THE FIRST-TIMER'S GUIDE
Sonoma County, for the First Time
From Spill
23 wineries
Explore all Sonoma County wineries →Sonoma is the easier place to start, and not by accident. The rooms are less formal, more of them will take a walk-in, and the county is really a dozen valleys that each taste like themselves. Healdsburg alone sits at the meeting point of three of them: Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River. You can book in advance if you want the full sit-down, but you can also just show up, and often should. What follows is a route through the valleys worth a first-timer's time, and the wineries in each that make a newcomer feel like a regular.
01
Dry Creek Valley
Dry Creek is Zinfandel country, a narrow, sunny valley where old vines make wines that taste like the place. It is also where Sonoma's welcome runs warmest. Seghesio has poured here since 1895 and remains the valley's authority on Zinfandel and Italian grapes; the Healdsburg tasting room has a bocce court and a shaded patio, takes walk-ins, and only really needs a reservation on a busy weekend. Hawley pours family-made wines a short drive up the road and welcomes walk-ins too, which makes the two an easy afternoon pair. Murphy-Goode keeps things playful, an easy first stop that never asks you to know anything before you sit down.
02
Alexander Valley
Just east, Alexander Valley widens into rolling Cabernet country with a softer, sunnier edge than Napa's version of the same grape. Alexander Valley Vineyards has farmed here for four generations, offers cave tours and vineyard hikes, and will pour a small group a complimentary tasting, which is about as welcoming as wine country gets. On the Healdsburg plaza, Marietta Cellars pours serious single-vineyard reds and lighter small-batch bottles side by side, and takes walk-ins with a view. For the day you want something rarer, Garden Creek is a private family estate in Geyserville making tiny lots of estate-grown wine by appointment.
03
Russian River Valley
Cross toward the coast and the fog takes over. The Russian River Valley is Sonoma's home for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, cooler and slower-ripening, and its wineries tend to match that unhurried mood. Donelan is the ideal first pour, a family label that says outright it wants both the newbie and the pro at the same table; ask for the Two Brothers Pinot or the Nancie Chardonnay. Sapphire Hill keeps it relaxed and walk-in friendly, with a patio that welcomes the dog and a kitchen that keeps you there past your reservation.
04
Sonoma Valley
Back toward the town of Sonoma, the county's original valley is also its most laid-back. Loxton Cellars is the one to seek out, a small estate where the owner and winemaker, Chris Loxton, often pours the wines himself and takes no shortcuts; the dessert wines alone are worth the stop, and you can walk right in. Imagery Winery makes a game of it, commissioning original art for every label and keeping the tasting room easy for families. It is a fitting last stop: unhurried, a little playful, exactly the Sonoma note to end on.
Sonoma does not ask you to know anything before you arrive. Show up curious, let a winemaker pour you something they are proud of, and you will leave knowing what you actually like, which is the only credential that matters here. Book when you want the full sit-down. Otherwise, roll the window down and follow the valley.
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