What a wonderful find in Petaluma! Just 5 or 6 blocks southeast of historic downtown in the refurbished Foundry Warf complex next to the Petaluma River. Sonoma Portworks uses grapes grown in the Wine Country area to create wonderful fortified wines. [BTW - there is a tasty place just up the block called Aqus Cafe if you wish to grab a bite to eat before port tasting. But cheese boxes are available for purchase in the tasting room.] Best to make a reservation, as the tasting room is open Thurs -
Sundays only from 12-5 PM.
If you are not a fan of traditional tawny port, don't be discouraged. Additionally they offer unusual Chardonnay (light and fruity) and Rose (floral and peppery) ports which are lovely for summertime sipping. We purchased a bottle of each. The more traditional red blend ports were tasty; our favorite was the Petite Sirah Port. But we could not leave without buying bottles of the Cask Reserve (very jammy & spicy but smooth) and Maduro Reserve (deliciously tawny) ports.
If you like to cook, be sure and try their side products of Sonomic "Almost Vinegars" in Red or Gold flavors. Non-alcoholic grape products, they are wonderful "secret ingredients" to add to salads, cooked veggies and meats. Also great drizzled over fruits or cheeses.
We felt the prices were very reasonable. They offer a wine club you may join with a three-release commitment the first year. You receive 15-25% discounts on your orders and complimentary tasting fees. But it is not a hard sell. We signed up because we know we want to purchase more of their products in the future.
We had a wonderful tasting experience with Murray. He was knowledgeable and laid back, able to answer all of our questions. We just had such a good time talking with him that we forgot to sample the Deco & Duet dessert wines. Oh well, that leaves something for us to try on our next visit. Cheers!