A good map matters in Sonoma, because it is a big rural county with five major grape growing areas, filled with great wineries that can be hard to navigate. The roads don't have much signage or streetlights and addresses can be obscured by bushes. The GPS that works well in suburbs is sketchy on those narrow, winding roads and steep hillsides, and it often does not recommend the best, safest and most scenic route.
To make the 24 maps easy to use when you're driving, where there is a high concentration of wineries we've divided the valleys into two sections. There are also maps of the downtowns including hotels, restaurants and tasting room locations.
The chapters on Creating a Daytrip and Getting Around Sonoma will help you get the most enjoyment from your time, while 'The ABC's of Wine Tasting' will help you improve your winery experiences.
The 280 Winery Directory is indexed to the maps and there are multiple notes that provide useful details. Our insights as tour guides bringing clients to these many properties are what makes our books special! To find our other books, TV shows and documentaries, visit:
Every wine tour needs a great strategy to take the best advantage of the day. Over the course of thousands of tours with clients, we've had the opportunity to see what works, and what doesn't. Here are some of our best tips! The first step is to start early! If drinking wine in the morning seems excessive, remember, you are in a 'tasting' room, not a 'drinking' room. You are there to evaluate and enjoy the wines, not aiming to get a buzz on. There is a big difference between wine tasting and bar hopping!
Contents
The Map Key 3
Main Winery Areas - Map - 4
Around the City of Sonoma - Map A - 5
Sonoma & Napa Los Carneros - Map B - 10
The Sonoma Plaza - Notes - Map C - 7
The Sonoma Valley - Notes - Map D - 10
Glen Ellen - Map E - 11
Around Santa Rosa - Map - 12
Hwy 101 and Downtown Santa Rosa - Map - 13
Downtown Healdsburg - Map F - 14
Notes: Northern Sonoma & Healdsburg 15
Russian River Valley Overview - Map - 16
The Russian River Valley - Notes - Map G - 17
North of River Rd - Westside Ave - Map H - 18
South of River Rd - Notes - Map I - 19
Dry Creek Valley Overview - Map - 20
The Dry Creek Valley - Notes - Map J - 21
The Southern Dry Creek Valley - Map K - 22
The Northern Dry Creek Valley - Map L - 23
Alexander Valley Overview - Notes - Map - 24
Alexander Valley - Map M - 25
Southern Alexander Valley - Map N - 26
Northern Alexander Valley - Map O - 27
Bay Area Main Roads - Map - 28
Sonoma AVA Dates - Map - 34
Popular Routes - Map - 40
Chapters
Chapter 1: Creating a Daytrip Strategy - 29
Chapter 2: Getting Around Sonoma - 35
Chapter 3: The ABC's of Wine Tasting - 41
Chapter 4: Winery Directory - 43
Other Titles by the Authors - 111
About - 112
