Favorite Things:Sonoma

When people think of Northern California, they often associate it with wine country, more specifically, Napa Valley. Napa and Sonoma are two thin strips of fertile land about 45 minutes North of San Francisco. Sonoma is on the Western side of a small mountain ridge and Napa on the Eastern Side. When we were planning our honeymoon out to SF, we looked at both Napa and Sonoma for places to stay. In our research we found a little Inn called the El Dorado (www.eldoradosonoma.com) and we decided to stay there. It is right on Sonoma's town square which has an abundance of shops, wine tasting rooms, and restaurants. We were not disappointed. The front desk gave us a handful of free wine tastings for the local wineries and we were set for several days. We found the wineries to be extremely helpful in teaching us about their wines and proper wine tasting techniques. They were smaller, less commercialized wineries, but beautiful. 

On the Napa Valley side, we found other great wineries but it did not have the same feel as the Sonoma side. There was a lot more commercialization and a lot more people. The wines in both valleys are very good--some of the world's best. 

One of the unique features of wine country are the views. It is amazing to see grapevines in every available fertile space. Many front yards of seemingly single family homes were filled with vines! 

Some of my other favorite things about Sonoma include: The Girl and the Fig (mentioned in a previous blog), Jack London shopping center where you can find the best chocolates I have ever had and an olive oil press and store, and a multitude of fabulous cafe's and restaurants. If you are planning to come and visit us, plan on taking a day to taste and see what California wine country is all about. It is great for wine enthusiasts and non-wine drinking people alike.