In the battle between the valleys, I think that Sonoma beats Napa hands down. Patrick and I fell head over heels for the town square at Sonoma. It still feels very much like an old Californian town to me (not that I am an expert), with the park and its fountains, the old hotel, the soliders barracks, and the hidden courtyards.
Mmmmmm, cheese!
We loved the Cheese Factory, the Candlestick shop, the kitchen store and the tasting rooms sprinkled around the square. The number one place not to miss on the square? It's got to be the Sonoma Wine Shop. Now really, we loved the wine shop. While there are as many places to buy wine in Sonoma as there are grapes on the vine, the atmosphere and value of this place had us from our first sip.
Inside the back room of the unpretentious shop is where you can taste wine from many small producers around the region. The bottles here can not be found in stores. The guys running the shop are as knowledgeable and laid back as they come. We spent an afternoon talking shop with the owner, Brian, a gray haired hippie from Berkley who knew everyone in the grape business.
After getting fully tipsy from his picks, we wandered around the square, soaking up the sunshine and taking in the shops.
Patrick couldn't resist.
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