A glorious day in the Sonoma Valley

The sky is clear and blue as we drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. What a contrast it is to the day before when we walked over the bridge enveloped in eerie fog as it swirled and rolled all around us. We had experienced the phenomenon of the mixing of the hot inland and the cool ocean air which creates a fog rolling over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay during the summer.

It is not long after enjoying spectacular views while driving over the Golden Gate Bridge that we are surrounded in beautiful countryside, rolling hills and farmland. We are on our way to explore the Sonoma Valley.

When considering visiting wineries in northern California, tourists go to the Napa Valley. Most tours from San Francisco concentrate on taking visitors there in busloads. Not as well known or marketed, Sonoma is the more sedate cousin of the busier Napa Valley. Driving between the valleys typically takes less than an hour and we expected to end our day in Napa.

But we are eager to spend most of our time in Sonoma and surrounds. It is Sonoma’s historic background along with its reputation for producing exemplary wines equal in quality but lesser known than Napa’s wines which has drawn us there.

First stop is the Cornerstone, an indoor/outdoor complex offering boutiques, artisans, and wine tastings. It would be easy to while away a day just wandering their splendid gardens of art. One of Cornerstone’s helpful volunteers gives us advice on what we should do in Sonoma.

Next, we must stop to visit the historic Plaza. It is the largest plaza (town square) in California. A former military outpost and Spanish Mission settlement, the Plaza radiates tranquillity as we drive in. The historic Old Town Hall surrounded by tree-covered park area is in the centre of the Plaza You sense you have stepped back in time. Local people quietly go about their business. There is no hustle and bustle and there is ample parking around the Plaza. Galleries, eateries, wine tasting rooms and artisanal shops sit interspersed between historic landmarks around the four sides of the Plaza and the alleyways leading to discreet courtyards. We spend a couple of hours exploring the historic buildings, having lunch and indulging in sampling local cheese and chocolate. Apart from the tasting rooms, there is little evidence that we are in wine country.

We reluctantly leave this sanctuary. The lovely lady at Cornerstone has suggested we visit one of the more unique vineyards in the region. Benziger Wines is a boutique biodynamic farm and this is an opportunity for us to see how they create their organic wines. We arrive in time to join a small group tour of the farm. The tour takes us on a guided journey through the picturesque vineyards explaining the biodynamic winemaking practices the Benziger family has adopted to produce world-class organic wines. We stop at regular intervals among the grapevines to receive a lesson on grape varieties and to taste wines produced from the grapes. The tour finishes with a stop at the outdoor winemaking area and a tour of the wine caves lined with bottles of wine traversing the ageing process. 300,000 bottles of wine are produced annually by the vineyard. A visit to the tasting room completes our visit. We have gained an appreciation of the distinctness of the organic product.

There is just enough time to carry on through the rolling hills and valleys of vineyards to Napa. Not to visit any more vineyards or wineries, but to complete a day out with a meal in the wine capital of northern California.

Were we happy with our choice to visit Sonoma? Being simple travellers spending time wandering the Sonoma settlement and surrounding countryside was more appealing than battling the large numbers that descend on the Napa. Indeed, it was a glorious day out.