In Northern California wine country, Napa Valley and Sonoma County get all the attention. Another wine region I love is Livermore Valley, an easy drive from San Jose and Silicon Valley, and 35 miles east of San Francisco. Livermore boasts 50 plus wineries and is still growing, with about eight new wineries that launched in the past 5 years.
Why do I love LV wine country? Great wines are a big draw, but what’s even better is that most wineries are small and family owned. That means you have a good chance of the winemaker or owner actually pouring your wine, which happens rarely in Napa or Sonoma (unless you make an appointment, but I digress). Because these wineries are not as well known, you don’t get huge crowded tasting rooms or bus loads of tipsy visitors. The roads are not clogged with tourists as they are in Napa Valley, especially in the summer. There’s plenty to do besides taste wine, from playing golf or bocce ball to biking and eating well.