USA Today has announced its annual 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards, highlighting “the best of the best” in categories such as food and drink, lodging and things to do. Among the winners this year are two Sonoma County tasting rooms.
Sonoma’s Corner 103 and Glen Ellen’s Benziger Family Winery were named among the 10 Best Wine Tasting Rooms of 2023 — Benziger came in at No. 9 and Corner 103 at No. 2.
Nominees within this category, like other 10Best categories, were chosen by a panel of USA Today experts. Readers were then allowed to vote once per category, per day, for four weeks before the contest closed and the top 10 were announced. DAOU Vineyards in Paso Robles took the No. 1 spot this year. Napa Valley’s Turnbull Wine Cellars also made the list, at No. 7.
This is the fourth time Corner 103 makes USA Today’s Best Wine Tasting Room list. Last year, the tasting room on the Sonoma Plaza also took the No. 2 spot. It was named the best tasting room in the U.S. in both 2020 and 2021, topping the USA Today list.
“The staff provides an educational and comfortable tasting experience,” wrote USA Today about Corner 103, founded by Lloyd Davis in 2015. The downtown Sonoma tasting room remains outstanding for its tastings of limited-production wines, such as sparkling rosé, chardonnay, pinot noir, zinfandel and malbec.
Benziger Winery, a popular destination for its eco-friendly estate and its sustainable approach to winemaking, was named among the Best Winery Tours in 2022 by USA Today (it came in at No. 4 on that list).
This year, USA Today wrote that Benziger offers “a tasting experience that goes beyond sipping wine.” Wine expert Ziggy Eschliman described it as “nirvana” and said the tasting room is particularly enjoyable “thanks to a friendly and wine-savvy staff.” Eschliman also mentioned the tasting room’s gift selection that includes “fun cheese and food treats.”
Click through the above gallery for a peek at each tasting room and stay tuned for updates on more local winners of USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards 2023.