This past November my husband and I returned to Sonoma County, California, after a long absence. Up until about six or seven years ago, we had made the six-hour road trip there from our home in Southern Oregon once or twice a year. We enjoyed our visits to the wineries and restaurants in both Napa and Sonoma, but more recently we’ve spent more time in the Northwest (and COVID didn’t help matters, either).

When our travel and wine buddies, Paul and Julie, asked if we wanted to join them for a trip south to pick up some wine, we immediately answered in the affirmative, even though we had only just returned from our annual fall trek to Walla Walla wine country. We were eager to get back to our old stomping grounds with friends with whom we’d joyfully explored the destination in the past.

Our home base for our three-day visit was a time-share condo in the town of Windsor, conveniently located on U.S. 101 between Healdsburg and Santa Rosa (and just over the hills from Napa). On this visit, one priority was to make stops at longtime favorite wineries, the first being Carol Shelton Wines in Santa Rosa. The tasting room and winery are located in an unassuming industrial park, but don’t let the setting fool you. Carol Shelton, often referred to as “The Queen of Zin,” has been making wine since she graduated from the Enology program at UC Davis in 1978. Since she and her husband started her eponymous winery in 2000, she has been named Winemaker of the Year five times and won countless awards for her wines. Her specialty is Zinfandel, and we’ve been enjoying her single-vineyard Wild Thing, Monga, Karma and Rocky Reserve Zins for a very long time.

Carol wasn’t in when we arrived for a tasting, but we were happy to visit with long-time tasting room manager Caroline, catching up with her and the doings around the winery as we tasted the latest offerings, including a lovely Rosé. We finished up with a taste of Carol’s Black Magic, a late harvest Zin, jammy, inky-dark and perfect with the dark chocolate Caroline offered with it. As we headed back to our car, we stopped to watch a mobile bottling line set up in the parking lot, bottling another nearby winery’s product. A great solution for small producers who don’t have the capacity to justify purchasing all their own equipment!

Our next two stops were in Healdsburg, a lovely little town with a charming, shaded central square surrounded by tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and boutique hotels. Even on busy summer days, the vibe here is welcoming and relaxed, and on this quiet late-fall sunny day, we definitely felt at home. We parked along the square and walked up to Williamson Wines, whose tasting room has really expanded since we first visited just after they opened in that location. One room has grown to several, with pleasant groupings where you can sample from the extensive list of (mostly) blends, all produced from the winery’s estate-grown grapes. The focus here has always been on pairing food with the wines, and each wine is served with a small bite meant to complement the wine and highlight its unique flavors. In addition to bottles of wine, Williamson offers a wide range of salts, sauces, herbs and spices, jams and mustards, olive oil and cheeses for sale in the tasting room and in its online shop, and its website presents scores of recipes, from appetizers to entrées and desserts, along with suggested wine pairings. We came away with several packets and jars destined for Christmas stockings and our pantry shelves, inspired to up our games in the kitchen.

We made a stop at Oakville Grocery on our way to our next tasting appointment for a quick lunch. Located catty-corner from the square, it reliably gives us the chance to pick up made-to-order deli sandwiches, soups, salads and sweets,   which we can then enjoy next to the fireplace on the patio.   In the past we’ve also enjoyed wine tastings of smaller, local producers the store hosts there and made some nice discoveries. Of course, Oakville also sells plenty of local wines, and we usually pick up some bread, cheese and charcuterie to enjoy pre-dinner back at our condo.

Recharged, we made our way a few blocks to Stephen & Walker Winery. The elegant, understated tasting room of this family-owned boutique winery reflects the elegance of winemaker/owner Nancy Walker’s wines, but there’s no pretension or wine snobbery here. We’ve always been warmly welcomed by Nancy, her husband Tony Stephen and the staff and have enjoyed wonderful conversations with other guests seated at the bar. Focused primarily on reds, Nancy makes wines which are full-bodied, well-balanced and brimming with fruit and spice. We enjoyed our plates of local artisan cheeses,    the wines and, of course, the company.

Naturally, we love revisiting old friends on our tasting trips, but discovering new (or new to us) wineries provides its own pleasures. Next week I’ll share with you two we unearthed on this return trip to Sonoma.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor