NAPA VALLEY
This is California Wine Country as far as many people are concerned—arguably the most important wine-making region in the state with a name recognized around the world. The 30-mile-long Napa Valley is a valley of contrasts with hundreds of wineries ranging from the historic big names like Niebaum-Coppola and Beringer, which produce millions of cases of wine a year, down to more modest wineries turning out some of California’s best cabernet sauvignon, such as in the more rural regions of Stags Leap District and Spring Mountain. Most visitors head for the cultural center of the valley around upscale St. Helena, but there’s a slower pace of life along the Silverado Trail on the other side of the valley and farther north near the laid-back, historic spa town of Calistoga.

SOUTHERN SONOMA
Living in the shadow of the Napa Valley is just fine for neighboring Sonoma Valley, the historical center of California’s modern wine industry. The notable town of Sonoma is thoroughly at peace with itself, as though worn out from the tumultuous series of events more than 150 years ago that gave birth to the state of California. Wineries, too, feel more laid-back here, even those like Buena Vista and Gundlach Bundschu that witnessed California’s wine industry beginnings back in the late 1800s. Travel north to the sleepy town of Glen Ellen, near where writer Jack London found his nirvana, and where wineries like Chateau St. Jean and Benziger turn out red and white wines to rival those over the mountains in Napa. Or head south from Sonoma down to the cool flatlands of Carneros, where sparkling wine houses like Gloria Ferrer and Domaine Carneros work wonders with chardonnay and pinot noir.

NORTHERN SONOMA
If any region epitomizes the diversity of California’s Wine Country it is northern Sonoma, where scenery and wines often have little in common other than their Sonoma County address. The cool, lush Russian River Valley is home to the easy-going town of Guerneville and countless recreation opportunities in the mountains or on the Russian River. It’s also the source of some of California’s best pinot noir and chardonnay. The hotter Alexander Valley farther north is the land of big velvety cabernet sauvignons, while the Dry Creek Valley is home to dozens of modest, family-run wineries making jammy zinfandels and some more unusual wines. Between them both is the upscale town of Healdsburg, known for its antique shops and increasing number of tasting rooms. It’s an easy day trip beyond northern Sonoma into Mendocino, where the Anderson Valley is making a name for its pinot noir and white wines.

THE SOUTH AND EAST BAYS
Challenging the Russian River Valley for sheer scenic and cultural diversity, the Santa Cruz Mountains stretch from the hot western fringes of Silicon Valley up to elevations of over 3,000 feet before sloping gently down toward the ocean. Historic and moneyed towns like Los Gatos and Saratoga anchor wineries on the hot eastern slopes, where Ridge Vineyards and Mount Eden Vineyards produce some of California’s best chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. The cool western slopes are prime pinot noir territory, where small pockets of vineyards belonging to such famous wineries as David Bruce mingle with groves of ancient redwoods and thousands of acres of parkland. Where the mountains meet the sea, the city of Santa Cruz is more summer beach town than wine destination, with the only roller coaster within walking distance of a tasting room.

Most people bypass the suburbs of Livermore Valley in the East Bay without realizing that this is one of the most historic wine-growing regions in California. Fine wine grapes were planted here long before those in Sonoma and Napa, and wineries like Wente produce chardonnays to rival those from the Sonoma Valley.