No day trip in the Bay Area is more worth it (the possibility for traffic is…. a lot) than a trek to Sonoma Square. We were up there for an afternoon/evening, but as soon as we arrived, I made my husband promise we would come back and spend a whole day.
Our first tasting was at Walt Wines, where we went down the “1,000 miles of Pinot” with the Root 101 tasting. Each Pinot was paired with an amazing amuse-bouche. The pomegranate-poached pears with pickled mustard seeds were by far the table favorite, followed by the delectable z’tar crackers drizzled with local honey. Honestly, each of the wines were fantastic, and it’s always fun to learn more about varietals that you (shamefully) never paid much attention to before!
Next we walked across the square and the picnicking families to Pangloss Cellars – a mammoth of a building with a fantastic outdoor patio. We went with the Optimist tasting: some members of our party opted to do all reds as opposed to the variety that the rest of us stuck to. What made Pangloss such a memorable experience was our server, a Sonoma native who was filled with passion and excitement and had us laughing along as he recounted how he got started in the wine industry (there may have been some deception in the age department!) It was wonderful to hear from someone who grew up knowing many of the local winemakers personally.
With countless more tasting rooms and restaurants surrounding the Plaza, I’m already marking dates on the calendar for us to drive back up there!
By Alexandra Sullivan, Resident since 2017