At these wineries, dogs and wine is the perfect pairing.
Lord Sandwich, Smith Story Wine Cellars: This six-year-old Goldendoodle is a force for good: the cute pup has inspired nonprofit Socks for Sandwich as well as two wines — a Lord Sandwich Red and Lord Sandwich Blanc. Like many dogs, Lord Sandwich was crazy about socks as a puppy. Now, for every Smith Story bottle sold, a new pair of socks is donated to someone in need. Close to 40,000 pairs of socks have been provided to date. 1200 American Way, Windsor, 9000 CA 128, Philo, smithstorywinecellars.com, socksforsandwich.org. (Courtesy photo)
Lord Sandwich makes appearances at the Smith Story Russian River Valley tasting salon in Windsor, as well as the Anderson Valley retail and tasting room in Philo. As for his unique name, Alison Smith Story, co-founder of Smith Story Wine Cellars, thought it would be fun to have a dog named Sandwich, “because everyone loves a good Sandwich!” She hopes to someday get Lord Sandwich a brother, named Sir Soup. (Courtesy photo)
Halsey, Jordan Vineyard & Winery: Just two years old, Halsey is a black Lab pup that can often be seen buzzing around the Healdsburg winery property on an ATV with his owner John Jordan. 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 800-654-1213, jordanwinery.com. (Courtesy photo)
Dante, Jordan Vineyard & Winery: Halsey’s fellow winery dog, Dante, is a six-year-old Italian Greyhound owned by Lisa Mattson, Jordan’s director of marketing and communications. He’s been spending his days at Jordan since he was 10 weeks old, and has a reputation for interrupting the 11 a.m. winery tour, which tends to coincide with his morning walk. (Courtesy photo)
Obi Wine Kenobi, Deerfield Ranch Winery: Yes, you read that right. Called Obi for short, all of the pets at Deerfield Ranch Winery have had Star Wars inspired names. (The poodle before Obi was Luke Skywalker.) 10200 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-833-5215, deerfieldranch.com
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According to his owners, P.J. and Robert Rex, the soon-to-be five-year-old Standard Poodle thinks Deerfield Ranch Winery guests come to see him (and not to taste wine). That said, he has his own wine label, May All Fours Be With You. (Photo courtesy of Patrice Ward)
Dutchess, Dutcher Crossing: Dutchess, a rescue puppy from Taiwan, found her way to Dutcher Crossing winery owner Debra Mathy with the help of a few wine club members. From making introductions to the right friend thousands of miles away to offering some tutoring on Taiwanese dog commands, Mathy credits her extended wine club family for uniting her with the yellow Lab. 8533 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville, 866-431-2711, dutchercrossingwinery.com. (Photo courtesy of WineDogs.com)
Dutchess, now 11 years old, enjoys saying hello to Dutcher Crossing guests, especially when they are picnicking. (Photo courtesy of WineDogs.com)
Biondi, Muscardini Cellars: Michael Muscardini’s Golden Retriever pup will be two this spring. Biondi means blonde in Italian. 9380 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-933-9305, muscardinicellars.com. (Courtesy photo)
Biondi shares his name with Muscardini’s winemaking inspiration, Franco Biondi Santi, an Italian winemaker. (Courtesy photo)
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Luca, Kibo Farm at Belden Barns: Although he has 55 acres to roam, Luca likes to spend time in the tasting room: he is a social mutt who loves being with people. There's a good chance you'll find him stretching out on the floor of the tasting room barn, or you might see him in the fields of nearby Kibo Farm, with owners Jenny and Vince Trotter. 5561 Sonoma Mountain Road Santa Rosa, 415-577-8552, kibosonoma.com, beldenbarns.com (Photo courtesy of Jenny Trotter)
Luca hasn’t always been a Wine Country dog. A friend of the Trotters found him in Cuernavaca, Mexico when he was a puppy and brought him back to the Bay Area. The Trotters hadn’t planned on adopting a dog but after a couple of days they were hooked. (Courtesy photo)
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There are few things people are as passionate about as wine and dogs, at least if you judge by their social media posts. Combine the two, and you’ve got yourself the perfect pairing. At Sonoma wineries, dogs are an important part of daily operations as they roam vineyards, entertain visitors, even inspire donations for a good cause. In honor of our furry friends, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite winery dogs in the above gallery For more dog-friendly local wineries, click here
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