Top 10 Fun & Unique Winery Experiences in Sonoma: Beyond Just Wine Tasting
If you are searching for great wines poured by equally great people while enjoying a hip west county atmosphere… then Bowman Cellars is the place for you. Owned and operated by Alex and Katie Bowman whose passion for each other matches their equal passion for wine and for good times. It is so much fun here!
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A tasting room that is open in the late afternoon for that magic sunset hour unlike most wineries whose permits have them closing in the early hours. I enjoy lounging on the beautifully landscaped patio are or at the tasting room bar into the wee hours of the evening.
Drinking wine and eating cheese and charcuterie of course. Open til 6pm when you can order your last glass and enjoy the sips paired with the sun going down.
Once you get to know the space and the people, chances are good that you will return again and again. Hospitality and a west county friendliness that is hard to explain are the name of the game here. The explanation includes a desire to return and share the experience with others, it was just soo much unexpected fun!
A large sunny patio space with a one of a kind windstream wine serving trailer and an intimate wine bar and tasting room lounge, this stop should be on all west county lists. At Bowman Cellars, they boast a commercial kitchen, so guests can order from a simple menu that includes housemade potato chips with aioli, locally sourced cheeses, charcuterie and salads with a special or two thrown in at times.
It is also an uber instagrammable space with cool neon signs, decor that is shabby chic while also still somehow being hip and modern at the same time. I am impressed!
The couple makes close connections with the people who stop by the tasting room here. You will most likely see one of them on site as it is family run and operated to the true sense of the phrase. The Bowmans are on hand at Bowman Cellars in Graton.
They have a farming history that goes back to the late 1800s. I am very glad that grapes are the chosen crop as of late. I am in love with their sparkling wine! They produce wines that express a sense a place from the stunning appellations in which they reside mainly from the Russian River and Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. They are locals and it shows in the wine and in the surroundings.
With a quickly growing wine club membership and wholesale accounts who love them… this is some awesome wine… they are gaining popularity among us wine country locals and tourists alike.
Last time I visited Bowman Cellars, I met two different groups of people. The first a gentleman and his friends father who were both wine club members there to pick up their allocation and a couple from Tiburon who had heard nothing but good things from their neighbors about Alex and Katie and the hip tasting room in the charming town of Graton, about 10 minutes north of downtown Sebastopol..
Alex grew up in a grape growing family with his father and is a fifth generation Northern Californian. He grew up amongst the family Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in west Santa Rosa, as well as in the Zinfandel vineyard in Mountain Ranch, located in the Sierra Foothills.
Alex and father, Doug, believe in growing their crops with a soft human touch so they don’t interfere with the way of nature. They also believe in sourcing their fruit from local farmers that have the same integrity and style as their own.
Katie Bowman is the brains behind the design of wine labels and the marketing aspect of the business with Alex’s aunt also involved. It is really family operated as I keep mentioning. Alex is the winemaker and also a master in the grape growing industry after years spent with his father in the vineyards. They source now mainly from private growers in Sonoma County with whom they have close personal relationships over the years of living and working in the region.
Still a relatively new winery, by Sonoma County standards, Bowman Cellars was founded in 2013 and officially launched in 2017 with a hip tasting room in Graton, California open in 2018. A family to watch as they grow exponentially quickly with a large and almost strictly word of mouth fanbase. Yes, please.
Bowman Cellars
WEB: https://bowmancellars.com/
ADDRESS: 9364, 9010 Graton Rd, Graton, CA 95444
PHONE: (707) 827-3391
From the Website:
Our tasting room is located in the sweet town of Graton, also referred to as west county and is about 10 minutes north of downtown Sebastopol.
Hours:
Monday – Wednesday: by appointment only
Thursday – Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm
We are a collective of welcoming individuals that share a love for great wine, food, and fellowship.
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