Explore and Sip During Wine Trail

Wine Trail is your one-day pass to explore wineries along the Wine Road that are new to you, visit wineries and try wines you’ve always wanted to taste, and return to wineries you call your favorites. Wine Trail happens five times a year — February, May, July, September and December — giving ample opportunities to explore and taste your way through the Wine Road.

How Does It Work?

One ticket gives you access to all the Wine Trail participating wineries, with 30 or more wineries participating at each event. Once you arrive at your winery destination, you just show your ticket on your phone (or a printed copy) and you’re ready to taste. No additional tasting fees, unless you opt to try wines other than those being offered in the Wine Trail flight.

Wine Trail Visitor Comments

I reached out to a few people who attend Wine Trails, asking their opinion about the events.

The Wine Trail takes the guesswork out of exploring wineries, making it easy to enjoy more places without worrying about tasting fees. Meeting the people behind the wines makes the experience even better—and bringing home a bottle means bringing home the memories to share with friends. ~ Brett, Phoenix

I want you to know how much I LOVE the Wine Road. Even when I have just finished one event, I’m already looking forward to the next one, and when an email comes from the Wine Road, it is always the first one I open. Wine Road is such a wonderful way to find out what is going on with our wineries and to meet other wine lovers. And it is great just to have a day out in our beautiful county. I LOVE the Wine Road and all their events. ~ Patty, Sebastopol

If Brett and Patty haven’t convinced you to try Wine Trail, let’s dive in and look at what makes Wine Trail so special.

Glimpse of the Next Wine Trail

The next Wine Trail is just around the corner on July 12^th from 11 – 4, with 30 wineries offering wine and more! I’ve reviewed the program and want to share some highlights from the Summer Wine Trail.

Cave Tour

Alexander Valley Vineyards is offering a complimentary cave tour at noon and 2:30 for visitors. They’ll also be pouring three wines perfect to pair with your summertime backyard barbecues, which they will be pairing with a savory treat.

In Search of the Perfect Summer BBQ Wine

Enjoying summer weather, a gathering of friends and family, and sipping great wine creates a memorable day. Add in the perfect wine pairing with your backyard barbecue or post-hike picnic, and you’ve got one happy group. Plus, you’ve just scored points with everyone for your wine selection. How do you find this perfect pairing? The wineries who open their doors for you during Wine Trail are great places to start.

Pouring BBQ Pairing Wines

The following wineries will be pouring wines they profess to be perfect for summertime barbecues, picnics and more.

Carol Shelton Wines — a newly released Rosé and three award-winning Zinfandels

Limerick Lane Cellars — a Rosé, Zinfandel and Rocks & Fog (a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah)

Merry Edwards Winery — Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, so you have options for the grilled chicken or cedar-planked salmon

Optima Winery — Miyah (Sauvignon Blanc and Picpoul blend), Zinfandel, PMZ (a blend of Petite Sirah, Merlot and Zinfandel) and Petite Sirah

Pedroncelli Winery — a newly released Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and the inaugural release of their Legacy Block Zinfandel

Ridge Vineyards — East Bench Zinfandel, Frediani Ranch (a blend of Valdiguié, Petite Sirah and Charbono) and Lytton Springs (a 95+ point blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouschet)

Seghesio Family Vineyards — Rosato, Vermentino, Barbera and Rockpile Zinfandel (their BBQ pick)

Starlite Vineyards — Viognier, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon

Trentadue Winery — Sauvignon Blanc, Old Patch Red a.k.a. OPR (a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane) and Cabernet Sauvignon

Meet the Owners

The Wine Road consists of many smaller family wineries, so during Wine Trail you may be spending time with the winery owner. Here are a few wineries where the owner plans to pour for their guests on July 12^th.

Amphora Winery — owner/winemaker Rick Hutchinson will be pouring his wines and sharing stories of his 50 years of winemaking.

Peterson Winery (next door to Amphora) — Fred Peterson will be sharing wines that are perfect for your summer sipping, and telling more stories of 50+years of growing grapes.

Mounts Family Winery — Lana Mounts will be offering their Viognier, Counoise (a delicious chillable red wine) and Old Vine Zinfandel. Other Mounts family members may be around to greet and pour for you as well.

due Ruscelli Vineyards — owners Michael and Melissa Sloan will pour their Italian inspired wines, including Pinot Grigio and a Super Tuscan blend.

Wine at Special Prices

Several participating wineries are offering discounts. A quick look at the program shows the following:

David Coffaro Winery — a discounted 6-pack special

due Ruscelli Vineyards — 15% off on 6+ bottles, 30% for Wine Club members

Ektimo Wines — up to 50% off of wine futures

Korbel Champagne Cellars — 20% off bottle purchases

Mounts Family Winery — Special prices on wine bundles

Ramazzotti Wines — 20% off purchases of 4 or more bottles

Other wineries may be offering discounts, but didn’t list them in the program.

Walk Between Wineries

If you like to park your car and walk from winery to winery, visit the downtown area of Windsor and walk to Baldassari Wines, J. Cage Cellars and Oak Tree Winery. Or, at park Timber Crest Farm to visit Amphora, Optima and Peterson with less than a minute walk between the wineries.

Picnic and Food Options

If you’re looking for a great picnic spot, Foppiano Vineyards recently renovated and expanded their outdoor space, and welcome picnickers to enjoy their tasting and then sip their favorite Foppiano wine with a picnic.

If you didn’t bring along a picnic, Timber Crest Farm will have the Taqueria Sol Azteca food truck on site, and there is also a large picnic ground area for tasters to use for their picnic or to enjoy the food truck fare.

Both Korbel and D’Argenzio Winery have restaurants on site, allowing you to taste and grab lunch, too.

Why is Wine Trail Special?

Here’s my short-list:

• One ticket vs. multiple tasting fees lets you spend more on wine
• Easy way to explore wineries that are new to you — try before you buy
• 30+ winery options each time
• Meet winery owners and winemakers
• Beautiful settings mile after mile
• A day filled with entertainment and fun

Parting Thought

Here’s one additional comment from someone out-of-state who attends Wine Road events every year, and now includes the Wine Trail in her options.

Every year I look forward to the Wine Road events as an opportunity to escape into the rolling hills of Sonoma County with good company. While I always love to revisit my favorite wineries to reconnect with the people and vineyards behind the wine I drink all year round, the Wine Trail offers the chance to explore all the carefully curated flavors, breathtaking scenery, and stories of wineries I haven’t yet discovered.

Sonoma County winemakers are artists, and the Wine Trail is the perfect exhibition of their crafts. ~ Alexis, Arizona

Hope to see you along the Wine Road at the next Wine Trail, and beyond.

Happy Sipping!

Posted by Rebecca Germolus

Rebecca Germolus, co-owner of Maximum Value Marketing, loves Sonoma County and playing along the Wine Road. Rebecca daily immerses herself in wine country by providing cost-effective marketing and writing solutions to wineries and restaurants.

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