Sonoma County winery visits
Tastings and winery tours at six Sonoma County estates, from Healdsburg to the Sonoma Valley: tastings 25 to 30 dollars, guided tours 25 to 95 dollars.
At a glance
- Tastings from 25 to 30 dollars per adult at five estates
- Kunde’s guided cave tour costs 25 dollars, the same as its bar tasting, daily at 11 am
- Benziger tours its biodynamic vineyards on a tractor-drawn tram, 45 dollars
- Inman’s owner and winemaker leads a vineyard walk, 95 dollars, in season
- Kunde admits 21 and over only
How the visit runs
Rodney Strong Vineyards, in Healdsburg
The Introductory Flight: Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 dollars. A Tour & Tasting costs 65 dollars.
Kunde Family Winery, Sonoma Valley 90 minutes
The Daily Tour & Tasting, walk-in at 11 am: a guided tour of the aging caves, then a tasting at the bar, 25 dollars.
Benziger Family Winery
A 25 dollar tasting of organic and sustainable wines, or the Biodynamic Tractor Tour through the Sonoma Mountain Estate vineyards, ending with four limited-production wines, 45 dollars.
Chateau St. Jean, in Kenwood 60 minutes
The Classic Bar Tasting: three wines of your choice at the bar, 30 dollars.
Inman Family Wines 90 minutes
The Estate Tasting Experience, typically five wines, 30 dollars, or the Sip and Stroll vineyard and garden walk with the owner and winemaker, 95 dollars.
What to taste
Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
On Rodney Strong’s Introductory Flight.
Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The red of the same flight. Rodney Strong’s Library Flight pours older Cabernets, from 2011 to 2015, for 75 dollars.
Biodynamic wines
Benziger’s specialty, tasted at the end of its tractor tour or with local cheese on the Estate Tour & Tasting.
Sonoma County, west of Napa, sells its wine at gentler prices: at the five estates with a published entry price, a tasting costs 25 to 30 dollars per adult, and a guided tour with tasting 25 to 95 dollars. Six Sonoma County winery visits are compared here, from Healdsburg in the north to the Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma County winery visits: bar, caves or vineyard
| Format | What you get | Length | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar tasting | three to five wines, often walk-in | about 60 minutes | Chateau St. Jean, three wines of your choice, 30 dollars |
| Cave or winery tour | a guided walk through caves or vineyards, then a tasting | 90 minutes | Kunde’s Daily Tour & Tasting, 25 dollars |
| Vineyard walk with the maker | the vines and the garden with the owner and winemaker | 90 minutes | Inman’s Sip and Stroll, 95 dollars |
Pricier tastings at Chateau St. Jean and Inman
- Meeting the winemaker: Inman’s Meet the Maker tasting costs 100 dollars.
- Seated at Chateau St. Jean: the rose garden or the 1920s chateau, at 50 and 65 dollars.
Benziger’s and Rodney Strong’s club members taste for free. Club rates are not in the prices on this page.
A day from the Sonoma Valley
| Day plan | Offers | Total per adult |
|---|---|---|
| Two tours and a tasting | Kunde Daily Tour & Tasting (25), Benziger Biodynamic Tractor Tour (45), Chateau St. Jean Classic Bar Tasting (30) | 100 dollars |
| Three entry tastings | Kunde 202 Lounge (25), Benziger (25), Chateau St. Jean (30) | 80 dollars |
Starting prices compared
Tastings and tours by winery
| Winery | Experience | Price per adult | What is served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodney Strong Vineyards | Introductory Flight Tasting | 25 USD | Three wines: Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Rodney Strong Flight Tasting | 40 USD | Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Cabernet Franc, Symmetry, Reserve Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon | |
| Davis Bynum Flight Tasting | 40 USD | Davis Bynum wines | |
| Rowen Flight Tasting | 50 USD | Rowen wines | |
| Library Flight Tasting | 75 USD | Library Cabernet Sauvignons (2011 to 2015) | |
| Reserve Tour & Tasting Guided tour | 65 USD | Reserve Chardonnay, Davis Bynum River West Pinot Noir, Symmetry, Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon, Rowen Cooley Ranch, with a tour | |
| Chateau St. Jean | Classic Bar Tasting Tasting | 30 USD | Three wines of your choice at the bar, 60 minutes |
| Belle Terre Experience Tasting | 50 USD | Seated tasting of five winery-exclusive wines in the rose garden, hosted by an educator, 70 minutes | |
| Chateau Experience Tasting | 65 USD | Seated tasting of five Reserve and exclusive wines in the 1920s chateau, 90 minutes | |
| Ferrari-Carano Winery | Vineyard-Designate Reserve Tasting Tasting | 60 USD | Guided tasting of five vineyard-designate wines led by an Estate Ambassador, optional cheese and salumi board |
| Inman Family Wines | Estate Tasting Experience Tasting | 30 USD | Typically five wines, with details on the property and how the wines are made, refundable with a 150 purchase |
| Meet the Maker Tasting Experience Tasting | 100 USD | Private seated tasting with the winemaker and owner, still and sparkling wines, often library wines | |
| Sip and Stroll: Vineyard and Garden Tour and Tasting Guided tour | 95 USD | Vineyard walk with the owner and winemaker, wines tasted along the way, then the farmhouse garden, 90 minutes, seasonal | |
| Kunde Family Winery | 202 Lounge Tasting Tasting | 25 USD | Current releases at the bar, walk-in, daily 10:30 to 15:30 |
| Kinneybrook Tasting Tasting | 45 USD | Seated 90-minute tasting of current releases with a local cheese plate | |
| Daily Tour & Tasting Guided tour | 25 USD | Guided tour of the aging caves then a tasting at the bar, 90 minutes, daily at 11 am, walk-in, 21+ | |
| Mountain Top Tour & Tasting Guided tour | 100 USD | Two-hour wine cave and vineyard tour then mountain-top tasting, through 9 November | |
| Benziger Family Winery | Wine Tasting Tasting | 25 USD | Winery-exclusive organic and sustainable wines in the tasting room |
| Reserve Seated Tasting Tasting | 35 USD | Guided flight of five exclusive small-production wines | |
| Biodynamic Tractor Tour Guided tour | 45 USD | Tractor-tram ride through the Sonoma Mountain Estate vineyards on biodynamic farming, ending with four limited-production wines | |
| Estate Tour & Tasting Guided tour | 85 USD | Vineyard tour with a stop in the wine cave, seated tasting of biodynamic wines with local cheese |
Packages and other formats
| Operator | Offer | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodney Strong Vineyards | Sip Different Flight | 25 USD | Non-wine flight |
| Chateau St. Jean | Estate Picnic | 70 USD | Picnic provisions from the estate market with a flight of estate wines, 120 minutes |
| Chateau St. Jean | Bocce with Wine | 75 USD | Bocce game with wine |
| Ferrari-Carano Winery | Fontana Pergola Wine Tasting | 95 USD | Outdoor pergola tasting with an artisan cheese and salumi board, up to eight guests |
| Ferrari-Carano Winery | Pranzo Della Casa Wine & Pasta Pairing | 90 USD | Salad, family-style pastas and dessert paired with wines |
| Ferrari-Carano Winery | Aperitivo Pergola Wine & Food Pairing | 125 USD | Wine and food pairing for up to eight guests |
| Benziger Family Winery | Brunch Bites & Morning Delights | 75 USD | Chardonnay brunch flight with paired bites |
Prices as published by each operator, checked on October 14, 2026.
Before you go
- Age: Kunde admits guests of 21 and over only. The minimum legal age to buy alcohol is 21.
- Walk-ins: Kunde’s bar tasting (daily, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm) and its 11 am cave tour need no booking.
- Groups: Kunde’s bar tasting takes 1 to 8 guests. Chateau St. Jean’s seated tastings take up to 6.
- Refund on purchase: Inman refunds its 30 dollar tasting with a 150 dollar purchase.
- Tell the winery: Inman asks to know in advance about designated drivers or children joining.
- The driver: the estates are spread from Healdsburg to the Sonoma Valley. One person should skip the tastings.
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How much is a wine tasting in Sonoma County?
25 to 30 dollars per adult at the five estates with a published entry price (2026): Rodney Strong, Kunde and Benziger at 25, Chateau St. Jean and Inman at 30.
What is the cheapest winery tour in Sonoma?
Kunde’s Daily Tour & Tasting, 25 dollars: a 90-minute guided tour of its aging caves, then a tasting, walk-in at 11 am.
Do you need a reservation at Sonoma wineries?
Not at Kunde, which welcomes walk-ins for its bar tasting and its 11 am cave tour. Inman asks for advance notice of drivers and children.
Can children visit Sonoma wineries?
Not at Kunde, where all guests must be 21 or older. Inman asks you to tell it in advance if children are joining.
Is Sonoma cheaper than Napa for wine tasting?
At the estates in this guide, yes: 25 to 30 dollars in Sonoma County against 35 to 60 dollars at the four Napa Valley wineries compared on this site (2026).
Sources
- Rodney Strong Vineyards: visit (flights, tour and tasting, prices, address) consulted on October 14, 2026
- Chateau St. Jean: visit (tastings, durations, prices, address) consulted on October 14, 2026
- Ferrari-Carano Winery: visit (reserve tasting, pairings, prices, address) consulted on October 14, 2026
- Inman Family Wines: visit us (tastings, vineyard tour, prices, duration) consulted on October 14, 2026
- Kunde Family Winery: visit (tastings, cave tour, hours, prices, age) consulted on October 14, 2026
- Benziger Family Winery: tours and tastings (tasting, tractor tour, prices) consulted on October 14, 2026
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