest reservations, but will take walk-ins. 
• During the harvest season, late August through October, I would always suggest reservations at small mom-and-pop places as they are often busy with the grapes.
• Because of the physical space, some may not allow dogs or children. A working winery can be a hazard to children!
• Some are not open every day of the week.
  
  

Ken (Proprietor) & Akiko (winemaker) Freeman
photo from freemanwinery.com

 

The information provided is as of the April 2025 publishing date. Check their websites for the latest info.

Elaine Wines  Call or email for a tasting, no mention of cost. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, all $50. Owned by a husband and wife team with Elaine the winemaker.

Freeman Winery  Tasting is $40. They are all about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They don't list prices on their website. I found a few prices on retail wine sites. They were in the $40s to $60s range.

Laurel Glen  A $50 tasting fee, the highest-priced on this list, allows walk-in, kids, and dogs. A small selection of white, rosé, and red with Cabernet Sauvignon their specialty. Wines are $40 to $120.

Paul Mathew Vineyards  Open for tasting by dropping in, with no mention of tasting fees. Pinot Noir is their thing. I was not able to get current wine prices as their website was acting a little wonky. Hey, it's a small-time operation. What I could gather from other sites was the Pinots are savory, lower alcohol, and priced about $60-ish.

Reichwage Winery  $35 tasting fee, waived with purchase. Owned by a grape grower / winemaker making small lots of everything from a field blend white to Carignane. Wine prices are $30 to $60. I'd never heard of this place until researching this blog post, but this is one I want to check out.

Schermeister Winery  $45 tasting fee, waived with purchase. A husband / wife team making small batches of various wines. They have been highly successful and often sell out quickly. Current releases run $43 and up. I recall them closing the tasting room for a while about a year ago because they had run out of wine to sell.

Scherrer Winery  Call or email for a tasting appt with Fred or his wife. Local boy grows up in the family wine business and puts together a helluva resumé before setting off on his own. Pinot and Zinfandel are the specialties, though there are several other varieties.

Smith Story Wine Cellars  Tastings are $25-up. Wines $40-up. A husband and wife team making wines from Sonoma and Mendocino County vineyards. They seem to be particularly proud of their Sauvignon Blanc (and their dog). This tasting room is easier to find than most on the list, as they're just outside of Healdsburg. Directions and reservations are on the bottom of their home page, not actually under the Visit link.

Tongue Dancer Wines  $30 tasting fee, waived with purchase. Current release wines are $25 to $75 with lots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir choices plus a rosé.

Fred Scherrer looking all serious about something
Perhaps someone had a philosophical question about Zinfandel  :)
photo from scherrerwinery.com