When visiting Sonoma, where does one get started wine tasting? As a region, Sonoma County encompasses more than fifty miles from Carneros in the south to Cloverdale in the north. It is home to seventeen American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Some are well-known such as Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley, to name a few, and others are lesser known such as Moon Mountain, Fort-Ross Seaview and Green Valley. Sonoma is home to the state of California’s oldest commercial winery, Buena Vista, as well as the oldest continuously operating family winery, Gundlach Bundschu. And, there are more than 425 wineries on almost 60,000 acres. That means there are a lot decisions to be made before you start a Sonoma wine tasting adventure.

Unlike Sonoma’s neighbor to the east, Napa, where there are wineries located off of the main highway, many of the wineries in Sonoma are spread throughout the valley. So where do you begin? It is easier to find some of the bigger known wineries in the county, but seeking out small and medium sized boutique wineries is what I prefer to do. Here are eleven Sonoma wine tasting finds that are worth a visit throughout the valley.

1) Schug Carneros Estate (www.schugwinery.com)

2) Sojourn Cellars (www.sojourncellars.com)

3) Pangloss Cellars (www.panglosscellars.com)

4) Auteur Wines (https://www.auteurwines.com)

5) Three Sticks Wines (www.threestickswines.com)

6) Kamen Estate Wines (www.kamenwines.com)

7) B Wise (www.bwisevineyards.com)

8) Inman Family Wines (www.inmanfamilywines.com)

9) Two Shepherds (www.twoshepherds.com)

10) MacRostie Winery and Vineyard (www.macrostiewinery.com)

11) Jordan Winery (www.jordanwinery.com)

Read the complete story in California Winery Advisor.