There’s always something new to sip under the sun in Wine Country. Here’s where we’re delighted to drink these days.
Long known for its elegant Tuscan-style olive oils, this hillside orchard estate recently expanded into organic grape growing. And for the first time ever, the 550-acre property is open to the public, with a new tasting room featuring a sit-down romp through wine flights, small bites and, of course, olive oil sampling (note that tastings are by appointment only and reservations are required). Be sure to sign up for the optional garden and grove tours leading to the glamorous Chinese pavilion, too. // 5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma
Suggested sip: 2012 McEvoy Ranch The Evening Standard Pinot Noir
What better way to celebrate a brand new tasting room, than with a bunch of parties? Saturday, July 18 the Schlatter family-owned, modern farmhouse-style joint rocks with tunes from The Hots band, food from the Calistoga Inn truck, Cousins Maine Lobster truck and the Kara Cupcakes KaraVan. Sunday, July 19, it’s singer/guitarist Justin Dias, plus food from Rebel Dog Food Cart, Smokey’s BBQ & the Oyster Guy truck, and Kara’s (11 am to 4 pm both days, free admission). // 1451 Stanly Lane, Napa
Suggested sip: 2013 Starmont Pinot Noir
After 16 months of construction, the original winery building has been refreshed and re-opened. The 1973 redwood barn structure remains, but the interior is shiny new, with a trio of private tasting rooms surrounding the Great Hall, a library that doubles as a wine museum, a kitchen for putting together wine and food pairings, custom tables made of salvaged wood, chandeliers and Nepalese rugs. Feel free to bring your shiny new Tesla, too – there are two, count ‘em two – new charging stations in the parking lot. // 200 Taplin Road, St. Helena
Suggested sip: 2011 Insignia blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards
After 30 years, this grand dame of sparklings, red, and white wines was in need of an update. Voila, the brand new tasting room has just been unveiled, with a bigger, more open floorplan, a larger terrace, new landscaping, all new furnishings including a marble bar top, huge new windows, and groovy modern lighting. // 23555 Highway 121, Sonoma
Suggested sip: Carneros Cuvée.
Leashed pups are invited to the culinary and arts center on the first Friday of each month this summer. From 4 to 7 pm, all the tasting rooms— including MacPhail Family Winery, La Follette Wines, Marimar Estate and Wind Gap Wines—will donate 50 percent of their tasting fees to the Sonoma Humane Society. You sip wine, and your pup bellies up to the Barlow Biscuit Bar stocked with Pawsarotti’s cookies. Put on your party pants (and pup’s party collar), to take in live music, raffle prizes, costume themes, and selfies in the Yappy photo booth. // Hwy. 12 & Morris Street, Sebastopol
