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Information on Sonoma and Napa Valley Wine Country
California wine country has become a very popular tourist destination. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is mild, and the wine flows freely. While the California wine country covers many counties, the two most well-known counties are Napa and Sonoma.
Sonoma County
Sonoma County is located only 35 miles north of San Francisco, so it is an easy drive for anyone staying in the city. Sonoma is full of small towns, comfortable lodging, and many wineries. The climate is comfortable year round. The wineries of this region are world-renowned. Sonoma is home to Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay varietals. The county is home to 11 distinct areas for viticulture that have their own microclimates.
Santa Rosa is the largest city in the county, and is located in Central Sonoma. Public gardens, shopping, and historic sites are abundant here. Southern Sonoma is home to the cities of Petaluma and Healdsburg. Both small cities are full of historic places to visit, great restaurants, and cultural events.
Many famous wineries are located in Sonoma County. Sebastiani, Buena Vista Cameros, and Ravenswood are only a few of the well-known wineries you can visit. Besides these big names, hundreds of smaller wineries are happy to host visitors and many offer food, facilities to rent and more.
Sonoma County is also a great place for whale watching, beaches and wildlife.
Napa County
Napa is a bit further north of San Francisco than Sonoma. It is one of the most famous wine regions in the world. Full of scenic beauty, the Napa Valley offers many vineyard tours and other wine-themed activities. In fact, there are so many vineyards, you may want to limit your choice to the few you like most. You can do this by choosing wineries you are familiar with, choosing the type of wine you want to try or choose them by reviews posted by other visitors. Many wineries have shops, tasting rooms and restaurants to enjoy.
Napa Valley is home to many fine restaurants, several of which offer contemporary Californian wine country cuisine. Others feature Mediterranean cuisine, which also goes very well with wine. Lodging is available throughout the county, giving one easy access to many of the local wineries. Weddings and other special events can be hosted at any of the local inns or wineries by contacting them in advance.
While Napa used to be home only to large wineries, today there are many smaller, more specialized wineries that are very successful. Visiting some of these specialized wineries can be very memorable. The tourism brought to the region by the wine industry has increased greatly since the wines of Napa have begun winning awards and have won world acclaim.
While wines have always been a part of this region, it was not until the past 25 years that Napa wines have really gotten on the map. Today, Napa valley is second only to Disneyland as a tourist destination. If things keep growing as they have been, it may even eclipse Disney.
