Winter Wineland

For 32 consecutive years, Winter WINEland has opened in January in Sonoma County, California, giving wine enthusiasts an unhurried two-day opportunity to work through more than 50 participating wineries across Northern Sonoma’s best-known appellations. The 2026 edition runs Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, from 11 AM to 4 PM each day.

The event stretches across Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Guerneville, Forestville, Sebastopol, Cloverdale, and Geyserville, using the entire wine country geography rather than concentrating it in a single venue. Participants check in at any participating winery, collect a glass, wristband, and printed map, and set their own itinerary from there. Each winery offers at least three wine tastings, and many pair them with culinary bites or small food demonstrations. The area near Lake Sonoma and across the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River valleys is home to some of the most productive viticultural land in California.

What January Offers That Summer Cannot

The crowds that characterize Sonoma County from May through October are largely absent in January, and it shows. Winemakers who are typically occupied with harvest logistics and tasting room traffic in summer have more time to spend with visitors in the quiet of winter. The vineyards themselves are dormant and bare, which gives the rolling hills a spare and honest beauty that the full-leaf version of Sonoma cannot match. Many of the region’s older wineries, built from local stone and timber in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, read far more clearly in winter light without the surrounding foliage. Tasting room wait times at even the most acclaimed estates are typically short during WINEland weekend.

Good to Know: Winery check-in for your glass and wristband can happen at any participating location, so start at whichever winery sits geographically nearest to your accommodation. Groups of eight or more should book their first winery stop in advance, as some smaller estates prefer to manage larger parties. The Driver’s Pass provides a non-alcoholic experience for designated drivers at a reduced price. A car is essentially required for the event given the geographic spread, which makes the driver’s pass option a practical and socially responsible consideration for every group.

Where to Focus: The Healdsburg Hub and Beyond

Healdsburg functions as the natural center of Winter WINEland for most visitors, with its central plaza flanked by independent restaurants, specialty food shops, and wine bars that extend the day well beyond the 4 PM close of official tastings. The Saturday evening in Healdsburg after a full day on the WINEland route is one of the more enjoyable wine country evenings available anywhere in California in January. Dry Creek Valley, northwest of Healdsburg, produces Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc that consistently rank among California’s most interesting expressions of those varieties. Russian River Valley wineries around Guerneville and Forestville are the right destination for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drinkers who want estate-level access at a non-summer price point.

Who Goes and How to Plan the Two Days

Wine-focused adults, couples, and small groups of friends make up the primary audience. Families with older teenagers who have an interest in food culture will find the culinary pairings at many estates genuinely educational. Younger children are not the natural audience for a self-guided tasting tour, though the Sonoma County countryside in January has enough open space and pastoral scenery to make a back-seat tour agreeable for patient kids. The event does not benefit from last-minute planning: accommodations in Healdsburg and the surrounding wine towns book out for WINEland weekend well before January.

Vineyard-area vacation rentals listed on Lake.com offer kitchen access, space, and proximity to the route in ways that hotel rooms alone do not. Weather in January across Sonoma County averages highs near 57 degrees Fahrenheit, with rain possible on any given day. A waterproof layer and comfortable walking shoes adequately cover most conditions.