WHAT NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT SONOMA 🍷 #sonomavalley

hello and welcome back to run the atlas today it's wine o'clock I'm talking about Sonoma Valley one of the most recognized wine regions in the world and in California and the things you need to know before visiting here I just returned from a big weekend trip to Sonoma I've also been there multiple times as a former Bay Area resident I was constantly going to Sonoma as a weekend retreat and I've learned so much over the years so you're going to want to stay tuned to the end so that you get all the information before your trip by the way we have some new merch shirts and hats so if you want to run the atlas in style check out the links to Teespring down below we have some great t-shirts and hats for you to bring on your next travel trip to represent your love for travel and also it helps support this channel so if you love these videos be sure to check out those links down below and like And subscribe to stay tuned to our next travel videos why visit Sonoma Sonoma is found 45 minutes north of San Francisco it's known for being a little bit more casual and rustic than Napa Valley Napa Valley tends to have a lot more corporate owned wineries it's a little bit more for the higher rollers and for folks who really want to treat themselves but Sonoma has delicious world-class wine as well with a little bit more farm-like rustic family-owned charm this area is synonymous with wine for good reason it's the birthplace of the California wine industry which now makes up 11 billion dollars of California's economy each year now this is a wine lover's dream because there are 60 grape varietals that are grown here and 425 wineries found in Sonoma there are also 19 abas or American viticultural areas and this creates a diverse wine region you have The forested Valleys where the coastal fog hangs and it's thick and low in the mountainous areas but then you have Sunshine filled days which really makes the grapes delicious and ripe and tasty fruit now if you're going wine tasting in Sonoma the first tip I have for you is to hire a driver you definitely do not want to be on the roads if you're drinking wine throughout the day and it'll make your trip so much more enjoyable if you're just able to relax and leave the driving to the professionals we hired a really cool tour company while we were there called rides by me it's a local guide they take you around on a motorcycle a vintage motorcycle how fun is that it's your chance to get on a bike and really enjoy nature and be out in the open air and they pick the wineries for you you can also influence which ones you want to go to but everything is left up to the professionals and you don't have to worry about being behind the wheel driving down windy Country Roads or worrying about the cops that come out in the afternoons because they're out there and they're ready to give you a ticket so you want to definitely hire a driver whether that's Uber rides by me or another company be sure to do that on your trip now you may be wondering which wineries should I choose from and my advice for you is to keep some of the Obscure wineries give them a try some of the wineries that you Google when you do Google search they may be the ones that are best at branding or marketing or SEO but they may not be the best at actual wine making so really give some of the more obscure family-owned wineries a try some of the wineries that are most well known they may be the ones that are known for their view or having a wine cave or having a really beautiful large group event location be sure to keep some of the Obscure ones in mind you may be very pleasantly surprised so one of the most recognizable wineries in Sonoma Valley is Goodluck bunshu which is the oldest continuously family-run Winery founded in 1858 they have a beautiful property here it's owned by the sixth generation family and I'm gonna put a map right here most of the wineries are along this beautiful Scenic Highway called Highway 12. and we loved riding along the scenic Road it's kind of curvy and you'll see all the hills along both sides it's gorgeous now let's talk about cost the wine tastings here are considered moderately priced compared to NAPA NAPA is usually sixty dollars plus here you'll notice the wines are mostly about 40 to 60 dollars for tasting depending on if you're doing the reserve tasting or not be prepared to spend quite a bit when you're traveling here for a wine tasting one thing to note about Sonoma is that it's nicknamed slow Noma is known for its very laid-back reputation a lot of restaurants and bars close pretty early in the day and it's not really known for an extreme nightlife scene or anything like that a lot of the activities are done through the day if you get in really late stuff may be closed my next tip for you is to read the story of the winemaker of the winery that you're visiting we were very pleasantly surprised to learn about the history of some of the different wineries that we went to for example when we went to Landmark Vineyards they were owned by the John Deere tractor family and some of them are descendants from famous entrepreneurs or rock and roll groups one main example is Francis Ford Coppola wines from the famous movie maker of The Godfather we also went to BR cone wine they were descended from rock and roll the Doobie Brothers manager and you'll even see like a giant statue of a guitar out in front so it's really interesting to learn the history of some of these wineries so what wines should you order when you're here in the Sonoma Valley well we recommend that you talk to the winemaker ask them what they're really proud of producing that year and see if they have any recommendations be sure to keep an open mind because you'll never know what they might pour for you but the wines that are most popular here are Cabernet Sauvignon also the unoaked zesty chardonnays are really popular the zinfandels and red blends but I'd love to hear from you guys what are your favorite wines that are grown in the Sonoma Valley what are your favorite wineries be sure to comment below now there is much more than just wine in Sonoma Valley I'm talking about distilleries we went to some of the most beautiful world-class distilleries we went to the Hanson Distillery for vodka they make vodka out of grapes how cool is that we also went to some of the dairy farms did you know that Dairy is actually the number one produced product in Sonoma Valley it's actually not wine so be sure to order that cheese plate from the local cheeses it's delicious they're also known for a lot of nature preserves the botanical garden they're known for their literary connection they're known for the mayakama mountains the Russian River they have tons of spas and history so if you're a history above check out the Sonoma Plaza you'll actually find the northernmost California mission there called Mission San Francisco Solano and it's really cool and very accessible so getting here when you're in San Francisco or the East Bay there is a toll as you cross the bridge to get to the Sonoma Valley and we do recommend that you stay overnight it is doable to do a day trip but to get that full rustic Retreat experience we recommend that you stay overnight there's a number of different places to stay from rustic Inns Spas to Resorts you can even stay nearby Santa Rosa if you want something on the more moderately priced end but we stayed at the El Pueblo Inn and we recommend staying there it was very family friendly I'll post a link right here to some of the hotels but around April it was around 200 a night so when should you visit Sonoma Valley so I visited during all four seasons so I've seen it from the dead of winter to early spring with the showers to the busiest time in the summer and the most popular time to visit here can you guess what it is it's August September October this is harvest season this is when you'll see the grapes in their full effect ready to be picked and turned into wine you may even get to experience the bottling process it's a busy busy time for the wine makers they're trying to time it right and see exactly when to pick the grapes so that they can get the best product and so a lot is going on during that time and in late May around Memorial Day they have the bottle rock festival which draws big names in music everyone from the Foo Fighters Stevie Nicks to post Malone a lot of people come out there for that and they do picnics a lot of the wineries have like an indoor outdoor feel so a lot of people like to be outside in general and they visit during the summer months for that reason so if you want to visit during the busiest time check that out but if you want a little bit more of a quieter time more private time at the wineries and maybe even a little bit more of a deal when it comes to accommodations and things like that then check out early spring or even winter time yes the vines may be bare during this time you may run into some rain but if you want a wine tasting experience that feels more private and there's not a ton of tourists around then it's a great time to visit so there you have it this is is the most visited attraction and region of California behind Disneyland I definitely recommend if you're visiting California to check out the Sonoma Valley give it a try take home a few bottles and let us know your favorite wineries that you visited in Sonoma Valley and if you're from Sonoma comment below and let us know your favorite tips about visiting this region and be sure to like And subscribe because we'll have many more travel videos coming at you up next

Channel: Run The Atlas

Views: 10,827

Keywords: travel, travel vlog, travel guide, run the atlas, sonoma, sonoma valley, things to know, before you go, sonoma travel tips, sonoma best time to visit, sonoma which wineries to visit, sonoma vs napa, wine region, wine tasting, before you go to sonoma, wine tasting tips, sonoma wineries, sonoma wineries to visit, sonoma weather

Id: 2Yevef5yhGU

Length: 10min 14sec (614 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 18 2023