Sebastiani Winery
389 4th Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476
Website: http://www.sebastiani.com/
I was pleasantly surprised by Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery. This winery is located just a few blocks from historical downtown Sonoma. I visited the winery for the first time with my husband on Valentine’s Day in 2009. I recall feeling like we were driving through a local residential neighborhood and suddenly coming upon the winery thinking “This is it?” The location of the winery in the center of town was strange to me. They have a large paved parking lot which led me to believe that this place brings in a lot of tourists and can get very busy. Although it wasn’t over-crowded the first time I visited. I later returned on a second visit in September 2010 and it was not too crowded then either. The landscaping around the winery is somewhat modest with a stone walkway and a fountain leading up to the entrance. I would have never guessed by looking at the place the historical nature of the winery.
Sebastiani is named after its founder Samuele Sebastiani, an immigrant of Tuscany. Samuele started the winery in 1904. This is the only winery in Sonoma that stayed in operation during Prohibition making sacramental and medicinal wines. During Prohibition and the Depression, Samuele committed himself to helping the community by initiating projects at the winery to employ his neighbors. He even went as far as to start canning other fruits to offer more jobs at the winery. When there was no more room for employment at the winery, he started expanding around Sonoma plaza by building a skating rink, motel, theater and meeting hall at the Catholic Church. After Samuele passed away in 1944, his son August and wife Sylvia took over the estate and began expanding the winery and product line. The children of August continued operation of the winery until they each went off on their own and turned the ownership over to Bill Foley of Foley Family Wines in 2008.
60000 gallon oak tank at Sebastiani
Although the Sebastiani family no longer owns the winery there is still a lot of history here. Complimentary historical tours are offered three times a day. Guests who do not take one of the tours are permitted take a self-guided walk through the visitor’s center and view some of the winery’s historical artifacts. My favorite room is the barrel room. At one end of the room is a gigantic 60,000 gallon barrel that literally reaches from ceiling to floor and is almost as wide as the width of the room. I have never seen a barrel so large!
Artwork on oak barrels at Sebastiani
There are several other barrels on display that were hand-carved by retired graphic artist Earle Brown that depict all kinds of wine related images from grape varietals to historical scenes.
The tasting room is also impressive. It is a combination gift shop and tasting room. The room is wide open with a high arching ceiling and an 80 foot long tasting bar along the length of the back wall. The combination of the stone walls and tiled floors adds elegance to the room. The gift shop contains a plethora of items including gourmet foods, cookbooks, clothing, spa soaps and lotions, and other wine accessories. The staff behind the tasting bar was very welcoming and forthcoming with information about their wines. They produce a wide selection of wines and the tasting menu covers several different varietals. There is a plethora of red and white wines to choose from to satisfy different palates. I liked so many of the red wines it would be hard to choose a favorite. For a white wine, I really enjoyed the Sonoma County Chardonnay and the Sebastiani Symphony for something sweet.
Seating area inside the Sebastiani Visitors’ Center