When it comes to California wine tours, there's more than just Napa Valley vineyards to consider. Sonoma County also offers some of California's finest wine, with vineyard tours, boutique wineries with accommodation and fine food. There are also many eco-friendly ways to enjoy Sonoma wine country, and here are just a few suggestions:
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ECO-TOURISM AND WINE
Winemaker Jeff Kunde at the Kunde Winery offers free vineyard hikes to visits from 10am-2pm daily, no reservations necessary. If you're more serious about wine-making, book for a four-mile hike through the Kunde vineyard and take a close-up look at their sustainable growing practices, and learn about the various habitats and eco-systems in the area. These hikes include a picnic lunch and a wine tasting, and cost $75.
Free vineyard hike dates (no reservation required):
May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, October 13, November 10,
December 8
Eco Tour dates (requires reservations):
May 5, June 2, August 25, October 20
For reservations visit the Kunde Winery website..
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LAVENDER AND HONEY
The Lavender Bee Farm in Petaluma offers guided tours of their farm and their five thousand lavender plants during summer 2007. Honey tasting and lavender lemonade are included in the tour. You also get to see their bee observation hive along with beekeeping demonstrations. For more information or visit the Lavender Bee Farm Website.
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VACATION RENTAL HOME ON ORGANIC FARM
Full House Farm in Sebastopol helps visitors enjoy country living with their new vacation rental home. The three bedroom home is high on a hill overlooking the fertile farmlands of the farm, and offers guests a garden where they can pick their own organic vegetables and fruits. Fresh, organic eggs are also supplied to visitors every morning. Full House Farm also gives educational tours of the farm, the farm animals and the farm equipment, and there are private walking trails and picnic facilities too. For more information visit the Full House Farm website.
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BIRD-WATCHING IN SONOMA COUNTY
Sonoma Wine Country’s vineyards not only provide ideal conditions for producing quality wine, they also have a variety of bird watching opportunities. The American Bird Conservancy voted several Sonoma locations as 'Globally Important Bird Areas', and Sonoma is ideally situated along the west-coast migration route. The shores of Bodega Bay is an all-year-round bird-watching location, and more rare birds have been seen here than in any other part of the county. The San Pablo Bay wetlands is another natural habitat where you can see large flocks of shorebirds and waterfowl. For detailed bird watching areas click here.
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