Here at DogTrekker.com, we’ve made dog-friendly wineries easier to find through a new, interactive map on our California Wine Country landing page. Clicking on the map of the county or region you’d like to visit will help you explore the wine regions throughout the state.
Here are some of our favorites:
Mendocino County: One of the most dog-friendly regions in California, Mendocino County is also one of California’s largest and most climatically diverse wine-growing regions and home to 10 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), with more pending. It is a world leader in certified organically-grown grapes.
Sonoma County: The 16 AVAs in this largest Northern California county reflect a wide variety of soil and climate conditions. The laid-back Russian River region, with 79 wineries, is known for its dog-friendly atmosphere as well as its pinot noirs and chardonnays.
Napa Valley: Some of California's most popular wines come from this iconic region North of San Francisco. At the top of the Valley, the historic spa resort Calistoga is a particularly dog-friendly community.
QQ in Napa
Livermore Valley: The Tri-Valley region, just 33 miles east of San Francisco, is one of the state’s oldest wine-growing areas and home to more than four dozen wineries, most of them in the Livermore Valley and more than half of them dog-friendly. Its signature varietal is petit syrah.
Retzlaff Vineyard, Livermore
San Luis Obispo County: This Central Coast region includes the popular Paso Robles wine-growing area, known for blends and styles unique to the region, as well as for heritage zinfandels and Rhone-style wines. Beaches, mountains, and dog-friendly hospitality welcome you and your pup throughout the county.
Paso Robles Wine Dog
Sacramento: California’s capital, home to two dog-friendly urban wineries and numerous tasting rooms, serves as a gateway to Gold Country. More than 200 wineries, many of them dog-friendly, are situated within a radius of 75 miles.
Gold Country: California Gold Country hugs the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and is home to hundreds of wineries. Many offer free tastings, intimate access to the winemaking process and personal welcomes from the winemakers.
– El Dorado County: Wineries in this county are characterized by steep, rugged terrain and known for vibrant reds, particularly barbera and Rhone-style varietals and blends. More than a dozen dog-friendly wineries are members of the Apple Hill Growers Association, whose 54 family-owned farms, ranches, wineries and breweries are located between Placerville and Pollock Pines.
– Placer County: Winemaking here dates back to the Gold Rush, when French ‘49er Claude Chana made his fortune growing fruit, including wine grapes. Most of the county’s 20 wineries and tasting rooms are situated north of Interstate 80 near Auburn and Loomis.
– Nevada County specializes in hand-crafted, mountain-grown wines and rich Gold Country history. The historic towns of Grass Valley, Nevada City and Truckee offer tasting rooms for sampling wines from the county’s 13 producers and make great base camps for getaways with your dog.
– Amador County, best known for its robust zinfandels, is home to more than 40 tasting rooms in the Shenandoah Valley, Fiddletown, Sutter Creek, Willow Creek and Ione areas. The 143-year-old Original Grandpere Vineyard is the oldest documented zinfandel vineyard in California.
– Calaveras County, friendly and uncrowded, offers more than 30 wineries and tasting rooms that welcome guests in their own unique ways. The picturesque town of Murphys has more than a dozen tasting rooms on its main street, many of them dog-friendly and all within strolling distance of each other.
Gold Country wine dog.
Check out the interactive maps that help you navigate wineries in a particular region, and go to individual property listings to learn about dog policies at each one.
