Glen Ellen

Off the beaten path (but still conveniently located), Wellington Vineyards is a small winery down a side road off Arnold Drive (or Sonoma Highway depending on which way you are driving). Wellington produces around 8000 cases of unqiue, hand crafted wines.

Cool name, great wine, beautiful grounds, friendly staff, and they sell port! Valley of the Moon is one of this writer's favorite wineries in Sonoma County. This is the type of place at which you expect to find the beautiful people hanging out on a weekend evening.

Mayo isn't a tasting room you stop by for any reason other than the wines. The tasting room is a converted barn conveniently -and ideally- located at the corner of Arnold Drive and Sonoma Highway. Aside from the convenience, the tasting room is a no frills experience. Great if you are seeking to try Mayo's fine Chards and Zins but a poor choice of you are seeking a place with a great view, beautiful gardens, unique architecture, or a place to picnic or hold an event. Those who just want to taste wines may like not having the distraction that comes with the majestic tasting rooms, in which case Mayo may be your place.

Little Vineyards is a small family owned winer set way back down a windy gravel access road off Sonoma Highway. Little Vineyards has a tasting room, offers tours, and sponsors some cool "wine & music" events. However they are a "By Appointment Only" winery so you need to call ahead for tasting and tours. With so many other winery options nearby that are open to the public daily, you may not want to deal with coordinating times and so forth.

The vibe at Imagery is one of wine, art, and nature. Imagery is a biodynamic winery so a huge emphasis is placed on preserving and embracing nature. Nature lovers will love walking the grounds to discover and encounter the bio-diversity. The tasting room is as much art gallery as it is wine bar as dozens and dozens of paintings adorn the walls. Imagery is known for its unique artist-commissioned wine labels so it is a must visit for label collectors. As for the wine, Imagery is a biodynamic farm with an emphasis on rare grapes and diversity in their wine offerings. A great place for oenephiles seeking to taste something new or unique.

Shares an access road with Arrowood Vineyards so a stop here on your wine trail is convenient for people looking to do more tasting and less driving.

Two award winning San Francisco newspaper photographers founded Eric Ross Winery. The tasting room has a rooster theme as the original production facility shared space with some roosters who were reluctant to give up their territory. Rather than continually chase them away, they adopted them as the winery mascot. As such visitors will encounter a distinct rooster theme at the Eric Ross tasting room. The tasting room itself is a no-frills experience. This is a place you go to for the wines as there are no beautiful gardens, amazing views, or impressive architecture to take in.

The vibe at B.R. Cohn is classic Rock'n'Roll & wine. Owner Bruce Cohn is the original and longtime manager of rock legends The Doobie Brothers. Gold records and rock memorabilia adorn the tasting room. The grounds are the classic wine country white farm house adorned with beautiful rose bushes and manicured lawns. Proof positive that, while the rock'n'roll spirit never dies, it does mature. Any rock music fan should make B.R. Cohn a must-see stop on their wine tour.

Busses can be accommodated by appointment.

Benziger is a must see destination spot for people planning a Sonoma winery tour. Beautiful, with a "Garden of Eden" feel to it, Benziger offers just about everything you can want in a winery experience with great wines, beautiful gardens, grand views, bio-diversity, hourly tours, picnic grounds, and even a playground for the kids. Bus friendly as well.

Audelssa is a small tasting room on Glen Ellen Square. It sits close to a handful of restaurants so it is an ideal place to check out before or after stopping for lunch. They are only open for tastings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They specialize in food and wine pairing so call ahead to gather the details.