Beer, Wine & Spirits in Santa Rosa

Stationed along the Sonoma Coast, Gourmet au Bay pairs small-batch, award-winning wines with breezy waterfront views from its bayside deck. The business keeps its wine collection stocked with premium products thanks to a set of strict criteria—every bottle boasts a gold medal, fewer than 1,000 cases of its kind in production, a flawless criminal record, or a score of 90 points or better. Every day, visitors may stop in for glasses of wine, as well as bottled beer and cheese-and-crackers platters. Gourmet au Bay also specializes in what it calls wine surfing, which presents three wines selected from the daily menu atop a specially designed surfboard.

Since 1995, Spencer and Daniels Premium Wine Outlet has been wetting the tongues of oenophiles with quality libations from every corner of the globe. Hundreds of vintages rest on racks under bright murals depicting rolling vineyards and mountains, and throughout the years, patrons of the boutique have opened more than 3 million wine bottles, almost half the amount needed to build a 500-foot-tall statue of Bacchus entirely from used corks.

In renovating the new location of California Wine Merchant, owner Greg O’Flynn and wife Deborah worked hard to draw inspiration from the original location, with its floor-to-ceiling redwood wine racks built by Greg and its focus on California wine. Every wine goes through blind tasting by Greg and his knowledgeable staff, who employ sharp palates to evaluate the wine's aroma, acidity, and stock options. The store's vast inventory highlights Cali labels and incorporates a handful of imports and cult favorites such as Screaming Eagle and Opus One. Open seven nights a week, a full wine bar offers a menu of 35–50 wine varieties by the glass with cheese plates to pair, plus a few craft beers. Above the cozy bar, artful hanging lights of twisted metal resemble grapevines, and large portraits of grapes pay homage to the many fruits martyred in the grape stomp.