Top Activities in Wine Country
Wine Tasting
If “wine tasting” conjurs images of sweeping valleys, stone courtyards, and goblets of red and white, well you’ve come to the right place.
Jack London Historic Park
The rollings hills and sweeping vistas of Sonoma county are enough to make anyone wax poetic. Jack London, one of America’s most famous and prolific writers thought so, and made his home on 1400 acres of ranch and woodlands in Glenn Ellen in 1905.
Olive Oil Tasting
While the vineyards and wineries get all the attention, olive oil production is quietly booming in Napa and Sonoma. And just like the grapes, these green and black fruits flourish in the warm Mediterranean climate in these valleys.
Cornerstone Gardens
Nature and art converge to delightful effect at Sonoma’s Cornerstone Gardens. Meander through a collection of conceptual spaces, art installations, and gardens commissioned by the world’s cutting-edge landscape architects and designers.
Ballooning
For romance and adventure in the wine country, few experiences can rival a ride in a hot air balloon.
Biking
Rolling hills, fragrant orchards, open pastures and miles of vineyards – the wine country practically begs to be seen by bicycle.
Cooking Classes
Although the grapes take center stage, the wine country is also a world-class culinary destination. Everything from stone fruits to artisan cheese to organic meat and vegetables are grown or crafted in these lush valleys.
Hot Springs
There may be no better way to unwind than with a visit to one of the wine country’s spas and hot springs.
di Rosa Preserve
For a truly fresh take on the concept of a museum, head to di Rosa preserve. Once the home of Rene and Veronica di Rosa - winemakers, art collectors, and philanthropists - the land is now a preserve open to the public.
Additional Details
Public Transportation
Even Better
Wine Country
History
Home to hundreds of wineries and thousands of acres of vineyards, California’s Wine Country is a garden of Earthly delights. Occupying over 2500 square miles bordered by three mountain ranges, Napa and Sonoma valleys produce some of the finest wine grapes in the world. Blessed by a Mediterranean climate, this region has coaxed the best from these finicky fruits since the first commercial grapes were planted in the late 1850s. Now part of a large agricultural reserve, this is a region devoted to and dominated by nature. Whether you come at harvest time and see the vineyards ablaze in autumn colors, or in the spring when neon mustard flowers bloom amid the budding vines, the views are sweeping and pastoral. Raise a glass on a sun-drenched winery patio as you look out at the valley floor. Hike the rocky hills through forests of Douglas Fir and Redwoods. Soak in geothermic hot springs or nutrient-rich mud in a Calistoga spa. Sip some bubbly in a subterranean wine cave. Leave the grind of the city behind, and let the valley work its magic.
Wine Country
Facts & Figures
Wineries In Abundance
There are over 400 wineries in wine country.
Viniculture
600 to 800 wine grapes (about 2.4 lbs) go into 1 bottle of wine.
Variety
There are over 60,000 registered California wine labels.
Wine & The Economy
$125.3 billion = the annual impact of the California wine industry on the U.S. economy.
Popularity
Wine Country is California’s 2nd most popular tourist destination, after Disneyland.
Production
> 90% of US wine production is in California.
