Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery

The Sebastiani Hospitality Center has something for everyone — tours, trolleys, tastings, and a terrific gift shop. And, yes, there is plenty of wine as well in this historic family-owned winery.

Across the street from the winery are some of the original Sonoma Mission Vineyards, planted in 1825 and acquired in 1904 by Samuele Sebastiani, the winery’s Italian-immigrant founder. Today, the fourth generation of Sebastianis still runs the place, producing a series of different offerings, including Sonoma County Wines, Single Vineyard Selection, Appellation Selections, their high-end Proprietary Wines, and Winery Exclusive wines. The winery focuses predominantly on Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Barbera and Zinfandel. They also offer a Chardonnay and a port.

The complex of buildings here is impressive. The winery has just undergone a careful, historic restoration that has uncovered the beautiful, century-old stone walls. The popular tasting room has vaulted ceilings, multiple tasting counters, an extensive gift shop and plenty of room to roam around. Off to the left of the entrance be sure to visit the old barrel room, where some of the original winemaking equipment and unique carved casks can be found. You can’t miss the hundred-year-old 60,000-gallon redwood barrel dominating the room, one of the two largest redwood tanks in the world.

Special VIP tasting programs can be arranged, which complement their full range of tasting seminars, cheese-and-food-pairing classes, historic tours, trolley tours, and their Soil to Bottle Seminar. For the full experience, arrange for a stay at the historical Sebastiani family home, Casa de Sonoma.