Eastern Sonoma County Tour
Mix and match tour activities throughout the towns of Sonoma, Glen Ellen, and Kenwood. Contact SCTB for drive times and itineraries. sales@sonomacounty.com
Wineries
Benziger Winery
Your group will be educated about the biodynamic wine making process on this winery's tram rides, and cave tours. Discover the tasting room, gift shop, peacock aviary, and redwood picnic grove. Located in Glen Ellen.
Contact: Teresa Morgan www.benziger.com
Email: tmorgan@benziger.com
Phone: (707) 935-3017
Kunde Winery
Experience cave tours and barrel tastings. Enjoy a variety of foods and wines from the deli, and enjoy lunch outdoors at the picnic area next to sparkling pools and fountains. Located in Kenwood.
Contact: Naomi Tinkler
Email: Naomi@kunde.com
Phone: (707) 833-5501 Website: www.kunde.com
Sebastiani Winery
Customized private tastings, educational wine seminars, soil to bottle and component tastings available to groups and tours. Winery, historical, and open trolley tours are available. Art gallery with rotating exhibit from local artists. Located one block from historic Sonoma Square. Contact: Gaspar Sayoc. Event Manager Phone: (707) 933-3204
Website:www.sebastiani.com
St. Francis Winery
Tours and wine/food pairings are available for groups of 10 or more with advance reservations.
Contact: Trisha Stock, Hospitality Director
Phone: (707) 833-0248 Email: tstock@stfranciswine.com
Website: www.stfranciswinery.com
Ravenswood Winery
Imagine, here you are in the heart of Sonoma's wine country starting an experience different from the usual wine tasting that will be fun and will foster team building at the same time. You'll be doing exactly what professional wine makers do, carefully mixing separate varieties of wine into a blend to rival those $60 a bottle Meritage wines.
Only Ravenswood offers a Blending Lab for you and your friends to create your own perfect combination of Carignane, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel, one that they will take home and serve and watch it knock their guests' socks off. Picture your group in the Barrel Room. The bouquet of maturing wine perfumes the air. You take your places at a white linen-draped table for six. At each place are five stems, three with red wine in them. You notice that you have a pipette, pencil and blending sheet. You are about to attempt your initial blend, but first you taste the raw materials. Using the Zin as your core wine, you take your pipette and begin adding measured amounts of Carignane and Petite Sirah. The first blend needs some changes. You try other combinations. You are amazed at how the wine changes so dramatically with the smallest changes in the blend. There is a lot of chatter and good-natured banter between the wine makers. Eventually you will hit on YOUR ideal, one you will stake your reputation on. You take your blend up to the master blender. You watch as each component is carefully measured and added accordingly to you specifications. You put the cork in your bottle, label it and leave knowing that you have done it! You'll find your appreciation of and knowledge about wine are sharper. This is a unique and different way to experience the wine country. Come to Ravenswood and see what you can create.
Graduates from the Hands on Blending Lab: American Honda, Apple, Microsoft, Allstate Insurance, Intel, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Tellabs, Oracle, Openwave, Cisco, B of A, Chiron, Bayer, Johnson and Johnson, Genentech
Contact: Peter Griffith
Phone: (707)-933-2349
Email: peter.griffith@ravenswood-wine.com
Website: www.ravenswood-wine.com
Cost $35 pp
Attractions
General M.G. Vallejo Home
The last home of General Mariano Guadelupe Vallejo is Lachryma Montis. The two story wood frame house was built on the east coast and shipped around the Cape Horn and then assembled at the present site. The Gothic Victorian home sits in the midst of a sixty acre estate. Website: www.sonomavalley.com
Infineon Raceway
A year-round motor sports complex with nationally televised events, including NASCAR's Nextel Cup, NHRA Drag racing, ALMS Sports Cars and AMA Motorcycle Superbikes. Jim Russell Racing Karts & classes are available at the raceway.
Websites: www.infineonraceway.com
www.russellracing.com
Mission San Francisco de Solano
Visit the Northern most California Mission, located at Historic Sonoma Square. This California Mission was the 21st and last mission built, constructed in 1823.
Website: www.californiamissions.com