WINE TASTING IN PETALUMA

This unique, 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.

For an immersive experience, taste wines where the grapes are grown at half a dozen Petaluma vineyards with stunning panoramic views and gardens. Karah Estate Vineyard‘s 35-acre winery specializes in estate-grown Burgundy-style pinot noir and smaller-batch estate chardonnay. Keller Estate‘s tasting terrace looks out over olive groves, rolling hills, and Mt. Tamalpais in the distance.

McEvoy Ranch (shown in the top photo) sits in the cattle country to the west of Petaluma with views of olive trees, oaks, and a pond. McEvoy wine, olive oil, and beauty products, available in the gift shop as well as at retailers across the nation, have won national recognition.

Have you ever tasted wines on a horse ranch? Reis River Ranch Vineyards is a favorite for horse lovers. Slow your roll at the west Marin Stubbs Vineyard, where you may encounter Ankole Watusi cattle, Mangalitsa pigs, Frantoio olive trees, emus, and free range chickens as you sip and savor.

Parum Leo‘s Certified Sustainable estate vineyard, at the southern tip of the Petaluma Gap, features Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Fran. Visit Azari Vineyards for wood-fired pizza paired with Shiraz and Pinto Noir. Ron Noble Wines invites you to stroll the vineyard and have a casual conversation about its wines over nibbles from its kitchen.

For a full day of wine tasting without driving, consider a 1.6-mile wine stroll from one end of downtown Petaluma to the other.

The wine stroll itinerary below may be too much wine for one day, but you can pick and choose or spread it over more than one day.

1. Portworks Wine Lounge (613 2nd) specializes in Ports and after-dinner wines, but you may also find a wine slushy and live music in the summer.
2. La Dolce Vita (151 Petaluma Blvd S) is a hip wine bar in Theater Square.
3. Adobe Rode Winery (6 Petaluma Blvd N A1) is in the Great Mill facing the Boulevard—that is until the extravagant new river-view tasting room with race-car showroom is completed.
4. Walk up the Boulevard to Putnam Plaza Park, cross American Alley, and head up the stairs to Kentucky Street (122A) for Vine & Barrel, where you’ll be surrounded by a host of tempting shops.
5. Barber Cellars (112 Washington St), is paired with a cheese shop in a century-old hotel building.
6. Back on the Boulevard and less than a block south, Montagne Russe Winery and Record Lounge (155 Petaluma Blvd N) will spin vinyl with your tasting.
7. The last leg is a long one, but worth the walk north for the award-winning Petaluma Gap wines at Brooks Note Winery (426 Petaluma Blvd N).

Note: Google Maps won’t take you through Putnam Plaza, adding many steps to your journey and depriving you of sights along the way.