The draw of California wine country is easy: It’s the land flowing with wine. However, it’s really the nuances that make each wine region stand out from one another. One of the unique characteristics that I’ve noticed about Sonoma is the accessibility of many of the wineries. Visitors can simply walk in to many of the tasting rooms since so many of them offer public tastings daily. One such winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, located in Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley, is making their winery even more accessible with a host of new wine tasting experiences.

The first tasting experience, called “Meritage: The Art of the Blend”, strikes at the heart of anyone who’s ever considered giving winemaking a shot on their own. Guests are taken to a private tasting area inside the cellar to receive a hands-on lesson about the art of this famous Bordeaux-style blend. Guests are given all the winemaking tools needed to create the right blend. This tasting experience takes place on Saturdays and Sundays by appointment only and is $45 per person.

The other two new experiences take your classic wine tasting and put a Dry Creek Vineyard spin to it. Guests for the tour and tasting are greeted with a glass of Chenin Blanc and given an introduction to the winery. This tasting experience is $15 per person, requires reservations, and is offered Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Without giving too much about the tour away, one unique fact about Dry Creek Vineyard is that it was the first winery built in the Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition.

Lastly, there are Dry Creek Vineyard’s tasting flights. This is a chance to learn more about Dry Creek Vineyard’s flagship wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. The tasting flights feature several different selections of Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. Similar to the Meritage experience, the tasting flights take place on the weekends by appointment only in the cellar. The tasting flights are $25 per person.

For walk-in visitors, Dry Creek Vineyard will continue to offer their public tastings from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The $5 tasting includes four samples, but like many wineries, is complimentary with a bottle purchase. The $10 tasting also includes four samples, but features only the club wines, which are not widely distributed.