Sonoma Plaza Tasting Room Bonanza, Roessler, Hawkes & Adobe Road
The other day my clients were eating lunch in the Plaza and I had time on my hands along with my trusty camera. So, I walked over to two of the newer tasting rooms that have opened there; Roessler Cellars and Hawkes Vineyards. They face each other on West First Street around the corner from the El Dorado Hotel and the Roche Winery, which took over the old Castle Tasting Room.
We were taking a stroll around the Plaza this past Sunday and lo and behold another tasting room, Adobe Road is opening on West First Street just across from the Plaza and next door to one our favorites, Charles Creek with its great cork cow and delicious wines.
We work hard at keeping our Sonoma Winery Tour iPhone App current so I took pictures of Roessler and Hawkes and gathered the info necessary to get them into the App. Fortunately we’re familiar Adobe Road who has their winery and tasting room over the hills in a Petaluma corporate part. Their wines are excellent and their team charming so they will make a great addition to the Plaza.
On that same side of the Plaza The Sunflower Café has expanded with a wine bar and every Thursday evening they feature a winery who pours for visitors. What is really cool about this is the uniqueness of the wineries; these are places that you have never heard of, very small wineries with wonderful products. James from the Sunflower has sought them out and sells their wine at the wine bar, and when we visit we always see the best ‘wine geeks’ there tasting and taking notes. You know who you are!
Word has it that the El Dorado Hotel is going to expand their café with some wine bar possibilities. That would be another wonderful addition. One of the reasons that this is all possible is the profusion of small ‘artisan’ wine producers. These are hands on, local wine makers with access to wonderful fruit, usually from their own or family vineyards. They make wine because they love the work and it shows in the glass.
We are clearly seeing a shift from Napa to Sonoma. For instance the other day we sold more Sonoma Apps than Napa Apps. That’s unusual, but a sign that the wine explorers are looking west to these areas where the tour buses are less common and the roads a little more winding. Of course if you want to taste wonderful wines and not have to drive, you can hire us to drive you around. As an alternative you can walk from tasting room to tasting room around the Plaza, and then walk to one of the great hotels and B&B’s for a good night’s sleep.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides (Find them on Amazon), and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com. Their Apps can be found at http://www.sutromedia.com/apps.html
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