Sonoma Makes the Bucket List…and the Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley does too!

Written by Allison Hopkins for the Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley

Whether it’s the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, India’s Taj Mahal, America’s Grand Canyon, or the city of Venice, Italy, many travelers have a “must see” bucket list. It’s common for these destinations to be architectural wonders, ancient cities, magnificent temples, romantic lands, or “threatened” places.

When Sonoma locals learned that their city made a bucket list, they weren’t surprised…especially George Webber, the Count of Buena Vista Winery. According to Webber, “What is wine but History and delicious fermented grape juice? In Sonoma County one finds the finest of both. When San Francisco was Yerba Buena, with a dry-goods store made from a wrecked sailing ship and six inhabitants, Sonoma was the largest town in northern California, and General Vallejo was making delicious wine commercially as early as 1839.”

The Ledger-Enquirer (a daily newspaper serving East Alabama and the Chattahoochee Valley) published an article by Kathy Witt on September 19, 2012 titled “Bucket List Adventure: Sonoma is the place for life list overachievers.”

In the article, Witt’s highlights of Sonoma include:

• The world’s largest collection of Alfred Hitchcock and “The Birds” memorabilia on display at the Bodega Bay General Store. (Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror classic was filmed in Bodega).
• Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa, including The Duck Club restaurant. http://www.bodegabaylodge.com.
• Osmosis Day Spa in the town of Occidental— the only North American spa offering a “cedar enzyme bath.” http://www.osmosis.com.
• Grape Camp—where you can sort grapes, blend wines, and taste! http://www.SonomaGrapeCamp.com.
• The quaint and artsy town of Glen Ellen.
• Renowned wineries such as Gloria Ferrer Winery, MacLeod Family Vineyard, Chateau St. Jean, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, and Hanna Winery.

The article also includes a description of the Trolley adventure: “The open-air Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley, www.SonomaValleyWineTrolley.com, has added a new route that meanders into Glen Ellen and the Kenwood area, including stops at Benziger Family Winery, Imagery Winery, Paradise Ridge in Kenwood and Deerfield Ranch Winery. The original route includes stops at four boutique wineries located in and around the town of Sonoma. Both tours are $99 per person and include a gourmet lunch.”

The original wineries mentioned above include: Ravenswood, Buena Vista, B.R. Cohn, and Mayo Family Winery.

Options are endless in Sonoma! If you’re considering adding it to your bucket list, you can find out more about the area here: https://www.sonomacity.org and https://www.sonomacounty.com. If you’re interested in learning about the beautiful region while enjoying delicious wines, the “original” Trolley tour is a fun look into historic Sonoma Valley!

For more details on the trolley ride, visit our Wine Tours Page.