Anderson Valley feels like the last frontier in old-school winemaking – where North Coast style and sensibility meet. Images of my New England upbringing often pop in my head, as the rustic, relaxed nature of this idyllic northern California wine region is what makes it so appealing. Known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the valley road is a snake-y curvy path through rolling hills and redwoods but small-scale wineries produce high quality wines, often family run. The valley’s unique climate, with warm days and cool, foggy nights is ideal for growing cool-climate grapes.

Savor an intimate and slower paced wine tasting experience in the Anderson Valley, just 100 miles north of San Francisco. During the festive multi-day Pinot Noir Festival, more than 50 Anderson Valley wineries showcase their vino along with two dozen prestige labels from Napa and Sonoma that covet the fruit of the Anderson Valley. Purchase Pinot Fest tickets for their 27th annual event from June 12-14, 2026.

10 Memorable Wine Moments in Anderson Valley

Sunset sips at Goldeneye Vineyards 

Warm gentle breezes and golden sunset light kicked off Pinot Fest, on this bucolic property, in view of the forest with a DJ elevating the ambiance.

Female winemaker Kristen McMahan tantalizes tastebuds with Pinots and Gewurztraminers at Goldeneye. One of California’s greatest Pinots, the 2021 Red Confluence Pinot with a $100 price point might bring tears to your eyes due to the harmony of flavors. Goldeneye is currently redeveloping several blocks at Confluence Vineyard with no plans to discontinue this beautifully aromatic wine with vibrant aromas of raspberry, Bing cherry, anise and fresh rosemary.

Eco-Farm Tour + Wine Tasting at Husch Vineyards

During 2025 Pinot Fest weekend, the theme was regenerative farming, and guests could sign up for educational activities like a seminar on the current and future state of Pinot Noir, a technical conference in the vineyard.

At the Eco Farm Tour at Husch, we sipped wines around this family-owned winery while learning about the thinking behind the rogue and regenerative practices used by local winemakers and farmers. The eco-tour enlightened about the use of sheep, the benefits of no-till farming, the best way to preserve and rebuild soils, and how to nurture biodiversity (i.e. owl boxes placed on the land to control the gopher population) amongst other solutions used due to climate change problems. 

Winemakers from the surrounding valley joined in to share their bold methods – including owners of DIRT located in the area’s watershed and the lead winemaker from PennyRoyal Farm – who are passionate wine disrupters. An educational sip and walk in the vineyard is always the best idea, even when a giant redwood tree fell in the adjacent forest, right before our eyes.

PennyRoyal her Pinot Trio (Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot),

Wine tasting at Husch Vineyards 

A converted pony barn from the late 1800s sets the stage for the Husch tasting experience. Covered in bright pink floral vines, some of the most memorable handcrafted Husch wines are the whites, such as the dry Gewürztraminer. They produce over 22 different wines, of which six are distributed nationally. On Sunday of Pinot Fest weekend, a bento box pairing of crackers, cheese, and chocolates enhanced each sip. 

Lula Cellars Barbecue + Wine Jamboree

The sunset from Lula Cellars paired with barbecue is the best way to find your new favorite Pinot, as tables of open wines are shared for guests to sample. We fell in love with Pinots from host Lula Cellars, local Emery Grant, and Tongue Dancer from Rambling Fox (Sonoma Coast). 

As a rockin’ band played oldies from Bob Dylan, the sun set and we discovered our favorite Lula Cellars wines included the 2022 Pinot Noir, the 2021 Rescue Block Pinot Noir, and the 2022 Peterson Vineyard Pinot Noir. 

Unlimited caviar paired with sparkling wines at the VIP Bubble Lounge/Grand Tasting

At Scharffenberger Cellars, the VIP Bubble Lounge rolled out the finest sparkling wines – from a Roederer Estate Blanc de Blanc Vintage (founded by Champagne Louis Roederer) to Scharfenberger Black Label.

Fresh shrimp and oysters from nearby, paired with Tsar Nikolai caviar, make this a delightful affair.

Sipping Pinot, Rose and Sparkling Wines at the Saturday Grand Tasting 

Countless wineries on hand circle the great lawn for guests to mingle, sip and single out as their favorite wines. Some delicious new wine finds included Texture, Thomas T Thomas, Wentworth, Lichen, and Reade Holland.  

Open House Winery Sunday

Open House during Pinot Fest means complimentary wine tasting and bites at many wineries. Step on the 203-acre Breggo, just north of Boonville, and climb up in one of their vintage barn tasting rooms with a vineyard view. Breggo means sheep in Boontling (the locals’ historic dialect). 

At Brashley Vineyards’ tasting room, morning caviar is often paired with dry Riesling made with Finger Lakes grapes, or a fantastic locally-grown Pinot Blanc – thanks to winemaker Ashley Holland, who also produces incredible wines under her own Read Holland brand, like the 2021 Deep End Pinot Noir and Peter Martin Ray Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains), named Top 50 Wines in the US by Decanter. 

Discoveries on the Anderson Valley Wine Road

Right in the heart of the Anderson Valley, find a wine bar and specialty market called Disco Ranch with an ever changing menu of small bites, gourmet food, and specialty items. Purchase a bottle of local or Old World wines or sit outside to savor the grapes. Pick up some items for a picnic or order a bottle online.

On certain days, select winemakers share their bottles. Female winemaker Shalini Sekhar wow’d us with her Ottavino Wines, like the memorable St. Laurent varietal from Los Carneros AVA.

After a day of wine tasting, find JUMBO’s Win Win for the ultimate griddled onion cheeseburger and hand cut fries.

Sampling Ciders and Cider Rose at Gowan’s

Just off the main road in Philo, 150 year old family farmed Gowan’s is producing exciting award winning apple wine cider made with organic heirloom apples, fresh pressed during harvest, and estate bottled at the orchard. Try a flight, a frose with plum tagine, or our favorite “Rose” made with oak aged local Anderson valley pinot noir grapes and Gowan’s heirloom apples and Spiced Apple, a classic mulled cider infused with warm baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and orange. Impossible not to take some home!

Staying at The Madrones

For 4 nights, we loved retreating back to The Madrones, a Mediterranean-inspired sanctuary nestled off the side of the road in the heart of Anderson Valley, with an indoor-outdoor restaurant, Wickson, serving wood fired cuisine. The property also features two local wine tasting rooms, a lobby boutique store, private estate quarters, cannabis apothecary, and glorious gardens.

In the morning I would awake to meander to the back rose garden with a grassy lawn, a nice reprieve for morning coffee. Breakfast accoutrements were delivered during the week to our room like yogurt, fruit, homemade granola, juices, and coffee.

Our elegant high-ceilinged room looked over the Goldeneye vineyard so we would leave the large windows open to feel the fresh air. The maverick spirit of California is imbued here at this initimate rural wine country stay.