TASTEMAKERS
Picnic-Friendly Wineries in Sonoma County
From Spill
18 wineries
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01
Bring the blanket, buy the bottle
Eighteen Sonoma wineries keep a picnic area, which is a specific thing and not the same as having a patio. It means you can bring lunch. The unwritten half of the deal is that you buy the wine there, and nobody minds enforcing it because nobody needs to.
Dry Creek and the Russian River hold most of them.
02
Cheap and easy
Chris Hamilton Cellars in Kenwood opens at nine dollars. DeLoach is fifteen. Chaname, deLorimier, and Benziger all start at twenty five, and deLorimier has back patio views that make a packed lunch feel like a decision rather than a compromise.
03
Worth planning around
Bella Vineyards pours inside an actual wine cave outside Healdsburg and works single-vineyard Zinfandel, from thirty five. Bannister took a hundred and fifteen year old bank in Geyserville and turned it into a tasting room and gallery.
Cast has been certified organic since 2012. Amista is woman-led, farms organically, and makes sparkling alongside the Rhône varieties. Dry Creek Vineyard has been family-owned for more than fifty years.
04
If you would rather they fed you
Bricoleur does multi-course seasonal pairings in Windsor. Capo Creek sets up a vineyard garden with cheese. Both defeat the point of packing a lunch and both are the right call on the second day.
Christopher Creek, Benovia, Baca, Cartograph, and Annapolis round it out, the last one all the way out on the West Sonoma Coast.
Pack the good cheese. The view is already handled.
05
More in this guide
Good to know
What days are they open?
All 16 with posted hours are open Thursday to Saturday.
Do I need a reservation?
Most ask you to book ahead. Bannister Wines, Benziger Family Winery, Cast Wines and Chris Hamilton Cellars take walk-ins.
How much is a tasting?
Posted tastings run $9 to $150, with Chris Hamilton Cellars at the low end.
What regions does this list cover?
Dry Creek Valley, West Sonoma Coast, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Sonoma Mountain, and more.