Things to do in Sonoma County

Sonoma County is Napa's quieter, more rural neighbour, about an hour north of San Francisco by car with no direct train. It covers Sonoma Plaza, the tasting-room town of Healdsburg further north, and the Russian River Valley, with a few pockets reaching toward the coast.

Tastings here run cheaper than Napa: standard pours average around $47, reserve tastings around $95, against Napa's roughly $79 average. Reservations are increasingly expected rather than optional. 08%, so a designated driver, car service or guided tour is the realistic way to visit more than one or two wineries in a day.

Sonoma and Napa sit on opposite sides of a mountain range with no fast road between them, so most visitors pick one valley per day rather than combining both.