Artificial Intelligence is everywhere on the Internet. Perhaps, you could say it's being shoved down our throats. Regardless, we all probably use it, more so with the youngest among us. Millennials and Gen Z of drinking age. Yes, some of the Gen Z (1997 to 2012) are of drinking age!
Following is some help in using AI to actually give you useful suggestions.
If you're flying into Northern California to visit Sonoma County or Napa Valley, rather than landing in San Francisco or Sacramento, consider flying directly into wine country. There are plenty of flights into the Sonoma County Airport (STS).
Here's the current list from the Petaluma Argus-Courier. This information is also at the airport's site.
Approximate drive times from STS:
Healdsburg 13 minutes
Sonoma 50 minutes
Calistoga 32 minutes
Napa 65 minutes
The previous post was title Visiting Sonoma County -- Basic Info. This one is the intermediate course. 🍷
When people think of California wine, they usually think of Napa Valley Cabernet first. Then maybe Sonoma County, specifically Russian River Valley, for Pinot Noir. There's actually a lot more. This is a look at the main wine regions of Northern California, listed alphabetically.
These are the current deals on wine tasting that I've run across.
The big happenings from March through May in Sonoma County, some are wine-related, some aren't.
In case it's dreary at home, and you want a break, here's what you might find in Sonoma County in the winter months. All are my photos from past years.
If you are wondering where to stay when visiting Sonoma County, rather than asking people on Reddit or looking at a map, use this handy description guide to pick what fits your personality.
Towns listed from large to small.
Is an off-season visit right for you? Here are pros and cons of a winter visit. The same applies for Napa, our next door neighbor.
Lots of people know about the wine towns of Napa Valley (Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga), and next door in Sonoma County (Sonoma, and Healdsburg). These burgs tend to be cutesy and pricey. California has other wine towns that aren't so well known, maybe not so cute, and probably not so expensive.
Southwest Airlines has just announced upcoming service to STS, Sonoma County's commercial airport. SW will be offering flights to and from Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Burbank. Vegas and San Diego will be daily. Ticketing is available now, but the flights don't begin until April 2026.
Currently, Alaska Airlines has the most flights to STS with Los Angeles, Orange County, Burbank, Las Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs (seasonal), Portland, and Seattle routes.
American Airlines has service to Dallas and Phoenix.
You may see mention of Avelo Airlines flights to STS, but they have pulled out, and good riddance.
BTW, the nearest winery tasting room to the airport terminal is less than three miles. :)
This is the best list I've seen to help someone choose where to go for wine tasting in Sonoma County. A lot of work went into the article. While it's not absolutely all-inclusive, it has over 120 recommendations. Great job!
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| MacRostie Winery, Russian River Valley image from sonomamag.com |
The Ultimate Guide to Sonoma Tasting Rooms from Sonoma Magazine
There are tons of “top ten” lists out there—best cars, best retirement spots, best beaches. Recently, CNN Travel put out a list of the ten best towns in the U.S. to visit, and guess what? Petaluma, population 60,000, located in southern Sonoma County, made the cut.
So, what’s the scoop on Petaluma, and why do most travelers overlook it?
There are a myriad of reasons and guesses as to why California wineries are seeing a downturn in visitors. These usually revolve around economic uncertainty including tariffs, a whiplash effect from the Covid lockdowns when online purchases shot up, higher prices for wine tastings, and younger consumers turning to other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
What are wineries doing, or could be doing, to counteract the loss of visitors?
Sonoma County in the summer means an almost endless list of things you can do. Some of them are: sit outside at a winery while sipping, swim, float, surf, or kayak on the cool water, hike a trail, go to the fair, and listen to music.
For other ideas, check out previous blog posts on Major Events for Summer and Alternatives to Wine.
So you're not much of a wino, or someone in your group travelling to Sonoma County couldn't care less. What to do?
A look at what's happening for the warm weather season in Sonoma County. Following are events scheduled from May through Sept 2025. This was published in late March, so there may be events added later.
It may not be news to you that wine bottle prices and wine tasting fees have gone up substantially since the end of the Pandemic lockdown. Why? Supply and demand. People wanted to get out and do things, whether it was wine tasting in Napa or buying a new car. Consumers were throwing their credit cards around and saying, "Here, take my money!"
It wasn't just the wine, as lodging and restaurant prices jumped. All of a sudden, a trip to wine country was going to cost real money.
