10 Sonoma Wineries to Enjoy Wine by the Glass

Wine tasting is moving out of doors at Sonoma County tasting rooms. Everywhere, wineries are upgrading their patio experience so that visitors can take in views with a flight of wines. If you just want to have a glass of wine, sit down, and enjoy the view, you have plenty of unique options.

Here’s our short list of options for times when you just want to enjoy a wine by the glass with a view — of scenery or the scene.

Bubbly by the Glass

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

This venerable Sonoma County house of sparkling wine has been popular for its terrace views of the Carneros region for decades. A recent remodel updates the interior and enhances the experience. Wine by the glass, both sparkling and still, $6–$20.

Breathless Sparkling Wines

Bringing fun and style to an urban sparkling wine experience, this Healdsburg bubbly specialist pours rosé, brut, and blanc de blancs. They’re served from a bar window in their freestanding tasting room, which was made from shipping containers by a welder who’s created work at the annual Burning Man festival. Landscaping makes a little oasis in this light industrial district, just steps away from Healdsburg’s downtown. By the glass, $16.

Pinot by the Glass

Siduri Healdsburg Lounge 

This Pinot-a-gogo winery’s spacious digs in Healdsburg offers wines by the glass, bottle, or draft selections. Siduri makes dozens of small lot single vineyard gems from up and down the West Coast, but especially Sonoma County. By the glass $14-$18.

Horse & Plow

Looking for certified organic wines? That’s the only kind of wine at Sebastopol’s Horse & Plow, where a rustically styled “tasting barn” made with recycled wood is set back far enough from busy Highway 116 to enjoy a peaceful view of apple trees and an organic garden on the patio. Wines like rosé, skin contact Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and old vine Grenache are available on tap from kegs – heirloom apple cider, too. By the glass, $6–$12. Cider, $5-$8.

Cabernet Country by the Glass

Gundlach Bundschu Winery

An historic Sonoma Valley winery that first got going in 1859, this graybeard is more popular than ever with young wine tasters today. To accommodate the crowd, the folks at “Gun-Bun” set up an outdoor bar they call the “donkey bar.” Enjoy a variety of wines by the glass while looking out over a placid pond and the Sonoma Valley — they’re particularly proud of their Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. By the glass, $12–16.

Trione Vineyards & Winery

Refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, hearty Alexander Valley Cabernet, and Zinfandel are tops at this winery, opened by the folks who once owned Geyser Peak Winery during one of its several heydays. Picnic tables and bocce courts. Wine by the glass, $10–15.

People Watching by the Glass

Pangloss Cellars

Named after Dr. Pangloss, the eternal optimist in Voltaire’s novel Candide, Pangloss Cellars’ Tasting Lounge is a carefully restored architectural showpiece in downtown Sonoma that is an integral part of the Sonoma square’s rich history. Pangloss Cellars reflects a commitment to optimism as the ideal way to approach life, which you will too after you visit. Tastings, flights, small-plate pairings, and by-the-glass options available, $35-$60.

Pax Wines

Urban rusticity awaits at Sebastopol’s hotspot for the “new California wine.” They offer seasonal wine tasting flights of current releases as well as wines by the glass or bottle, with wines on tap and growlers to go. By the glass, $7–$18.

Boutique by the Glass

Sanglier Cellars

Offering wines both in tasting flights and by the glass, the Sanglier Cellars tasting room is located in Healdsburg, just one block from the central downtown square. “Sanglier” is French for wild boar, which are common in Sonoma County, East Texas, and much of France. Sanglier produced its first vintage in 2006 as a small four-barrel lot of Syrah from a vineyard on a sandstone ridgeline west of Healdsburg. In 2007, Sanglier produced its second vintage of Syrah from the volcanic soils of Kick Ranch located on the eastern flank of Spring Mountain. Since then, Sanglier’s wine program has grown to include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, a traditional whole cluster press Rosé, and a Chateauneuf-du-Pape styled Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre blend. By the glass, $10-$14.

Trattore Farms Winery and Tasting Room

Enjoy stunning views of Dry Creek Valley while sitting on the patio and sipping wine at Trattore Farms. The Trattore on Tap program has four of their award-winning wines available to enjoy by the glass, ½ carafe (serves 2-3) or full carafe (serves 4-5). Chose from  2019 Stone Soup Blanc, 2019 Michelle’s Rose, 2018 Tractor Red or 2018 Pinot Noir.

Trattore Farms is home to both Trattore Estate Wines and Dry Creek Olive Oil Company. Enjoy a food and wine tasting on the terrace that includes four current release wines from their Estate/Reserve menus, three olive oils and a local Sonoma cheese and charcuterie board.

Find more things to do in Sonoma County or great places to eat during your next visit. 

Written by Sonoma Insider James Knight.