Dry Creek Vineyard

Why visit Dry Creek Vineyard?

Sauvignon Blanc and its wood-aged twin, Fume Blanc, first got their start here in this part of Sonoma when Dave Stare first planted the French varietal in the early 1970s. His vision was to start a Loire-Valley-inspired winery that would introduce consumers to the wines of northern Sonoma County. Today the Dry Creek region is dominated by this grape variety, as well as Zinfandel.

The original, old vine-covered winery is now the tasting room, where you can enjoy Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and a Meritage, in addition to their flagship Fume Blanc. The family-owned vineyards provide approximately 65 percent of the overall production at Dry Creek Vineyard. Additional fruit is sourced from vineyards managed by long-term contract growers in Clarksburg, Dry Creek, the Russian River Valley, and other Sonoma County regions.

Inside the wood-beam-ceiling tasting room is a warm cozy fireplace, a stone floor, a wood-topped tasting counter, deli case, and some gift items for sale. Outside are lawns with picnic tables, some with umbrellas. Grab a snack and take your tasting to the picnic area. Feel like challenging your friends to some friendly competition, enjoy a game of bocce while sampling the Dry Creek Vineyard wines. You can also learn more about how wine is made by taking advantage of one of their many educational seminars. This is a great way to improve your wine tasting skills. You can even play winemaker for the day at their meritage mixing seminar. See if you can find the right blend of varietals to create a memorable wine.

If you plan to visit the winery with a large group, make sure you contact them in advance. The winery is set up to accommodate your needs, but they need to know you are coming. This is for groups of six people all the way up to 30 wine lovers. They offer a hosted tasting in a private spot. You will be led through a selection of premium and hard to get wines.