Guide to Wine Tasting in Graton

Wine tasting in Graton, California is a fun, casual experience with its block-long main street and touches of 19th-century western town architecture.

Tucked into the scenic vineyard landscape of Sonoma Wine Country, Graton was once a farming town in the heyday of the region’s apple boom. Today, the friendly town is a wine tasting and restaurant destination that retains a quiet, rustic vibe.

Taste wine in the quaint town of Graton with this handy guide.

The Lay of the Land

Tiny Graton has great wine tasting rooms you can walk to in between shops, markets, and antique stores. In between tastings, here are some great places to check out.

• Stop in at the popular Willow Wood Market Café for breakfast, lunch, and brunch.
• Recharge at the dining and cocktail hotspot Underwood Bar and Bistro.
• Browse at the organic Harmony Farm Supply, where you can find a sun hat or a flat of organic tomato plants.

• Stretch your legs on the West County Regional Trail, a tree-shaded path popular with cyclists and amblers alike, which runs through town, vineyards, and riparian thickets in the wine growing region of Green Valley of the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA).

Bowman Cellars

Visit the boutique Bowman Cellars tasting room to find a friendly atmosphere, a garden, and a styled Airstream trailer ‘food truck’ with excellent offerings. This family operation makes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bit of bubbly. Check out experiences like Winemaker Lunches, Food & Wine Pairings, and Happy Hour.

Paul Mathew Vineyards

Pinot Noir is the main event at Paul Mathew Vineyards, along with other varietals like Gewürztraminer, in this comfortable tasting room with lounging cushions along bay windows. Prior to making wine, Mat Gustafson wore many hats in the wine and hospitality business, including developing hobby vineyards for owners, thus securing friendly connections to prime Pinot Noir fruit you won’t find elsewhere.

In Neigboring Sebastopol

Dutton-Goldfield Winery

Technically in the bordering town of Sebastopol, this tasting room pours wine born of a lasting partnership between outdoorsy chemist-turned-winemaker Dan Goldfield and grapegrower Steve Dutton, who farms over 1,000 acres of vineyards in Sonoma County. Stop in for guided tasting flights featuring seasonal selections from cool-climate Chardonnay to expressive Pinot Noir and more.

Red Car Wine

Red Car has turned a former tractor supply shop into a spacious and stylish tasting room with decorative details. Tastings include selections of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from what vintners call the ‘true’ Sonoma Coast wine-growing region, as well as excellent sips like Cabernet Sauvignon from the coastal Fort Ross-Seaview region.

Paul Hobbs Winery

The signature tasting at international wine consultant Paul Hobbs’ Katherine Lindsay Estate may be a bit pricier, but not out of reach for enthusiasts of luxury Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Here, the minimally invasive winemaking uses native yeasts, French oak, and unfined bottling to produce expressive varietals, including many single-site wines.

Marimar Estate

Nestled in the less-traveled valley, lush with apple orchards and vineyards, you’ll find the Catalan-styled winery of Marimar Torres, cookbook author and scion of a Spanish wine dynasty. The tasting menu features key varietals of this region, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as the Spanish varietal Albariño — a rare treat.

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Written by Sonoma Insider James Knight