Sonoma County Vineyards With Free Walking Tours

Explore these California vineyards for free through the Sonoma County Vineyard Adventures program, which invites you to enjoy self-guided walking tours year-round at no cost.

Easy trails at participating winery estates wind by notable sites for a mile or less, with interesting facts marked along the way. After a tour in the fresh air, visit the tasting rooms to purchase samplings of wines crafted from the vineyards you explored.

No appointment is necessary for these self-guided tours, but check each winery’s website for helpful details before your visit. Vineyard Adventures was launched in 2010 by Sonoma County Winegrowers as a fun way to explore this famous region and gain new insight into the area’s exceptional wines.

Here is a handy guide to the Sonoma County wineries that offer free vineyard walking trails.

Matanzas Creek Winery, Santa Rosa

Revel in breathtaking views and learn about the harmonious relationship between the winegrower and the winemaker, committed to this winery’s impressive Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and more. Walk among the famous garden featuring hundreds of lavender flowers in this sustainably farmed vineyard in the Bennett Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA).

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Santa Rosa

Check out the commendable sustainable practices at this vineyard, like weather monitoring stations, wind turbines, and solar panels that produce energy for this family-owned winery. You’ll also discover a mission-style tasting room surrounded by vineyards, as well as a bell tower that chimes every hour in the heart of the Sonoma Valley AVA.

Balletto Vineyards, Santa Rosa

Adjacent to a wildlife preserve, Baletto Vineyards creates small lots of its own wine with its premier fruit and then shares the rest of its harvest with area wineries. Learn more about the Balletto family’s favorite pastime, baseball, as you walk the property’s own Field of Dreams. The estate grows cool-climate grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, in the diverse soil types of the Russian River Valley AVA.

La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard, Windsor

The La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard is a hub of wine education and culinary exploration. This winery offers an engaging and interactive trail that showcases the rich history and agricultural heritage of Sonoma County. Coveted throughout California, the legacy winery produces grape varieties for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley AVA.

Mauritson Wines, Healdsburg

The Mauritson family settled in Sonoma County in 1868, and this fascinating free walking tour will teach you about the Mauritson family’s six-generation journey from sheep ranching to grape-growing and winemaking. Planting their first wine grapes in 1884, the earliest Mauritson wine was a Dry Creek Zinfandel, grown, of course, in the Dry Creek Valley AVA.

Amista Vineyards, Healdsburg

The sparkling wine is the forerunner at Amista, which translates to “making friends” in Spanish. Here, you’ll find one of the largest fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects just steps away from the inviting tasting room. Rhone varietals, such as Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, flourish in Amista’s gorgeous vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley AVA.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Geyserville

This winery is a wonderland with breathtaking grounds, a terrace overlooking the pool and restaurant, and a museum featuring artifacts and movie memorabilia from the famous director. Learn how Francis and Eleanor Coppola support sustainability while walking along the creeks and vineyards in the Alexander Valley AVA.