Wine Tasting, Craft Beer Tasting & Spirits Tasting in Petaluma
Discover world-class adult beverages made in Petaluma
The delicious arts of fermentation and distilling are in full flower in Petaluma. It’s only natural that a town known for its deep agricultural roots would craft libations that pair perfectly with great food, beautiful scenery, and a welcoming spirit.
While Petaluma’s wine, beer, and spirits are recognized as some of the best in Sonoma County and beyond, there’s one ingredient that you won’t find in them…pretentiousness. Petaluma offers tasting experiences that are all about authenticity, whether it’s tasting Petaluma Gap pinot noir in an intimate downtown wine bar, chatting with the owner of a small batch gin distillery, or learning how Lagunitas — one of the largest brewing companies – began on a kitchen stove more than 20 years ago. Experienced or novice, everyone’s welcome in Petaluma.
A list of Tasting Rooms, Tap Rooms, Wineries, and Distilleries is available HERE.
WINE TASTING
IN PETALUMA
Top-quality grapes have been sourced from the Petaluma area by famous winemakers for more than 150 years. The opening in the coastal mountains, or gap, draws wind and fog from the Pacific through Petaluma, eventually reaching the Bay. The daily temperature can vary as much as 50 degrees allowing wine grapes to ripen later and reach their full flavor potential.
This geographic feature allows the more than 70 growers in the region to produce high-quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and cool climate Syrah, which are sold to over 80 wineries in other parts of Sonoma and Napa counties. Wine this good earned its own designation! In December 2017, the Petaluma Gap became Sonoma County’s 18th AVA.
If these are some of your favorite varietals, be sure and plan your trip to include the Petaluma Gap Wineries in your itinerary.
Petaluma Gap growers are dedicated to sustainability, and many are devoted to organic viticulture. Their grapes are sold to some of Sonoma County’s finest wineries, including Keller Estate Winery, deLoach Vineyards, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, Kosta-Browne Winery, and Landmark Vineyards.
Plan a trip to one or more of Petaluma’s wine tasting rooms to enjoy award-winning wines.
And don’t forget Portworks Wine Lounge, the only winery in Sonoma County that specializes in ports and after-dinner wines.
Visit each PETALUMA WINERy WITH A TASTING ROOM
- Reis Ranch
- Portworks Wine Lounge
- Stubbs Vineyards*
- *By appointment only
BREWERIES
CRAFT BEER TASTING IN PETALUMA
Crooked Goat Brewing offers a great, relaxing hangout with your friends. The beer is a bonus!
Combining passion, creativity, and some amazing ingredients, Petaluma’s breweries are a destination for aficionados of hand-crafted ales. Whether you choose to visit tap rooms in the “Maker Alley” district of northeast Petaluma or stroll historic downtown, delicious discoveries await.
World-famous Lagunitas Brewing started in Petaluma, where it still has its base of operations, flagship tasting room, tours, and an amphitheater for summer music in addition to live music and other events in its beer garden. Sampling their latest release is a craft beer lover must.
Lagunitas is just the beginning. Across the street, HenHouse Brewing Company is the place to find styles that may be a little lesser known in the beer scene, such as saison, Oyster Stout, and Belgian-style golden ale. Or find your Zen, a grapefruit hard seltzer with fresh citrus aroma and flavors at nearby Crooked Goat Brewing.
Feeling adventurous? Coming from a home brewing background, Adobe Creek Brewing never stops experimenting!
DISTILLERIES
SPIRITS TASTING IN PETALUMA
Some people are purists when it comes to sampling spirits; others enjoy their libation in a cocktail. Either way, the perfect moment awaits you when you take the first sip, sit back and say, “aaah . . . that’s good!” at one of Petaluma’s intimate tasting rooms serving hand-crafted spirits.
If you’re looking for award-winning spirits, Petaluma has you covered with two local distilleries with tasting rooms. Griffo, in Maker Alley, has fun events in its barrel room and creative cocktails in its tasting room. Barber Lee Spirits, downtown, offers tasting flights, cocktails, and small bites. Though they don’t have a tasting room, you can order Petaluma-made spirits from Sonoma Coast Spirits and Moylan Distilling in local restaurants.
