When I visited San Francisco after seeing all the main tourist attractions I was keen to escape the city see more of the region.
I looked at options for things to do in California near San Fran and going on to Sonoma and Napa Valley really appealed to me. Both of these places looked really scenic, and who can say no to sampling some of the best local wines!
They are also as easy day trip.
Self-drive or Tour?
Napa County is located north of San Francisco and is famous for its scenic hillside vineyards in the Napa Valley wine region.
Sonoma is a historic city in northern California at the heart of the renowned Sonoma Valley winemaking region. It’s known for its art galleries and the colonial-era Sonoma Plaza.
Both are located close to San Francisco, and although there is the option to self-drive, I was keen to book an organised tour to get guided to the best spots, and also not have to worry about how much wine I sampled.
There are lots of excursions available, with most 1-day tours starting at 8:30am and returning around 5:30pm. Companies will pick you up and drop you off at your accommodation which makes the whole trip easier too.
A couple of free wineries are included, while the other ones might charge a tasting fee ranging from $5 to $10. As you’ll see, the drivers can be quite flexible, so the tour often goes to different wineries. Cheers!
Is it Worth Visiting Napa Valley or Sonoma? My Wine Tour Experience
As I stood on the corner of my hotel on a typical San Francisco cold and foggy morning, waiting for my wine tour to start. I had no idea what to expect when the van pulled up and our tour leader, Eric, jumped out of it and asked “So, who wants to taste some wine?”
Now, if you like wine, and I mean you really like wine, then these tours are for you. The tour takes you to the scenic towns of Sonoma and Napa and visits 5 wineries. After making our rounds of picking people up, we made our first stop right across the bridge into the historic Marin Headlands where we got an amazing view of the bridge, San Francisco and Angel Island.
The drive to Sonoma takes about an hour, during which you pass the golden hills of the beautiful back country of California. All the while our tour guide enthusiastically told us history about the area and how it became to be known as ‘wine county.’
Our first stop was at Benziger Family Winery. Benziger is bio-dynamic vineyard, which means they treat their vineyard like it’s its own ecosystem. It’s the highest degree of sustainable farming. In short, it is the quintessential Northern California way to grow wine.
We hopped off the bus and onto a trolly which toured us around the property and took us into chilly damp caves filled with rows and rows of oak wine barrels. The caves were filled with the scent of wood and wine or ‘angels share.’ In here we learned about the barreling and fermenting process.
After about half an hour of seeing how the grapes were grown, sorted, and stored, I was dying to get a taste. We left the caves and pulled up in front of the tasting room where our first glass of chilled white wine was waiting for us. I can’t tell you how awesome that first sip was after having it be on my mind for so long!
We got to pick 5 wines out of the list to sample for free including a delicious dessert port wine. In order to drink the port wine you had to sip, then take a bite of dark chocolate and let it melt on your tongue before finishing it off with the last sip. I now understand why people pair wines with chocolate. I had never tasted something so decadent in my life.
One of the best things about this tour was how flexible it was. Our guide really went with the punches and wanted our feedback on what we were looking for. He was knowledgeable about many of the wineries in the area and was open to suggestions on what we wanted to see for the day.
I really appreciated how relaxed it all felt. I didn’t feel rushed or hurried in any way which often is the case during tours.
We finished the day sipping champagne at Chateau Montelena Winery which is a very impressive estate overlooking the Napa Valley. There couldn’t have been a better way to end such a beautiful day than with a glass of some bubbly, lounging in the sunshine with such an incredible view of the country side before heading back to the city by the bay.
Best Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Tours
If you want to go on a trip like this check tours on GetYourGuide or Viator, there are lots of options available and if you like wine, you won’t regret it.
