Top Wineries with Wine and Food Pairings

Take the guesswork out of wine and food pairing at Sonoma County wineries that offer gourmet bites with flights of wine.

It's more than just cheese plates these days — much, much more — although the local cheeses are good. Sonoma-grown produce, often from estate gardens adjacent the vineyards, combined with the talents of local chefs means Sonoma County wineries are outdoing each other in culinary presentations that were formerly available only at top restaurants.

Why aren't there more restaurants in wineries? By law, only a handful of California wineries are allowed to have full-service restaurants. But Sonoma County allows wineries to offer gourmet bites (ask about vegetarian options, and chefs are often happy to accommodate) with a flight of wine for educational purposes … and what a great-tasting education. Here are 10 top destinations for wine and food pairing:

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

Named twice by OpenTable as the 'Best Restaurant in America' in an online survey of their users, the winery's multi-course wine and food pairing is offered on a set schedule at a horseshoe-shaped bar in an elegant annex to the tasting room. Hitching white wines to pan-seared day boat scallops and cucumber gazpacho, and pairing sumptuous Rockpile Cabernet with grilled flat iron steak, chanterelles and smoked smashed potatoes, the tasting flight builds to a palate-winning crescendo of flavor.

Ram's Gate Winery

Get acquainted with one of the newer additions to the Sonoma Carneros district via their 'Palate Play' seated food pairing. Like many of these experiences, it may seem like one of the pricier options on the tasting menu - until you meet the food. The menu changes with each season: a sample lineup includes prawn, fried game hen with waffle and Fuji apple slaw, beets with crispy kale, and duck cassoulet with bacon and huckleberries. Small bites, big flavors, and a sweeping view of the Carneros.

Jordan Vineyard & Winery

This is the home of one of America's favorite restaurant wines, according to wine surveys. A secret bookcase door in the chateau-styled winery's library leads to the wine tasting parlor. Starring varietals here are Chardonnay and Cabernet, paired with hors d'oeuvres from the chef, like sushi-grade hamachi with daikon radish and a quartered quail egg. A more elaborate place setting can be found at the end of the luxury bus estate tour, under a sleek gazebo with 360-degree views of Alexander Valley.

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

Visitors to this house of sparkling wine have long loved the views from the terrace, which was recently remodeled, as was the tasting room. However, past guests had only the winery's signature roasted Marcona almonds to munch on. Now, gourmet curds both Spanish and local, charcuterie, and Spanish tapas provide even better bites to go with those bubbles.

Mayo Family Reserve Room

An early adopter of the gourmet food pairing model, Mayo Family still occupies a modest storefront in the town of Kenwood. Among other items, the summer 2019 tasting menu includes "Avocado Toast" with miso-lemon butter, cured egg yolk, and French radish paired with the 2016 Reserve Chardonnay, Laurel Hill Vineyard; peanut-sesame soba noodles with "candied" housemade bacon, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and a quail egg, paired with the 2014 Reserve Petite Sirah, Rossi Ranch Vineyard; and the grilled skirt steak salad with Pt. Reyes blue cheese, piquillo peppers, wild arugula, and fried shallots, paired with the 2015 Reserve Merlot, Los Chamizal Vineyard.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens

One's bouche cannot fail to be amused by the Lilliputian creations of Kendall-Jackson's chefs. Many of the ingredients arrive fresh from the winery's culinary garden, just steps outside the door. Learn how tiny accents of herbs and fruit can affect the harmony of wine and food in surprising ways.

Lynmar Estate

Offered seasonally from April to November, the Lynmar Experience begins with a beautiful walking tour of the property where you'll learn about Lynmar’s philosophy on the importance of sustainability and land conservation.  That's followed by an elegant three-course farm-to-table lunch. Crafted by the estate chef, the menu changes every other month, in order to showcase all that is growing on site. The meal is thoughtfully paired to Lynmar’s handcrafted wines and is served on the veranda overlooking the gardens and vineyard. 

J Vineyards & Winery

Everything's better with bubbles, and what better place to play that out than the Bubble Room. A Sonoma County favorite for sparkling wine, J Vineyards offers several sipping and nibbling options at their Healdsburg-area headquarters. The Bubble Room, a comfortably cushy lounge within the glass-and-concrete fortress of fizz, is the premier option: five small courses that add up to one epic experience.

Dutton-Goldfield Winery

Cool-climate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made by Dan Goldfield are the inspiration for a wine and sushi pairing flight, available by reservation and one of the few sushi-only flights in the county. Cheese and charcuterie also available.

Williamson Wines

This family-owned tasting room in downtown Healdsburg started out small, but with such a big passion for pairing wine and food that they offered it free, whipping up bite-sized snacks on the fly while pouring Cabernet. They still offer a complimentary 'fridge foods' wine tasting with well-chosen bites at the bar, as well as 90-minute seated culinary food and wine pairings priced $25 to $175. There's also a helicopter ride and wine tasting for two at $395.

Find more info about Sonoma County wineries here.

Written by Sonoma Insider James Knight.