Wine Trail Details: This wine tour on the Glen Ellen Wine Trail offers a great mix of wineries. The wine trail begins in the Carneros Wine Appellation and then travels along Arnold Road to the quaint town of Glen Ellen. There are some outstanding restaurants and places to stay in Glen Ellen. The Glen Ellen Market is upscale and is an excellent place to pick up a picnic lunch to go along with a great day of wine tasting. Enjoy your wine tasting on the Glen Ellen Wine Trail.
Glen Ellen Wine Trail – Top Wineries to Visit
• Schug Winery – a Carneros Estate Winery
• Robledo Family Winery – 1st Mexican Family owned winery in Sonoma
• Benziger Family Winery – Great tour and demonstration vineyards
Dining and Lodging Recommendations
A beneficial book on discovering the wineries of Glen Ellen and Sonoma Country: Back Lane Wineries of Sonoma
Traveling from the Golden Gate Bridge, go north on Highway 101 for 20 miles. Take Highway 37 towards Vallejo. Travel for 7 miles and take the left turn directing drivers to the Sonoma Raceway and the city of Sonoma, Highway 121. Travel another 6 miles, and there will be a major intersection. At this junction take a left on Bonneau Road to visit the first winery, Schug Winery.
Schug Winery
Schug Winery is at the northern end of the Carneros appellation just before the Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mountain appellations begin. The backroad is a lovely drive along Bonneau to the Schug Winery. The winery is a small family-owned winery specializing in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from their estate Carneros vineyards. The tasting room atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. The estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are consistently good and priced at a good value point. Enjoy a classic wine tasting or reserve a Cave Tour Experience.
Tasting room open daily, 10 am to 5
Schug Winery
Robledo Family Winery
The Robledo Family Winery is just up the road from Schug. It is the first Mexican family-own winery in Sonoma. The tasting room displays the Robledo Mexican heritage. This a success story where hard work and perseverance have led to this great winery and the vineyards holdings in California. The winery has a lovely picnic area. The tasting room and winery are somewhat secluded at this end of the Carneros area. The Robledo Family also has a tasting room in Lake County, where they also own vineyards. Try the Lake County Sauvignon Blanc, inexpensive and delightfully refreshing.
Tasting Room is open daily, 10 to 5 pm
Robledo Family Winery
Benziger Family Winery
The Benziger Winery is a very fun winery to visit. If you have only a limited time to visit one winery, choose this one. There is a lot to do here as well as being an excellent spot for a picnic lunch. We recommend you take the Biodynamic Tour and Tasting. As of this writing, the tasting fees are $25 per guest. You will learn a great deal about winemaking, and it includes a tasting of some excellent reserve wines. Spend some time at the Vineyard Discovery Center. You will learn about the various trellis systems. Benziger practices biodynamic farming. The tasting room has lots of merchandise, including framed artwork. Visiting Benziger is an enjoyable and educational wine experience.
Tasting room Monday to Friday 11 am to 5 pm, Saturday, Sunday 10 to 5 pm.
Benziger