Start 2010 off in style: Visit a Sonoma County winery on New Year’s Day.
Each winery sets its own holiday schedule, but here are a few that are open New Year’s Day. Most wineries are open New Year’s Eve, but may be closing early. Call your favorites to confirm.
In alphabetical order, a sample of wineries that are open New Year’s Day are:
Cline Cellars
24737 Highway 121
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 940-4000
www.clinecellars.com
Cline Cellars, located in Sonoma’s Carneros region, is located 45 minutes north of San Francisco. Once the site of a Miwok village and the first camp of the Sonoma Mission, the tasting room is located in an 1850s farmhouse. Visit the California Missions Museum while you’re at Cline. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Deerfield Ranch Winery
10200 Sonoma Highway
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-5215
www.deerfieldranch.com
Deerfield Ranch Winery, an award-winning winery located in the heart of the Sonoma Valley in Kenwood, specializes in small lots of handmade wine from select Northern California vineyards. The tasting room in the Deerfield Ranch Winery caves are open from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily or by appointment. Deerfield Ranch’s winemaking style has its roots in the great French wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Gourmet Au Bay
913 Coast Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 875-9875
www.gourmetaubay.com
Brag to your friends at home that you went “surfing” on New Year’s Day. A wine store, Gourmet au Bay’s wine surfing is fun and easy – and it doesn’t require any more coordination than putting a wine glass to your lips. Choose three wines from the daily list of wineries. You’ll receive two-ounce pours of each, presented in a special surfboard tray. Enjoy! Open New Year’s Day, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mayo Family Winery
13101 Arnold Drive
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
(707) 938-9401
www.mayofamilywinery.com
Get a taste of a wine’s terroir at Mayo Family Winery. This winery produces small lots of single-vineyard wines with the idea that the most interesting wines come from a single vineyard. This artisan winemaking process demands a feel for the land.The result is experiencing the wine’s source in the aroma, taste and texture. Open New Year’s Day, noon to 6:30 p.m. Regular hours, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Nicholson Ranch Vineyards and Winery
4200 Napa Road
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 938-8822
www.nicholsonranch.com
Nestled in the southern foothills of the Sonoma Valley, Nicholson Ranch’s vineyards thrive in a combination of soils, sloping hills and ideal climate. Located in one of the world’s most prized grape-growing regions, Nicholson Ranch grows premium grapes for its handcrafted chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot and syrah. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For a full listing of all Sonoma County wineries open to the public, visit www.sonomacounty.com.
