Every January, once the holiday rush fades and the vineyards go bare and quiet, Wine Road throws open the doors of northern Sonoma County for Winter WINEland — a tradition it has kept alive since the mid-1990s. Across a single mid-winter weekend, some sixty wineries spanning Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley pour their newest releases, along with the occasional library gem or barrel sample. There's no grand central tent; you build your own route from Healdsburg to Geyserville to the Russian River. It was designed for exactly this season — the slow one — when the region belongs a little more to the people who love it.
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Mid-January (2026: Jan 17-18)
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Passport format: check in at one starting winery to pick up your souvenir glass and wristband, then visit any participating winery in any order all weekend — a minimum of about three tastes at each. Groups are kept small, and wineries lean into the season with warming food pairings.
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Since ~1994 · ~60 wineries · Alexander, Dry Creek & Russian River
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~$60-80 two-day passport (Insider saves 20%)
Go for the version of Sonoma you rarely get: uncrowded tasting rooms, winemakers with time to talk, and hosts leaning into the cold with mulled wine, soups, and charcuterie built to flatter what's in your glass. One wristband and a keepsake tasting glass unlock every participating winery for the weekend, and you set the pace — a handful of thoughtful stops beats a frantic dozen. Weekend and single-day passes keep it flexible, and an inexpensive designated-driver ticket means someone can enjoy the food and the drives without the pours. If you want to understand these three valleys off-season, when they're at their most honest, this is the weekend.
