Post-harvest Wine Country is a happy time. With many vines and trees still sporting their fall colors and a host of holiday happenings on the calendar, both locals and day trippers will find a variety of festivities worth checking out.
If you’re up for a Christmas market, a Sippin’ Santa (opens in new tab) cocktail or some world-class wine tasting bedecked with all the trimmings of the season, peruse the highlights below or check this calendar online for more than 100 additional events (opens in new tab) taking place around Sonoma County this holiday season.
Taste Christmas Reds and Whites
Vintners throughout Sonoma County make a special effort to dress up for the holidays. And Ram’s Gate pulls out all the stops, decking out its tasting rooms.
Known for its dramatic design and setting, the Carneros winery offers a variety of wine tasting experiences paired with foods of the season (opens in new tab). Ram’s Gate is also known for its glamorous annual holiday gala, taking place on Dec. 9 and celebrating Old Hollywood.
Ledson Winery (opens in new tab) in Kenwood and Bacchus Landing (opens in new tab) in Healdsburg are also known to host very merry tasting sessions. Or head to Glen Ellen for its Holiday Stroll (opens in new tab) past village wineries and shops on Dec. 14.
‘Daycation’ at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma
Though its display is not as extraordinary as its sister property on Nob Hill (opens in new tab), the Fairmont in Sonoma provides its guests with a happy holiday: Give yourself the gift of a spa treatment or daycation at a poolside cabana (opens in new tab). You deserve it.
The Barlow Tasting Tour in Sebastopol
It’s the perfect time of year to check out Sebastopol’s lively outdoor artisanal market area with 30 restaurants and shops. For the holidays, the Barlow (opens in new tab) is offering a “behind-the-scenes” tasting tour to highlight seven of its specialty food and wine purveyors (opens in new tab), including West County makers of cheese, olive oil, spirits and wine.
Historical Shopping Opportunities
In addition to the Barlow, Sonoma County is peppered with historic shopping areas that’ll help you get gifts for everyone on your list. They include the Healdsburg (opens in new tab) and Sonoma plazas (opens in new tab), downtown Petaluma (opens in new tab) and Duncan Mills (opens in new tab) in the Russian River Valley.
Tropical Winter Wonderland at the Flamingo Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa
You’ll find palms decked out as Christmas trees, holiday tiki cocktails and decor that features a rattan sleigh pulled by flamingos at the Flamingo Resort (opens in new tab), Santa Rosa’s famous tropical motor court.
Ice Skate on Snoopy’s Home Ice in Santa Rosa
No one needs a holiday to visit Snoopy’s Home Ice (opens in new tab), the most famous—and one of the last—ice skating rinks in the Bay Area. But Snoopy’s goes all out during December with free ice skating exhibitions and holiday shows (opens in new tab), not to mention times for the public to skate every day.