Must-see attractions in Russian River Area

For its creamy and crisp chardonnays and earthy pinots, along with top-notch service and an elegant tasting room, Macrostie is the talk of Wine Country…

Prepare to gawk and giggle at the wacky Patrick Amiot sculptures gracing front yards along Florence Ave. Fashioned from recycled materials, a hot-rodding…

The famous movie director's vineyard estate is a self-described 'wine wonderland.' Taking over historic Chateau Souverain, this hillside winery has a bit…

Atop the valley’s north end, always-fun Bella has cool caves built into the hillside. The estate-grown grapes include 112-year-old vines from Alexander…

Hawkes makes an easy stopover while you’re exploring the valley, and offers private barrel tastings in which guests sample straight from the oak and order…

Even vegans can't help admiring these incredible carnivorous plants (the largest collection in the US), including specimens from around the globe. Owner…

An early leader in organics and recently certified biodynamic, Lou Preston’s 19th-century farm is old Sonoma. Weathered picket fencing frames the tasting…

The Barlow occupies a former apple-processing plant, repurposed into a 12-acre village of food producers, artists, winemakers, coffee roasters, spirits…

Pioneering horticulturist Luther Burbank (1849–1926) developed many hybrid plant species, including the Shasta daisy, here at his 19th-century, Greek…

A magnificent redwood forest 2 miles north of Guerneville, this 805-acre reserve was saved from the saw by a 19th-century lumber magnate. Short…

J crafts crisp sparkling wines, among Sonoma's best, but it's pricey. Make an appointment and splurge on one of the seated food-and-wine-pairing…

Come to Soda Rock to behold Lord Snort, a 20,000lb metal boar sculpture displayed out front, and stay for the big Bordeaux varietals, including Cabernet…

A bracing alternative to wine tasting, Spirit Works crafts superb small-batch spirits – vodka, gin, sloe gin and whiskey – from organic California red…

Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts cartoons and Santa Rosa resident, was born in 1922, published his first drawing in 1937, introduced Snoopy and Charlie…

Pull up an Adirondack chair and picnic creekside at Truett Hurst, one of Dry Creek's biodynamic wineries. Sample terrific old-vine Zinfandel, standout…

Inside a vintage-1920s garage, Porter Creek’s tasting bar is a former bowling-alley lane, plunked atop barrels. Porter is old-school Northern California,…

This tiny winery, tucked amid vineyards, is known for 17 small-batch varieties made with estate-grown fruit. Viognier, Primitivo, Pinot and Cabernet are…

Atop a hill with drop-dead views over the county, Iron Horse is known for sparkling wines, which the White House often pours. The outdoor tasting room is…

Surprisingly upscale for West County, Hartford sits in a pastoral valley surrounded by redwood-forested hills, on one of the area’s prettiest back roads…

Inside a vineyard-view tasting room, Unti pours all estate-grown varietals – Châteauneuf-du-Pape–style Grenache, compelling Syrah and superb Sangiovese –…