With more than 400 wineries each in Sonoma and Napa counties, there’s always room for one more. Or a half dozen more. Here are some notable new tasting rooms to put on your touring map.
The Adobe, Sonoma
Cult winemaker Bill Price has transformed Spain Street’s historic Vallejo-Casteñada Adobe into a jewel of a tasting room for his Three Sticks wines. The property, built in 1842, celebrates its roots with elaborate Mexican murals, plus displays of artifacts discovered during the renovation including an 1800s horse stirrup, delicate china, and tools. What to drink: 2012 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir
B Cellars, Napa
Owners Duffy Keys and Jim Borsack think winemaking and wine tasting should be fun, so this new estate offers several tasting salons opening onto courtyards, a six-wicket center-pin croquet court, chicken coops, 15,000-square-feet of caves, and a professional interactive demonstration kitchen for elaborate food and wine pairings at the communal table in the culinary garden. What to drink: To Kalon 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cairdeen Estate, St. Helena
Sprawled across 58 acres at the base of Spring Mountain in St Helena, the family-owned estate is a virtual food and wine village, encompassing the Farmer & the Fox restaurant/gastropub, Butterscots Deli and Bakery, Rosgal Mercantile shop, and… oh yeah, a brand new winery with caves and a contemporary, dark wood and stone tasting room. What to drink: Napa Valley 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
MacPhail Family Wines, Sebastopol
Pinot Noir star James MacPhail joined with the Hess Collection of Napa to debut this artsy-industrial lounge and bar where tastings are best followed by springing for a full, by-the-glass savoring. It’s become a popular neighborhood hangout, because the crew is friendly and knowledgeable, the sculpture made of stacked Radio Flyer wagons makes an interesting conversation piece, and its location in The Barlow culinary and arts center offers excellent people watching. What to drink: The Flyer Russian River Valley 2012 Pinot Noir
Capp Heritage Vineyards, Napa
The new tasting lounge in the heart of downtown features an 1880's vintage mood with an antique oak bar, plus a 1930's Art Deco area with a rotating art display (the hammered copper fireplace is a work of art in and of itself) and live music on the weekends. What to drink: 2012 Gewurztraminer
Landa Vineyards, Sonoma
How about some history with that wine? The family-owned 22-acre estate sits on land that was originally home to one of the first bonded wineries in the state. Tucked at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, just five minutes east of the Sonoma Plaza, the property still boasts the pre-1900s farmhouse where General Vallejo's daughter lived, as well as the foundation of the original winery, dug into the hillside. To drink: 2011 Syrah
Bonus: Visit a Dry Creek winery, and get a deal on dinner. The new Culinary Cooperative program means anyone buying a bottle at a Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley member winery gets free corkage at about a dozen notable restaurants like Spoonbar, Mateo’s Concina Latina, the Michelin-starred Madrona Manor, Scopa, and Barndiva. It’s a great way to save the mark-up on restaurant wine, or the $20-or-so corkage for BYOB.
