11 Sustainable Sonoma Wineries to Visit: Organic, Biodynamic & Beyond

By Verdant

Planning a Sonoma Wine Tasting Trip and Curious About Sustainable Wine?

If you’re planning a Sonoma wine tasting trip and you’re curious what sustainable wine is all about, we’ve got a fantastic curated sampling right here for you to try. These wineries represent all of the buzzwords you may have been hearing—organic, biodynamic, regenerative, and sustainable.

So what do all of these terms mean? And, importantly, besides being hip and cool, does the wine actually taste good? Finally, which sustainable wineries are actually worth visiting?

Let’s dive in and find out!

🍇 Sustainable Wine Terminology 101

You’ll often see terms like *organic*, *biodynamic*, *regenerative*, *Sonoma sustainable*, and *sustainable* on winery websites. Here’s what they mean:

– Organic Wineries

Organic grapes are grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. In California, most certified wineries work with **CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers)**. To earn certification, vineyards must avoid prohibited chemicals for **three consecutive years**, undergo soil and water testing, and submit annual inspections and detailed records. Only after this transition period can they label their grapes—and wines—as “certified organic.”

– Biodynamic Wineries

Biodynamic farms meet all organic standards while also using natural composts, lunar-based planting schedules, and, in some cases, livestock grazing to support nutrient cycling. Certification through **Demeter** ensures these holistic practices are followed both in vineyard and cellar. While not every biodynamic winery is Demeter-certified, those that are have undergone rigorous external review.

– Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) Wineries

ROC builds on organic farming with added requirements for **soil regeneration, biodiversity, and fair labor standards**. It’s the most comprehensive agricultural certification available right now and requires measurable improvements in ecosystem health—not just avoidance of harm.

– Sustainable Wineries (general usage)

More loosely defined, this term typically means the winery is committed to broader environmental actions—such as recycling, composting, habitat preservation, or social responsibility—even if they’re not third-party certified.

– Sonoma County Sustainable / California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing

About **99% of Sonoma vineyard acreage** is certified under Sonoma County’s sustainable program, often tied to the **California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA)** or Fish Friendly Farming standards. Wineries using this certification must **track water and energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and undergo annual audits**. Their labels often include the Sonoma sustainably-farmed logo if 85% of grapes come from certified vineyards.

🍷 Does Organic Wine Taste Different?

Sustainably made wine can taste different—but it depends on the vineyard, the vintage, and the winemaker.

Many fans say organic and biodynamic wines feel fresher, brighter, or more expressive of place. That could be due to healthier soils, fewer additives, or gentler handling in the cellar. Some also believe the wines age differently—often gaining complexity without harshness.

But not everyone notices a dramatic difference. In blind tastings, sustainable wines can perform just as well—or better—than conventional ones. Ultimately, the taste depends on how well the wine was grown and made, not just the certification.

For many people, the real benefit is knowing the wine was produced without harmful chemicals and with greater respect for the land. That makes it taste better in a different way—especially if you care where your food and drink come from.

🌱 11 Eco-Friendly Wineries in Sonoma Worth A Visit Now

Looking for a great place to start exploring sustainable wine? This list features wineries that are deeply committed to sustainable winegrowing and also offer memorable tasting experiences. Some have led the way with organic or biodynamic farming for decades; others are embracing newer regenerative practices and certified low-impact methods.

Whether you’re interested in farming techniques, wine quality, or the values behind the label, these wineries are well worth a visit.

✅ Benziger Family Winery – Glen Ellen

📍 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442
📞 (707) 935‑3000 • 🌐 benziger.com
Certifications: Demeter Biodynamic, Certified Organic, Sonoma Sustainable

Benziger has long been considered a flagship for biodynamic farming in Sonoma. Its 85-acre estate vineyard has been **Demeter certified since 2000**, with additional **organic certification through CCOF** and alignment with the **Sonoma Sustainable Winegrowing Program**. The team manages a closed-loop ecosystem using composting, cover cropping, rotational grazing, and constructed wetlands for water purification. These practices reduce the need for synthetic inputs, enhance soil fertility, and attract beneficial insects—all central to Benziger’s belief that healthier vineyards produce more expressive wines.

Guests can explore these regenerative systems firsthand on a tractor tram tour or walking path through the vineyard. The experience is highly educational and designed to demystify biodynamic practices for curious visitors. Tastings take place in a relaxed setting, and staff are trained to explain how vineyard decisions affect wine structure and character.

🕒 Open Thu–Mon 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; walk-ins welcome, reservations recommended
🚜 *Tribute Estate Tour* (\~90 min, \$85) • *Tractor Tram Tour* (\~60 min, \$45)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – bring your own or reserve a picnic hamper
🍷 Wines Known For: Tribute Red Blend, Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay, biodynamic small-lot estate wines

✅ Amapola Creek Vineyards – Glen Ellen

Certifications: Certified Organic (CCOF)
📍 26075 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, CA 95442
📞 (707) 938‑4826 • 🌐 amapolacreek.com

Founded by iconic Sonoma winemaker Richard Arrowood, Amapola Creek is a small-production winery with a strong commitment to organic farming on the rugged western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains. The estate’s hillside vineyards are certified organic through CCOF and benefit from rocky volcanic soils, which promote natural resilience and concentration. The winery uses native cover crops, erosion control, and minimal irrigation—strategies that support water conservation and long-term ecosystem health. All vineyard blocks are hand-farmed with minimal tractor use to reduce compaction.

Amapola Creek offers a rustic and low-key visitor experience. Tastings take place on a garden patio or inside a modest winery building surrounded by views of forested hillsides and Zinfandel vines. It’s an ideal stop for guests seeking handcrafted wines from a fiercely independent, land-focused operation.

🕒 By appointment only; typically 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
🚜 Vineyard walk and seated tasting (~60 min, ~$50)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – casual setup available upon request with advance notice
🍷 Wines Known For: Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain Zinfandel, Syrah, and Bordeaux-style blends

✅ Gundlach Bundschu – Sonoma

📍 2000 Denmark Street, Sonoma, CA 95476
📞 (707) 938‑5277 • 🌐 [gunbun.com](https://www.gunbun.com)
Certifications: Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), Sonoma Sustainable

Founded in 1858, Gundlach Bundschu blends historic legacy with cutting-edge regenerative farming. In 2023, the winery became **one of Sonoma’s earliest adopters of Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC)**—a rigorous standard that builds on organic practices with added requirements for soil health, biodiversity, and farmworker fairness. The 320-acre Rhinefarm Estate is dry-farmed when feasible and uses cover cropping, compost, and minimal tillage to enhance soil structure and build long-term resilience.

The tasting experience reflects this deep connection to land. Guests are welcomed into a hillside setting shaded by oaks, with views of vineyards stretching down the valley. The vibe is famously laid-back—outdoor tables, cave tastings, and a sense that you’re visiting a working farm that happens to make excellent wine.

🕒 Daily 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; reservations encouraged
🚜 *Estate Tour + Cave Tasting* (\~90 min, \$75)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – oak-shaded picnic zones; outside food welcome
🍷 Wines Known For: Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, cool-climate Pinot Noir, Rhône-style blends

✅ Bartholomew Estate Winery – Sonoma

Certifications: Certified Organic (estate vineyards)
📍 1000 Vineyard Lane, Sonoma, CA 95476
📞 (707) 509‑0540 • 🌐 bartholomewestate.com

Bartholomew Estate farms 22 acres of certified organic vineyards inside a 375-acre preserve that includes woodlands, meadows, and hiking trails. Grapes are grown using sustainable water management, organic pest control, and biodiversity-friendly practices that protect local pollinators and bird habitats. The estate also participates in ongoing habitat restoration and public education through its connection to the Bartholomew Park Foundation.

The setting is exceptional: a hilltop winery with historic roots, sweeping views, and access to public trails. Guests can enjoy tastings at shaded picnic tables or inside a newly renovated art-filled tasting room. While many wineries focus on wine alone, Bartholomew offers an immersive nature-based experience anchored in thoughtful stewardship.

🕒 Open daily; reservations recommended, especially on weekends
🚜 Estate Vineyard Walk & Tasting (~60–75 min, ~$55)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – generous lawn space and shaded areas; outside food welcome
🍷 Wines Known For: Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Merlot, Chardonnay, and red blends

✅ Hamel Family Wines – Sonoma

Certifications: Certified Organic, Biodynamic
📍 204 E Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476 (Tasting Room)
📞 (707) 939‑7979 • 🌐 hamelfamilywines.com
Hamel Family Wines farms 100 acres across three vineyards, all of which are certified organic and biodynamic. They emphasize soil vitality and climate resilience through minimal irrigation, compost tea applications, native hedgerows, and on-site water recycling systems. Biodynamic practices here go beyond ritual—they’re tied to measurable goals for soil microbiome, carbon sequestration, and vine health. The estate also hosts educational events on regenerative farming and supports worker equity programs, further rooting their operation in sustainability values.

Guests are welcomed into a refined, modern tasting facility overlooking native oaks and hillside vineyards. Each experience includes a vineyard walk or garden stop, and the staff regularly integrate soil health insights into wine discussions—giving depth to their bold Cabernet and Rhône-style offerings.

🕒 By appointment only; generally 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
🚜 Estate Experience (~75 min, $75)
🧺 Picnic Areas: No – curated food pairings may be included with tasting
🍷 Wines Known For: Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Red Rhône Blends (Isthmus, Nuns Canyon)

✅ Porter Creek Vineyards – Healdsburg

**Certifications:** Certified Organic, Biodynamic Practices
📍 8735 Westside Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
📞 (707) 433‑6321 • 🌐 [portercreekvineyards.com](https://www.portercreekvineyards.com)

Porter Creek is a rustic, family-run winery known for low-intervention wines and serious commitment to sustainability. The estate vineyard has been **certified organic since 2003** and follows **biodynamic farming principles** without seeking formal Demeter certification. Cover crops, dry farming, and sheep grazing all play a role in soil stewardship.

The winery specializes in Rhône and Burgundian varietals, fermented with native yeasts and bottled with minimal sulfur. Tastings are casual and outdoors—often poured by family members—with a vineyard and forest backdrop.

🕒 Daily 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; walk-ins welcome
🚜 Vineyard tours available upon request
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – forested seating near tasting shack
🍷 Wines Known For: Pinot Noir, Viognier, Syrah, Carignane

✅ Truett Hurst Winery – Healdsburg

Certifications: Biodynamic, Certified Organic
437 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg, CA 95448 • (707) 887‑9200 • truetthurst.com
Truett Hurst offers a biodynamic, community-forward wine experience in bustling Healdsburg. The oak-shaded grounds include heritage varietals and a biodynamic garden. Tastings are served in open-air booths, fostering conversation among guests. On-site staff introduce biodynamic principles and vintage-specific impacts on the vineyards, always in approachable terms. It’s a place that encourages both learning and relaxed enjoyment.

Hours & Booking: Daily 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; reservations encouraged especially on weekends.
Tours Offered: Biodynamic Estate Experience (~60–75 min, ~$60)
Picnic Areas: Limited space—small outdoor seating available; visitors may bring a light picnic if allowed.
Wines Known For: Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, heritage blends.

✅ Hawley Winery – Healdsburg

Certifications: Organic Practices, Biodynamic (self-described); Sonoma Sustainable
📍 Tasting Room: 36 North Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448
📞 (707) 431‑8749 • 🌐 hawleywinery.com

Hawley Winery is a family-run operation that’s long embraced biodynamic and organic practices, even before certifications were commonplace. While not Demeter-certified, the estate farms without synthetic inputs, uses compost and native cover crops, and encourages wildlife habitat across its small hillside blocks in Dry Creek and Anderson Valley. The Hawleys emphasize soil regeneration and minimal interference in the cellar—favoring native yeast fermentations and low intervention bottling.

Their main tasting room is in downtown Healdsburg, but estate visits are occasionally available by request. The Healdsburg location is friendly and relaxed, with knowledgeable staff who can speak to the farming philosophy and small-lot wine details.

🕒 Open daily 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; estate visits by private request
🚜 Informal vineyard visits available on request for serious tasters
🧺 Picnic Areas: Not at the tasting room; limited access at vineyard by prior arrangement
🍷 Wines Known For: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Viognier, Syrah, Sparkling Brut

✅ Medlock Ames Winery – Healdsburg

Certifications: Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), Certified Organic
📍 Bell Mountain Ranch: 13414 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
📞 (707) 431‑8845 • 🌐 medlockames.com

Medlock Ames is a regenerative agriculture leader—and in 2022 became the first Sonoma County winery to earn Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). Farming has been organic since 2006, but the move to ROC pushed them even further, with a focus on carbon sequestration, closed-loop fertility, water efficiency, and ethical labor standards. Bell Mountain Ranch includes pollinator gardens, owl boxes, olive groves, and an extensive composting program—all designed to restore the land rather than simply sustain it. Solar power and low-impact architecture further reduce their footprint.

Visitors can taste wines at the Alexander Valley tasting room or attend seasonal events at the estate. Experiences include garden-to-table bites, education about soil and climate resilience, and even regenerative agriculture workshops. It’s a winery that blends mission with memorable wines.

🕒 Tastings by appointment; check website for seasonal hours and events
🚜 Estate Tour & Garden Tasting (~75 min, varies by season)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – shaded outdoor seating at both estate and tasting room
🍷 Wines Known For: Bell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay

✅ DeLoach Vineyards – Santa Rosa

**Certifications:** Demeter Biodynamic, Certified Organic
📍 1791 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
📞 (707) 755‑3300 • 🌐 [deloachvineyards.com](https://www.deloachvineyards.com)

DeLoach has been a Russian River Valley pioneer since the 1970s. Today, it’s one of the few Sonoma wineries to hold both **organic and biodynamic certifications** for its estate vineyard. The property features composting systems, owl boxes, and a certified organic garden used for biodynamic preparations. Minimal irrigation, hand-farming, and soil regeneration are central to DeLoach’s vineyard philosophy.

Guests are invited to walk the sensory garden, explore the Demeter-certified estate, and enjoy guided tastings with staff trained in biodynamic methods. With its elegant tasting salon and casual garden spaces, DeLoach offers something for every type of wine lover.

🕒 Daily 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; reservations recommended
🚜 *Estate Garden & Vineyard Tasting* (\~60–75 min, \~\$60)
🧺 Picnic Areas: Yes – small garden tables; outside food welcome
🍷 Wines Known For: Estate Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, single-block bottlings

✅ Littorai Wines – Sebastopol

**Certifications:** Biodynamic (uncertified), Organic Practices
📍 788 Gold Ridge Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472
📞 (707) 823‑9586 • 🌐 [littorai.com](https://www.littorai.com)

Littorai is revered for its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but equally admired for its commitment to ecological farming. While not formally Demeter certified, Littorai has followed **biodynamic principles since 2001** and practices organic viticulture on its estate vineyards. The winery composts all grape pomace, brews plant-based teas, and raises its own sheep for rotational grazing. Water is captured and filtered on-site using natural systems, and the entire winery is solar powered.

Tastings at Littorai are by appointment only and intentionally small, allowing for deep engagement with both the wines and the farming practices. Guests can tour the hillside farm, explore the permaculture gardens, and hear how farming decisions shape what’s in the glass.

🕒 Tastings by appointment only
🚜 *Estate Tour + Seated Tasting* (\~90 min, \$95)
🧺 Picnic Areas: No – tastings are formal and guided
🍷 Wines Known For: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, terroir-driven single-vineyard selections

🌿 What Makes Visiting a Sustainable Winery Special

We hope this intro to organic and biodynamic wines has inspired you to visit some of these wineries in person.

What makes these winery visits so special and unique — in addition to the wonderful wine and setting — is the chance to witness sustainability being put into action. You’re stepping into a place where people are doing the real work of land stewardship, ecological farming, and values-driven entrepreneurship. There’s something deeply satisfying about spending time on land that’s being actively cared for—and supporting the people who are leading that shift.

There’s also a joy that comes from meeting people who are passionate about similar things. You might meet a winemaker who lights up when explaining how they restored soil health or cut chemical use. Or, you might share a table with another visitor who came because they care deeply about environmental impact. This enthusiasm is contagious.

Tasting eco-friendly wines is just one part of this eye-opening, educational experience. If you opt for a vineyard tour—often with the winemaker or owner—you’ll get to hear firsthand stories about how they got started and their journey to sustainability.

🔗 Explore More Eco-Friendly Options in Sonoma

🟢 Find more Sonoma sustainable wineries in the Republic of Green Directory

🟢  Download our Sonoma Eco-Friendly Activities Guide to discover organic wineries, farm-to-table restaurants, and local cheese and olive oil producers.

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Verdant

I am passionate about making information and support easily available to people to enable them to live cleaner, greener, healthier, happier lives and to walk more lightly on the planet. In my spare time I love hiking, making green smoothies, and volunteering at the doggie shelter.

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