One of the most beautiful places to visit in California is wine country.  For most, the sheer number of tastings and unique events is large enough draw to keep them coming back year after year.  There are over 700 active wineries in the surrounding region, so there’s certainly no shortage of activities and places to visit and sample fine wine.  But doing so without looking like a total neophyte or tourist can be a bit tricky.  There are some simple ways to blend in and squeeze every last drop out of your wine tasting adventure.

As far as planning, try to figure out exactly where you’d like to stay and in what kind of surroundings before you even being to make a list of the wineries you’d like to visit.  By doing so, you’ll have a better idea of exactly where in the Sonoma Valley your “base camp” will be.  Many people prefer bed and breakfast accommodations to the large hotel chains.  Some of the more quaint, family-run b&b’s have great package deals and allow you to really get an intimate feel for the local atmosphere, away from sterile hotel rooms and restaurants that are full of out of towners.  Look for places that offer “Wine Country Passports” in their room packages.  These handy little cards will help you gain free access to many of the valley’s most exclusive wineries and also save you quite a bit of money when you’re shopping around for that perfect bottle.

Once you have your accommodations locked in, you can really begin to make a road map of all the established wineries you’re looking to visit.  There are literally hundreds, and some open and close relatively early while others are open well into the evening hours, guaranteeing a wide variety of choices for wine lovers.  Sometime the smaller wineries offer the best tasting experiences.  Central to the Valley is Jack London State Park.  This is where the famous author spent his last years and where he began to create a sustainable farm and ranch for his family and friends to enjoy.  It’s a great place to enjoy a little history, tucked quietly between a handful of period vineyards.  There are hiking trails to enjoy as well as artifacts and structures dating back to London’s time there.

One of the easiest ways for sommeliers to pick out the tourists is by looking for the “I Heart Sonoma” stickers that some hotels insist on affixing to their guest’s shirts before they leave for a day of wine tasting.  While it may be tempting for some people to walk around exclaiming their love (however brief) of Sonoma, it’s a dead giveaway for many winery staff.  Avoiding intoxication may be near impossible during a tasting tour, but those servers and winery staff members that have to put up with drunken tourist escapades certainly don’t get paid enough for what they have to handle.

Many tourists make the mistake of being loud, boisterous, and over-engaging when they taste.  Those who can quietly and earnestly enjoy themselves don’t tend to stick out like their sore thumb counterparts after two or three glasses of vino.  Also, knowing a little bit about wine and the wine making process will get a person much farther when negotiating with a winery staff person for a discount on a bulk wine order.  Many of the wineries offer “Wines of the Month” clubs where customers can get deep discounts on premium bottles for a little commitment and money up front.

Any trip to Sonoma is likely to yield some great memories.  It should be everyone’s goal to have a great time while taking advantage of some of the offers and opportunities that are presented during their stay.  It is easy to get caught up in the tourist game, but the wineries and sommeliers will be much more willing to extend some great experiences and glasses of wine to those who act modestly and show real interest in the wine making process.  After all, people who work with wine everyday likely share an affinity for the drink and expect visitors to be open, kind, and thoughtful when it comes to wine tasting.  For those who don’t get caught up in the tourist mentality and the Sonoma experience will be all the more rich.