Sip in the sun this summer at one of Sonoma County’s stunning winery patios, where sun-dappled outdoor spaces give way to breathtaking panoramic views of vineyards and valleys.

Check out our roundup of six favorite winery patios in the county to try this summer, from enchanting mountain-top tastings to coastal spots with Pacific views.

Healdsburg

Bacchus Landing

Home to more than a half dozen small, family-run wineries pouring their wines in five separate tasting rooms, each has lovely outdoor patio space—plus, there are bocce courts and places to picnic. 707-395-0697, bacchuslanding.com

MacRostie Winery

Enjoy photo-worthy panoramas from one of three patios at the MacRostie Estate House. The winery’s Signature Experience includes five wines, with a focus on single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. 707-473-9303, macrostiewinery.com

Jenner

Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery

On clear days, the back deck at this coastal winery offers dreamy views of the Pacific Ocean, coastal redwoods, and lush meadows. Wine tastings are accompanied by small bites prepared by the estate chef. 707-847-3460, fortrossvineyard.com

Kenwood

Kunde Family Winery

The Museum of Sonoma County’s new show, “On Tap: Sonoma County Hops and the Beer Revolution,” juxtaposes the story of hop growing in the county with the history of Sonoma’s craft brew revolution.

The two industries peaked at opposite ends of the 20th century, with local hops nearly disappearing just a few decades before the surge of interest in artisan beer making, which started in 1976 with New Albion Brewery, widely acknowledged as the nation’s first craft brewery.

The exhibition follows widely divergent threads of the industry, from the stories of Chinese workers growing and harvesting hops in the early 1900s, to labor unrest in the 1930s, to today’s landmark craft brewers and small-scale hop growers, who have made Sonoma County into a hot bed of beer-making innovation.

“There are so many arcs to this story, and it all connects,” says museum curator Eric Stanley. “You realize how distinct and intense and important hop growing was to the county and how quickly it nearly disappeared, just as craft beer was becoming so important.”

The exhibit includes a huge, modern hop-picking machine on display (“the only one that would fit in the building,” jokes Stanley), vintage videos of the local hop harvest, and interactive sniffing stations that explore the aromatics of different hop varieties.

The museum will host talks and demonstrations over the summer, including a “Legends of Beer” panel discussion and a big tasting event outdoors in the museum’s sculpture garden on July 20.

Through Sept. 1. Museum of Sonoma County, 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa. 707-579-1500, museumsc.org

Food trucks may have rolled up into our hearts, but tent hawkers and pop-up provisions are the next frontier in ultra-casual cuisine. These creative cooks thumb their noses at tradition, change menus on a dime, and constantly experiment with new ideas.

You’ll find them at breweries and wineries, outside gyms, or wherever hungry people congregate. But don’t try to find them by phone or address; you’ve got to be on social media to catch them.

Whiz Kids

Golden Steak Warriors

Sonoma County has finally (finally!) seen the golden light of Cheez Whiz and grilled steak on an Amoroso roll, Philly-style. This husband-and-wife team pop-up at spots like Maison Healdsburg and local wineries with their oooey, gooey noshes. instagram.com/golden_steak_warriors

Eclectic Chef

Half Hitch

Though officially based in Tomales, chef Amelia Telc brings her skills to The Casino in Bodega and other Sonoma County pop-up spots frequently. Korean and Chinese cuisine strongly influence the menus of the SF Mission Chinese alum, though she’s well-versed in European standards as well. instagram.com/halfhitch_tomales

Underground Chinese

The Matriarch

An offshoot of fried chicken pop-up favorite Second Staff, this new iteration in their constantly morphing culinary adventures riffs on classic Chinese cuisine, including soup dumplings and gai-lan. Like all of their offerings, it’s usually a late-night thing, going past midnight. instagram.com/_secondstaff

Haute Dogs

HILO Burgers

Deeply delicious (and messy) smash burgers, chili cheese dogs, and fries are their jam. They’re mostly a Healdsburg thing, with the BloodRoot tasting room and Molti Amici as their regular (but irregularly scheduled) haunts. instagram.com/hilo_burgers

High Design

Barsace

Frequently found around Healdsburg in cahoots with HILO Burgers, hip-tastic cocktail creations feel straight out of a Wes Anderson film. Otello Tiano, the former bar director at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Lazy Bear, garnishes his Desert Disco rum/bourbon creation with a blood-orange peel in the shape of a lightning bolt. instagram.com/barsace_

Mooving Tribute

Bayou’s Burgers and Birria

A spin-off of California-Cajun favorite Bayou on the Bay with—you guessed it—burgers and birria. Chefs Bradley and Mandy sling some serious beef, using locally raised Scottish Highland cattle. Often found at breweries or outside Santa Rosa’s Session Climbing. instagram.com/bayousburgerbirria

Dennis McCarter cried when he learned that his 2022 Forchini Pinot Noir won a double-gold medal at the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. It’s not that he didn’t believe it was a well-made wine; he just didn’t expect to land a top award so soon after releasing his first McCarter Cellars wines in 2023.

“It was a shocker,” says McCarter. “You kind of have impostor syndrome, where you wonder, ‘Am I doing the right things? Do I even belong in this industry?’ But when I got the news about the award, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think this solidifies it. I belong here.’”

While McCarter’s eponymous label is new to the scene, the Santa Rosa native has been making wine for more than a decade. When he was just 21 years old, a food-pairing class at Santa Rosa Junior College turned him on to wine. He got his first taste of the production side at Sunce Winery in the Russian River Valley, where he volunteered to help with everything from harvest to bottling.

McCarter purchased grapes and made his first garage wines in 2010 while working in the insurance business. 

“When I introduced the wines to my friends, they went crazy,” he recalls. “Normally, when people hear ‘garage wine’ they head for the hills.”

He began entering his wines in the amateur category at the Sonoma County Harvest

Sonoma’s public gardens and nurseries come alive in early summer, with a bounty of blossoms both rare and recognized. Make a day of it with your loved ones — for Mother’s or Father’s Day, a special graduation or just because.

Check out some of our favorite local public gardens below, as well as a preview of the vibrant blooms in store in the gallery above.

For rare Asian plants

Sonoma Botanical Garden

Glen Ellen

Founded in 1987 from wild seeds collected on plant expeditions all over Asia, the gardens here showcase an expansive collection of species, including many native plants from California in addition to the Asian collections. A focus on conservation has long been a part of Sonoma Botanical Garden’s ethos. Through August, the Ribbit Exhibit is a whimsical and family friendly show of largescale copper frog sculptures scattered throughout the gardens, and there’s a new native plant demonstration garden, too.

12841 Highway 12, Glen Ellen. sonomabg.org

For secret pathways

Hidden Forest Nursery

Sebastopol

With 2 miles of trails that wind through the 7.5-acre reserve, Hidden Forest Nursery feels like a magical secret garden—and a top nursery where gardeners can purchase rare varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and Japanese maples. Guided docent tours are available the first and third Saturday morning of each month.

3970 Azalea Lane, Sebastopol. 707-823-6832, hiddenforestnursery.com

To wander a labyrinth

Bees N Blooms

Santa Rosa

It’s a lavender wonderland at this sunny garden on the Santa Rosa plains. Bring a picnic, watch the baby geese, and wander a labyrinth planted with different varieties of lavender timed to bloom in the early, middle, and late season. The farm’s annual Lavender Daze visits, which require an advance ticket, start May 18. New this year, the farm stays open certain evenings for sunset lavender-viewing.

3883 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa. 707-293-8293, beesblooms.com

The dreamiest lavender

Monte-Bellaria di California

Sebastopol

There is nothing quite like the purple of a lavender field in prime bloom. Monte-Bellaria considers the time through mid-June as their “green season,” and they’re open Saturdays and Sundays, usually without an advance ticket. Starting in mid-June, the “high bloom” season, you need to purchase advance-timed tickets online. It’s worth it, though—the sweeping hillside gardens are extraordinary, and there are olive groves and beehives to learn about as well. 

3518 Bloomfield Road, Sebastopol. monte-bellaria.com

For Mother’s Day

Garden Valley Ranch

Petaluma

Other than snagging an invitation to a wedding (the 5-acre ranch hosts some of the prettiest events in the county), our favorite way to experience these gardens is visiting for Mother’s Day, when the ranch opens to families for flower foraging and BYO picnics at tables set with linen cloths and surrounded by blooms. There’s also a cottage that can be booked for overnights.

498 Pepper Road, Petaluma. 707-7950919, gardenvalley.com

For community and art

Western Hills Garden

Occidental

In 2022, Hadley Dynak and Kent Strader purchased this 3-acre historic garden, first planted over 60 years ago. The couple, their friends, and local volunteers are gently remaking the spaces and bringing in new ways to gather. In May, the owners will host a series of classes on cyanotype printmaking, and earlier this spring, they paired up with Occidental foodie favorite Morihouse to offer an equinox meal of rice, green tea, tofu, and foraged herbs.

16250 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental. westernhillsgarden.com

These days, for those in the know, Guerneville is one of the area’s best summertime retreats, brimming with chef-driven restaurants and reimagined old-school resorts that celebrate the redwoods and the Russian River.

It’s a spot where LGBTQ+ culture shines, earning the town the nickname the “Gay Riviera.” Though Guerneville hosts their Pride parade in October, it’s a destination for food lovers at any time of year—especially during those long summer evenings of Pride Month in June.

Start your weekend with a stroll downtown, chockablock with dive-y yet convivial bars, a few so-tacky-they’re-fun souvenir shops, and tasting rooms. Pick up hearty sandwiches at PikNik Town Market (16228 Main St., 707-604-7295, pikniktownmarket.com). New owner Mags van der Veen still serves the Oprah-approved Big Bottom biscuits, stuffed with delights like fresh blueberries and Bavarian cream, or smothered in mushroom gravy.

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (17000 Armstrong Woods Rd., 707-869-2015, parks.ca.gov) is an 805-acre forest of redwoods towering up to 350 feet, just a mile or so from downtown. Breathe deep and savor the velvety quiet and solitude; the massive trees are often shrouded in mystical fog.

After a hike, head to celebrity chef Crista Luedtke’s brand-new Road Trip restaurant (16248 Main St., 707-869-0780), where the opening menu is inspired by Luedtke’s travels, including Texas BBQ flatbread with pulled pork, banh mi panzanella salad, Mexican street corn salad, and the Mac Daddy burger. Then it’s time to waddle off to sleep.

In the morning, start off with a short walk through town, poking into galleries and shops including local favorite Russian River Books & Letters (14045 Armstrong Woods Rd., Guerneville, 707-604-7197, booksletters.com) — coffee is right next door.

After, wander down to Johnson’s Beach (16215 First St., johnsonsbeach.com), where you can dip your toes in the Russian River, rent inner tubes and kayaks, or just relax under an umbrella.