Right outside the Kokomo tasting room is the Al Fresco Kitchen and garden. We were directed by Ross to visit the kitchen for lunch after our tour. It took a bit to get our food, but was totally worth the wait, because it was all freshly made. We ordered, burgers, pulled pork, seasoned fries and vegetables and everything was incredibly delicious.
Right next to the picnic tables and bocce ball court is a beautiful flower garden. The garden has a sign that says "Take as many flowers as you want, the more you pick the more they grow - The Gardener". Abbey and Jamie picked us a beautiful bouquet for our hotel room.
When you drive up the hill to the Kokomo tasting room you first see a large parking lot. Kokomo shares a drive with a few other tasting rooms. We visited a couple of those, and they were fine, but as soon as we walked in the door at Kokomo we realized we were somewhere special. Ross greeted us at the door and showed us around. We spent time talking with him about the area, and got the scoop on where the locals eat and the best places to go for live music late at night. Then Ross introduced us to the Kokomo wines and set us up for a vineyard tour with the owner and the grower for the following morning.
Erik Miller (the owner) and Randy Peters (the rancher) took us on a tour of the vines the next morning. Randy explained to us the importance of the soil, the climate, and explained to us how they determine how much hang time the grapes need on the vines. He had us taste different types of grapes and explained how they determine which types of grapes make which types of wine. I am definitely not a wine connoisseur but I thoroughly enjoyed it all.
Erik Miller the owner, came to Sonoma after college to spend the summer and relax. He took a job helping with harvest and decided his future and his heart were in Sonoma. Randy Peters is a 4th generation rancher in Dry Creek Valley and has an amazing amount of knowledge. Both of these guys, as well as Ross were personable made us feel extremely welcome.
If you are ever in Healdsburg - go by and visit at Kokomo and tell Ross, Randy and Erik that their Nashville friends said "Hello"!
At the first place we stopped, Mauritson, we met a very nice lady who directed us to several family owned vineyards where we would get personal service.
Here are some of our favorites:
Stuhlmuller Vineyards - very off the beaten path, but definitely worth the drive
Truett-Hurst- beautiful vineyards, herb and vegetable gardens, sheep and goats
Kokomo - our favorite - more to come on this one!
When wandering through Sonoma County, in the town of Healdsburg we stumbled upon Dry Creek Grocery. Dry Creek Grocery is a general store that also has a delicious deli and a nice indoor and outdoor eating area. We loaded up on delicious picnic items and enjoyed the dining among the vineyards.
I've been to Napa Valley and the scenery is beautiful, but many of the Napa wineries are run by corporations and it's gotten pretty commercial and crowded. I prefer the less crowded, off the beaten path and family owned wineries so we headed to Sonoma County.
Santa Rosa is Sonoma's county seat and we stayed in Santa Rosa at the Sonoma Hilton. This is our second stay at the Sonoma Hilton and I highly recommend it. The rooms are spacious, clean and affordable. They have beautiful grounds and are within easy access of restaurants and shopping. I also love Santa Rosa because it's where Charles Shultz lived most of his adult life. The whole town has Peanut's characters all over town and if you know me...you know how I love the Peanuts characters!
Right outside the Kokomo tasting room is the Al Fresco Kitchen and garden. We were directed by Ross to visit the kitchen for lunch after our tour. It took a bit to get our food, but was totally worth the wait, because it was all freshly made. We ordered, burgers, pulled pork, seasoned fries and vegetables and everything was incredibly delicious. 
Right next to the picnic tables and bocce ball court is a beautiful flower garden. The garden has a sign that says "Take as many flowers as you want, the more you pick the more they grow - The Gardener". Abbey and Jamie picked us a beautiful bouquet for our hotel room. 
