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You are here: Home / Archives for Wine Country Travel Tips

What is the difference between the Napa Valley and Sonoma?

October 30, 2018 by Joe Becerra

crossroads of napa valley and sonoma which is better

To the Napa Valley or Sonoma?

What is the difference between the Napa Valley and Sonoma?

Should I travel to the Napa Valley or should I go to Sonoma? What is the difference between the two wine regions and which one is better?

best picnic wineries Sonoma Valley

St. Francis Winery in Sonoma. In the background are the Mayacamus Mountains.

Main differences between the two wine regions

We travel to Napa Valley and Sonoma regularly. Wine country travelers often struggle over which to visit. Sometimes they decide to try both on a visit. That’s okay if you have more than a few days. If not, stick to one of these areas a vacation. Consider these ideas on deciding to visit Napa Valley or Sonoma wine country.

Geographic area

The Napa Valley runs north and south for 30 miles. To the south is the city of Napa, and at the northern end is the town of Calistoga. At its widest point, the Napa Valley is five miles. However, the Sonoma wine region is much larger than the Napa Valley. Sonoma has several valleys, including the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and the Russian River Valley.

Main Towns

The Napa Valley has four tourist destination towns. These are Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga. Sonoma’s most popular destination wine towns are Sonoma and Healdsburg. In Sonoma County, small cities include Geyserville, Forestville, Sebastopol, Graton, and Occidental. All of which are fun wine towns.

Napa Valley compared to Sonoma

Looking down Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga

Vineyards, wine, and tasting rooms

Napa Valley wineries make many varieties of wine. Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon have the greatest vineyard acreage and production. Sonoma has more varieties of wine. These wines include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, and others. The large geographic area of Sonoma lends itself to growing many types of grapes.
 
The Napa Valley wineries are close to one another and are easy to find and visit. Drive along Highway 29 or the Silverado Trail, and there are many wineries to visit. Sonoma wineries are more spread out. There are many more secluded backroads in Sonoma.
 
There is much more traffic and congestion in the Napa Valley. Sonoma is larger, so there are more roads to travel to wineries. Napa Valley tasting rooms can be very crowded with tourists. The same can be said for the popular Sonoma wineries. Many Napa Valley tasting rooms require reservations.
 
Tasting room fees are higher in the Napa Valley by a wide margin. Napa Valley Tasting Room Index
Sonoma vs Napa Valley

Beautiful and quiet backroad in Sonoma County – West Dry Creek Road

Restaurants

Napa Valley wins the restaurant comparison. Napa Valley has many upscale restaurants. Three Michelin Star rated restaurants if the French Laundry.  The towns of Healdsburg and Sonoma have excellent choices of restaurants. The Single Thread in Healdsburg is also a Three Star Michelin restaurant.

Napa Valley better than Sonoma

Chef Thomas Keller tends to his French Laundry garden

Lodging

Both the Napa Valley and Sonoma have many great choices for lodging. Budget to luxurious accommodations can be found in both regions.

Is sonoma better than Napa Valley

Madrona Manor – excellent accommodations and upscale restaurant near Healdsburg

Intangibles

  • Napa Valley can be uppity at times.  Sonoma is more laid back.
  • Sonoma has more small and family-owned wineries than the Napa Valley.
  • The Napa Valley is one of the great wine regions of the World.
  • A weekend stay in the Napa Valley will be more expensive than a weekend stay in Sonoma.
  • Do you like to picnic in the vineyards? Sonoma has many more winery picnic areas than does the Napa Valley. Napa County has restrictions on picnicking.
  • Sonoma is a huge geographic area. What exactly do we mean by Sonoma Wine Country. Please read What is Sonoma Wine Country
  • Since COVID, wine country in Napa and Sonoma is different. Most wineries in both regions require reservations for tasting. Always check with the wineries you want to visit.

Conclusion

Both the Napa Valley and Sonoma are sensational wine countries and are both worth a visit. We highly recommend visiting both, but on separate getaways.

Filed Under: Napa Valley, Sonoma County Tagged With: Wine Country Travel Tips

Ten Tips For the California Wine Country Traveler

October 26, 2015 by Joe Becerra

about wine country getaways

Joe and Janelle in St. Helena , September 2015. St Clement winery on the hill.

We have been traveling the wine country for many years. We travel year round to visit wineries and tasting rooms. Each season and month bring its own rewards in wine country.  We are seasoned wine country tourists and we have some travel tips for you.

Ten Tips For the California Wine Country Traveler

Tasting room fees can quickly add up

Walk into any tasting room these days and more than likely you will be paying a fee to taste wine. In the Napa Valley the average is in the $10 to $20 range, with the high-end wineries charging much more. To save on tasting fees, share a single tasting with your partner or friend. Stop off at the local Chamber of Commerce office and pick up any discount or two-for-one coupons for tasting. If you stay at a local B&B or hotel, they usually offer a few coupons.

Tasting rooms in town save driving but you miss the experience

Napa, Yountville, Healdsburg, Sutter Creek, Murphys, you name it, they all have tasting rooms where you can walk outside your hotel or B&B and never get into a car to taste a plethora of wines. The one thing these tasting rooms lack is wine country. You came to see vineyards, wine barrels, fermenting tanks, and bottling lines. Go to a working winery and take in the sounds and smells of the wine country.

The Designated Driver

The Highway Patrol is increasing their patrols everywhere in wine country. Small towns have the local sheriff on the prowl. DUI related costs can add up to $10,000. Hire a limo, take Platypus, or have a driver that will not drink a drop.

Put the wine club on hold

Just about every winery has a wine club and joining one is always a temptation, especially when you have imbided just a tad too much. Take the brochure home with you and think about it. Wine clubs are a big source of income for the wineries. You pay top dollar for the wine even though you may get a so-called 10 to 20 percent discount. Wineries sell their wine at the top retail price, plus you always have shipping costs.

Big crowds at popular tasting rooms – avoid them

On weekends all the popular wineries are going to be crowded, often layers deep with people anxious to taste. Hit the tasting rooms before noon and you will likely find them sparse. Get off the beaten path for the afternoon and there will be fewer crowds to contend with. The best way to avoid the big crowds is to travel to wine country during the week.

Make your reservations for lodging and restaurants well in advance

This is especially true for the popular holidays, the summer season, and harvest time. Book as early as possible, you can always cancel at most lodging establishments a few days before without a penalty fee.

Experience a mix of wineries

There are many types and styles of wineries ranging from the small, single family-owned wineries to huge multi-owned wineries like Constellation, Jackson Wines, Treasure Wine Estates, and Gallo. Get a feel for both. Some have elaborate tasting rooms filled with merchandise, while the very small winery might have a tasting bar set up in their barrel room. You can search for different styles of wineries on the Winery Finder/Trip Planner.

Pace yourself

Enjoy the wine country lifestyle. We recommend visiting three wineries max in one day. Mesh in a picnic lunch at a winery and relax for an hour or more and take in the beauty of wine country.

Avoid driving to restaurants

Find lodging within walking distance of good restaurants or check with the hotel for taxi service. This way all can enjoy, without worries, the wonderful wine produced in the wine country you are visiting.

Direct your Limo driver

If you hire a Limo driver, be sure to hand the driver your itinerary. In many cases Limo drivers will try and steer you to their favorite wineries. Many wineries require reservations for Limo groups, so make sure they know your group is coming.
It’s a good idea to bring plastic spit cups with you to remind that you don’t have to drink the whole amount poured into your glass.

Plan you trip with Wine Country Getaways

Use our handy Trip Planner to find and map wineries. Consult our lodging, restaurant, picnic and deli pages to find our top recommendations.  Pick one of our wine trails.

Filed Under: Vineyards, Wine Information Tagged With: ten things to know about traveling to wine country., Travel tips for wine country, Wine Country Travel Tips

Travel Tips from the Wine Traveler

August 17, 2009 by Joe Becerra

Get Ready for Harvest, now thru October
With the weather providing the ideal climate so far, growers and winemakers are expecting this year to be a banner harvest. The first sparkling wine grapes have been harvested and Sauvignon Blanc is just around the corner. This is the most wonderful time to be in wine country. Wineries will be a working around the clock and the smell of fermenting grapes will permeate the air. You’ll spot harvest in the fields, and trucks full to the brim with grapes will be roaring along the backroads . You can follow us for harvest updates on Twitter or our Facebook Fan page.

Read More »

Filed Under: Travel Tips Tagged With: Wine Country Travel Tips

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