Sometimes, but in laid-back Sonoma County, there's only one rule: If you like it, it's a good wine.

Maybe that's the reason the buzz is growing about the area's unpretentious vineyards. Sonoma vintners haven't forgotten that wine is supposed to be enjoyable and relaxing. The wine produced in the area is world class, with vintages that rival imports in complexity and character. But the people who make them still do it for the love of the grape. Leave the pretensions and appointment-only policies to another county. Sonoma vineyards are the most accessible you'll find anywhere, and vineyard owners clearly enjoy sharing their wares with the public.

The area's vineyards, in fact, are an ideal place to visit if you're just discovering wine. No need to be embarrassed if you don't know a champagne from a chardonnay. Everywhere you go, you'll find staff happy to explain the difference between varietals, and to answer any other questions you may have. You'll find that the Sonoma County exuberance is catching, and you too will soon want to share what you've learned with others.

Local Flavor
Locals
Geyserville Ave/Route 128
Geyserville
707-857-4900
A great place to get acquainted with Sonoma wines is Locals. This tasting room in tiny Geyserville highlights a rotating selection of Sonoma County wines in a pleasant storefront gallery filled with the works of area artists. Taste a flight of zinfandels from a range of vineyards, or get acquainted with several varietals from one local vineyard. Even if you're pretty wine savvy, there's plenty to learn here. Locals specializes in wine from vineyards producing less than 5,000 cases of wine annually, so there's a good chance of finding a treasure you've never tasted.

Hitting the Road
Ready to start visiting some vineyards? Here are a few suggestions to get you started--we've picked a variety, so there should be one to suit your style.

Sebastiani Vineyards
389 Fourth St. East
Sonoma
707-938-5532
Sebastiani is a great place to start if you've never taken a vineyard tour before. Sebastiani is a rarity in Sonoma County, having been open continuously since 1904--during prohibition the vineyard received a dispensation to make wine for religious and medicinal purposes. It's also an unusual vineyard that has scaled back its wine production dramatically. Where Sebastiani once turned out 8 million cases of wine each year, the winery now makes 165,000 cases. This cutback was initiated so that the wine makers could concentrate on quality, not quantity.

You'll be able to taste how the effort paid off at the end of an informative vineyard tour where you can learn about every step of the winemaking process, from planting to bottling. The newly renovated hospitality and tasting center are a great way to sample the vineyard's higher-end offerings.

Worth the price of admission alone is a viewing of the largest wine barrel in the United States. At 60,000 gallons, it's actually the second-largest in the world, behind one in Heidelberg, Germany. Also worth noting is the fact that much of the woodwork in the main building is taken from de-commissioned wine barrels.

Paradise Ridge Winery
4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive
Santa Rosa
707-528-9463
"Welcome to paradise" is the first phrase everyone hears upon visiting the Paradise Ridge Winery. It's not hard to see why. The view of the Russian River valley from the tasting room is breathtaking, encompassing acres of vines sloping down to the river. The tasting room is open daily, but the best time to visit is Wednesday evenings during the summer. On these days, the winery is open late enough that you can enjoy a picnic dinner, with wine, of course, as the sun sets across the Russian River.

Adding to all this natural beauty is a sculpture garden, visible along the long access road winding up toward the main building. The art installations change annually, and always showcase local artists.

The vineyard was founded by a Japanese samurai-turned-businessman, whose odd but fascinating life story is chronicled in a small museum on the property. Today, the vineyard is owned by a Dutch family. You will probably meet the delightful Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars, who is often the one to meet visitors with the vineyard's signature greeting.

Armida Winery
2201 Westside Road
Healdsburg
707-433-2222
Go past the geodesic domes. Walk around the bocce ball court. Step over the sleeping dog. (That's Wino, by the way.) You've arrived at the Armida Winery, quite possibly the most unpretentious vineyard on the face of the earth. The fellow who looks like a cowboy (which he is) is winemaker Michael Loykasek. He'll probably introduce himself when you walk in the door, if owner Bruce Cousins doesn't beat him to it.

There are no formally scheduled tours at Armida, but if you call ahead, the staff will be happy to show you around and let you taste some wine (and if you're really nice, you may get a famous wine-filled chocolate, too). The vineyard's location at the confluence of the Dry Creek, Russian River, and Alexander Valleys allows a number of varietals to be grown. Only 17,000 cases are produced annually, however, so you won't find Armida wine just anywhere. The tasting room, is, in fact the best place to find the full range of reds and whites made by the vineyard. And it's definitely the most fun.

Planning Your Visit
These, of course, are just a few of the well over 100 vineyards in Sonoma County. To discover the rest, you could just drive around the beautiful backcountry roads that criss-cross the county. Route 128 is probably the best single road to cruise if you're hoping that a vineyard will simply catch your eye.

Sonoma is a huge area, though, and not every vineyard is open to the public every day. A little advance planning will pay huge dividends when it comes to time management. The best thing you can do to prepare for your trip is to get your hands on a map--almost any map of Sonoma County will have vineyards marked on it. A particularly good one is the Russian River Wine Road map. The Wine Road is an association of wine makers, not an actual driving route, but the map shows a large number of wineries.

One other tip: Those little tastes of wine add up, so please be conscious of how much you've consumed. Better yet, take a non-drinking designated driver along with you. And remember that tasting is optional. Just because a glass is offered doesn't mean you have to take it. No bartender worth his or her salt would pressure you to drink.•