Trying to clean up the listings and ran across a bad link for VISA Signature Perks. If you notice something not working, a typo, missing winery etc… please inform me so I can fix it. Thanks!
Thinking about a Berserker rating system. Not sure how to work it but it would be one way to discern one place from the next. In doing these listing I have come across a number of wineries that i would like to visit but have not given a second thought to. Ratings from other Berserkers could be helpful.
Exceptional
Very good
Good
Quaffable
Just a thought, what do you think?
Dude!!! You’ve been busy. Guess I have to find some time to update the associated map with all the new info!
I like your proposed rating system but think it will be a ton of work for you.
How would you collate votes from visitors?
We’d need Sonoma Tracker to tabulate.
I should have thought about that before I started this damn thread! Too late now. 
I think this would help. As I posted upthread, I think a “Berserker Recommended” qualification should be added. Rating is a tricky business though and arbitrating between 3 and 4 Berkerkers might ruffle some feathers.
What do you think about just a single ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
for a winery that’s recommended by someone here vs. no icon for a winery for whom we’re just noting their existence.
Makes better sense to me. Now people just have to start recommending.
I prefer this place: http://www.themarshallstore.com/ over Hog Island, but I wouldn’t kick either tot he curb. In fact, we ate both last trip (1 going to Cowgirl and 1 coming back).
Grabbing some Kermit Lynch wines from the cooler @ Marshall Store and eating alfresco is divine.
For lunch, this place in DCV:
Brian,
We need to add Amapola Creek which is probably Sonoma Valley but may fall into the new Moon Mountain. It’s Dick Arrowood’s venture after selling Arrowood. Appointment only,
CS - Cabernet Sauvignon
CY - Chardonnay
PS - Petite Sirah << need to add!
RH - Rhone Blend
RS - Rosé
SY - Syrah
ZN - Zinfandel
Before we get into adding “recommended” one more thought: Should we distinguish between Berserker recommended vs. Berserker participant vs. Berserker business?
Maybe something like:
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
= recommended
= forum member
Berserker business maybe with a link to the BB page?
Maybe getting too much granularity but I do visit wineries just because they participate here and it’s always nice to contact a friendly berserker to set it up.
Also, here are my recommended wineries:
Agharta Wines
Amapola Creek
Arnot-Roberts
Bedrock Wine Co.
Bucklin
Carlisle
Ceritas
Copain
Holdredge
Jemrose
Joseph Swan Vineyards
Pax
Ravenswood
Ridge
Siduri/Novy
Sojourn
Wilde Farm Wines
Wind Gap Wines
Thanks for the work you’re putting in to this! I think it deserves to be a blog or wiki page or something, as well as stickied here.
I had that in my original Hbg listing but after a couple hours of data entry I hit the wrong key and lost everything. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll add Ampola when I get back to it this evening.
As for ratings maybe we can find a good Berserker Business Smiley somewhere.
Maybe El Jefe has an idea on the Berserker Business smiley.
Just don’t be giving away shit like a warm afternoon at Iron Horse followed by dinner at La Gare.
OK, I added Amapola Creek, and Carlisle (how the hell did I miss that?), fixed some typos, bad links and added the Berserker Recommended image.
If anyone has a winery they feel should be Berserker Recommended speak up and I’ll update the listings. Still have some more links to add for Sonoma and I’m sure there are still a ton of wineries not yet listed.
Again, if you find something missing shoot me a message and I’ll fix it.
Everything on the page is now linked. Anything new will be added when I receive it from you!
I might add Cellars of Sonoma http://www.cellarsofsonoma.com in Santa Rosa. They are a co-op tasting room for several small wineries that otherwise don’t have tasting rooms:
T.R. Elliott
Bonneau
Joseph Jewell
etc.
It is a hip place with live music on the weekends and a cool staff.
Thanks Dusty. Yeah I’m aware of them. They are similar to Sonoma Enoteca and Vinoteca Collective in that way, who btw I left off my list. I’m debating how broad a stroke to brush with the listings because once I do one wine bar do I do them all?
Or maybe I have a separate category for wine bars and collective tasting rooms? Just trying not to start confusion in the listings by putting collectives in with winery sites. Or am I off base? Thoughts.
Brian, I like the idea of a separate category.
I see what you mean, and I would tend to leave out wine bars. But if you are trying to catch every winery, you need to include the collective tasting rooms, don’t you? You could hold off on them for now, but hit them in phase two or something.
It is incredible the amount of info already on here, and I thank you for it.
1 Like
Here’s my contribution for Sonoma dining… Separated by on the Square and off, plus some discussion of the diverse (and incredibly good) Mexican food. Keep in mind that many of the Mexican food choices are not wine friendly – think of them as a recoup/recovery between long days of tasting.
Brian – are we also recommending against places as well - or at least labeling certain places as ‘eh…’? There are plenty of tourist-focused places in Sonoma that aren’t worth a stop if you have a limited schedule.
On Sonoma Square
- Café La Haye - just delicious food and probably the best service in town – a very small room, get reservations a week or more in advance
- Della Santina’s - Italian done right
- LaSalette – Portuguese/Mediterranean inspired fair – a fairly ‘exotic’ dining choice for Sonoma Square, with menu items like whole sardines baked in the wood fired oven, escargot, etc. The fish cakes are a huge favorite when available, and the anchovies are some of the best I have ever had. The wine list offers some fun Portuguese whites that are a great budget alternative to the typical Cali Sav Blanc or Chardonnay.
- The Girl and the Fig - Country food with a French passion – usually tough to get a reservation within 48 hours of seating, but one of the few restaurants on the Square open late with a limited bistro menu. Cocktails are very good, Pliny the Elder on tap, Only Rhone-styled wines on the list. The best burger in town.
- Sonoma Cheese Factory - Cheese, sandwiches, salami/salumi, wine tasting, grilled meats
- Harvest Moon Café – seems to be rarely talked about, but always good – surprisingly good, actually. A somewhat stiff corkage policy though.
- Burgers and Vine – Just opened so still working out the kinks, however all signs point toward a more tourist and party crowd focus. Not a bad spot for a beer before or after dinner.
- El Dorado Kitchen –
-
Tuesday Night Farmers Market – throw-out a picnic blanket and hang with the locals. It is legal to drink in the park, so bring a bottle or two to share. Fair-type food vendors are present or bring your own bites. Very kid friendly. Runs from first Tuesday in May through the last Tuesday in October.
Off the Square - Hot Box Grill – Upscale comfort food, known for the duck fat fries and fried chicken plate.
-
Fremont Diner - the best breakfast in Sonoma, possibly the county (and definitely light years better than anything in Napa ). Classic greasy spoon fair done with local ingredients. Now discovered by tourists, get there early or the wait can be an hour or more. Breakfast and Lunch are equally good.
- Hopmonk – upscale pub food, Pliny the Elder on tap. A favorite with locals, great patio seating in the summer.
- El Molino Central - Mexican street food, primarily from the Oaxaca region of Mexico. Very good but not cheap. Simple, patio seating - can be very busy with a long wait during dinner hours. Blue Bottle Coffee also served.
- Rancho Viejo - authentic Mexican from the Yucatan peninsula. Don’t let the proximity to McDonalds scare you (next door), the cochinita pibil is awesome.
- La Bamba Taco Truck – usually in the auto body shop parking lot directly across the street from the Sonoma Mission Inn - usually after 7pm. This is the most popular truck in town for good reason. The wait can be long. The perfect late night snack after a long day of tasting.
- El Brinquito – they do BBQ chicken out front of the market on Wed/Friday/Sat/Sunday, corner of Hwy 12 and Mountain Ave. Follow your nose – it smells as good as it tastes and is cheap. This is strictly to-go.
- Big 3 Diner - Upscale Diner at SMI