Sonoma Portworks — Attraction in Petaluma

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...

Sonoma Portworks truly is a step above! My father loves port and to celebrate his birthday last September, I wanted to get him a special bottle from Sonoma Portworks which is located in his hometown of Petaluma. My father also likes chocolate with his port and I wasn't sure how to coordinate getting him a nice box of chocolates and port without him having to run around to a few locations to complete his gift since I am not located in the area to have been able to do this. In steps the fine folks at Sonoma Portworks. I spoke to Caryn at Sonoma Portworks about his gift and when I mentioned pairing some high quality chocolates with a Sonoma Portworks port, she pitched an idea to me that was absolutely beyond kind and thoughtful: she would stop by Wine Country Chocolates in Sonoma (not in Petaluma), pick up chocolates that I had ordered, and package them with my father's port. Given that these two businesses are about 30 minutes from each other, it was more than I could have asked for and a gesture that was truly going above and beyond. The end result was a very customized gift that made my father's birthday so special and one that helped me feel like I was there to put it together even when I wasn't able to be present. Thanks...

What a hidden gem in Petaluma and especially if you like Port, sweet, and dessert wine if you don’t want to go all the way to Portugal. There’s a parking lot and street parking. Bathrooms are located outside and they have a nice tasting area. I’ve tried their rose port, petit Syrah, deco (chocolate), and maduro reserve which was my favorite because it had a little whiskey taste to it and didn’t seem as sweet as the others. A lot of people really like their deco/chocolate port. I regret not taking more bottles home and to gift to people. The servers were so knowledgeable and friendly and...