Holiday Wine Trail + Market

The Holiday Wine Trail + Market is Wine Road's early December Saturday for tasting and gift shopping in one outing. A single ticket opens the tasting rooms of member wineries across northern Sonoma County, and each stop sets out a small holiday market beside the pours. Expect wreaths, candles, pottery, art and edible gifts from local makers, along with the winery's own bottles for the holiday table. Some wineries turn it into a full market with outside vendors, so the trail can fill a shopping list as well as a glass.

December is a quiet month along the Wine Road, and that is the appeal: the harvest rush is over and tasting rooms have time to talk. The trail turns gift shopping into a day out, with presents bought from the people who made them and wine chosen by the people who grew it. Part of every ticket goes to the Redwood Empire Food Bank, so the day gives back too. Build a loop around one valley, or mix sparkling, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir stops to stock the table for the season.