5 Interesting Things to Know About Sonoma County

Experience the beauty, the bounty and the history of Sonoma County in California's wine country.

1. Come to Sonoma for the wine, stay for the natural beauty – Sonoma is a nature lover’s paradise. Beautiful golf courses, scenic hiking trails, kayaking on the Russian River, and camping are just a few ways to take in Sonoma’s gorgeous vistas.

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve offers visitors awe-inspiring beauty. Hiking beneath the forest’s soaring canopy you can’t help but be humbled by the trees’ majesty and endurance. California’s coast redwood can grow up to 400 feet high, with an average life span between 500-700 years! The oldest tree at Armstrong Redwoods is more than 1400 years old. These magnificent trees once thickly covered coastal northern California, but with the gold rush of 1849 and the massive influx of people it brought into the state, more than 95 percent of the state’s old-growth redwood forest disappeared. Today, the California Redwoods are protected and accessible to the public.

2. Peanuts Museum - Santa Rosa is home to the Charles M. Schulz Museum where visitors can laugh at all their favorite and beloved Peanuts characters. The Museum houses the largest collection of original Peanuts art work in the world, and features a re-creation of Schulz’s art studio, a movie theater, hands-on education room, and three exhibition galleries that change every 6 months.

3. Random historical fact, just for fun - On February 18, 1911, America’s first airmail flight was completed from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, and was conducted by pioneer aviator, Fred J. Wiseman who made the journey carrying only 3 letters, along with 50 copies of The Press Democrat newspaper and some coffee.

4. California Wine History - Sonoma Valley is home to California’s oldest continuously family-run winery, Gundlach Bundschu, founded in 1858 and currently run by the founder’s sixth generation heirs. For something off the beaten path, explore their Rhinefarm estate, a 320 acre property, aboard their 12-person, 6-wheeled Pinzgauer - an Austrian made military vehicle.

Buena Vista Winery, California’s oldest commercial winery, founded in 1857 by Agoston Haraszthy, is now owned and operated by the Boisset Family Estates. They are committed to continue the imaginative vision and legacy first created over 150 years ago. Besides wine tasting, Buena Vista has created a “Heritage Garden”, which highlights four time periods in Sonoma’s horticultural history: Native California (pre-1800’s), Spanish Missions/Mexican Ranchos (1820’s-1848), Gold Rush and Development of California as a state (1848-1892) and Luther Burbank and Unique Vegetables to Sonoma (1893-1920’s).

5. Today’s Sonoma Wine Country - Sonoma County is made up of 18 American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s or appellations), each with its own distinctive characteristics. Almost 60,000 acres are planted to vineyards and there are over 400 wineries! Because of the range of soil types, micro-climates, warm days, cool nights, ocean breezes and fog in the various areas, more than 50 grape varieties are grown in the County, with front runners being Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc.

Fog Crest Vineyard is proud to be a part of the unfolding and every evolving history of Sonoma Wine Country. We are honored to call Sonoma home and respectful of our roles as stewards of the land and the legacy. We look forward to and are grateful for the opportunity to share both with each new visitor.