For our non-Bay Area guests, please note that Wine Country is not always warm and sunny! Here's what it's like at our house during the different times of the year:

Mid-March through April.  This is bud break in Sonoma Valley, and wildflower season, too.  The vineyards behind our house turn green and wildflowers are everywhere.  Expect highs in the 60s to around 70.  Kids will run back and forth between pool and hot tub.  Adults will drink wine around the fire pit. There will be some late season rain, but usually more sun than clouds, especially in April.   Sonoma Creek behind our house will be gurgling with water.  The oak trees get their leaves back.  By the second half of April, some days will feel like Summer.  Most of the pictures on this website were taken on a day in mid-April.

May and June.   Lovely.  Green, sunny, and pleasantly warm.  The vineyards behind our house will be light green and thick with leaves.  Beyond the vineyards, Sugarloaf Ridge and Hood Mountain will be green and gold.  Typically high temps in the mid-70s to low 80s.  The pool will be in full use.   Guests leave the doors and widows open all day, the kids running in and out.  Sonoma Creek will turn to a trickle.  Great bocce ball weather.

July through Early September.  The heart of Summer.  The warmest months, with the vineyard out back turning a deep green and the grapes heavy.  Most days will see highs in the low 80s into the low 90s.  Afternoons in and around the pool with cold drinks.  Maybe some air conditioning during the hottest part of the afternoon. Sunsets are balmy and the coastal breeze will cool things down at dusk.  Bocce ball and BBQ at sunset.  Night swimming.

Mid-September through early November.  The harvest season.  Many people like this time the best.  Festivals and celebrations throughout the Valley as the grapes are taken from the vines.  Temperatures begin to ease, with late September and October days typically in the mid-70s, frequently perfect.  By November, the vineyard leaves behind the house will turn deep orange, yellow and red as the Indian Summer ends, the air becomes  chilly, and Thanksgiving approaches.

Mid-November through New Years.   The holiday season.  Early November can sometimes still be mild.  By Thanksgiving the temperatures are crisp.  By December the rainy season should have started in earnest and Sonoma Creek may begin to run again.  Our fire pit will be in use, and the Valley becomes festive for the holidays.  The hot tub is popular.  By New Years, the oak trees and vineyards have  lost their leaves, and many days don't hit 60 degrees. 

January through mid-March.  Winter season.  Everything is green.  Sonoma Creek will be full and running.  From our redwood deck, it will sound like a wide river.  In January and February, high temperatures are typically in the high 50s, maybe 60.  A beautiful time to walk the Valley, go wine tasting, cook big meals, watch movies, and enjoy the fire pit and hot tub.  The swimming pool will tempt only the hardiest of kids.  By March, however, there will be warmth in the air, and the days will creep up into the mid-60s.