For visiting (and resident) foodies, Sonoma Valley is love at first bite. Long a culinary destination, the Valley serves up more than 35 dining choices--from artisan bakeries and cafés to fine dining at chef-owned restaurants, where wine lists are as long as Sonoma Valley. Whether you’re hankering for Tuscan country cooking, oysters on the half shell, spicy Himalayan curry or just a warm baguette and mission figs from the farmer’s market, the local bounty is limitless. Some of epicurean culture’s heaviest hitters have called Sonoma home, from genre-creating food writer M.F.K. Fisher to Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams, who opened his first shop in Sonoma 51 years ago.

With Sonoma Valley’s Mediterranean climate and fertile soil, most produce used at Sonoma restaurants is grown within miles. Combine Sonoma’s gourmet breads, acclaimed cheeses and olive oils with produce from local stands and grocers to enjoy a perfect Wine Country picnic.