SFist Whines & Dines: Russian River
For fear of catching metal, we are not one to get involved in the whole East Coast – West Coast rivalry thing, but we would like to point out one big difference between dog friendly San Francisco and, uh, well, much less dog friendly New York. In San Francisco we can take our dogs wine tasting on the weekend. In New York, the latest fashion for the canine crowd is rubber boots. This is not an accessory; this is a necessity, as the streets of New York are alive with random electrical currents that are shocking dogs to death.
So the next time you hear a New Yorker tell you how much better everything is there than San Francisco (and you are living here because?), ask them if they have a dog. And if their dog is still alive, ask them when was the last time they took their dog wine tasting.
SFist Stan and Bailey, contributing
Photo courtesy of Mutt Lynch Winery
We just came back for the Russian River Barrel Tasting Festival last weekend. Shhh – don’t tell anyone, but this is the best wine event of the year. So this week, instead of detailing our favorite dog friendly bar we are going to give you the run down on the best (and least) dog friendly bars of the Russian River.
That’s right, many wineries in Sonoma allow dogs to run all over the place and that includes inside the tasting rooms. Most wineries in Sonoma have a house dog, usually cleverly named Zin or Cab or Franc (how do they come up with these names?). This is much less true in Napa, where arrogance and butterball tourists leave little room for the canines. But Sonoma is Napa 20 years ago without the attitude and we like that.
Our top 10 dog friendly Sonoma wineries are:
1. Joseph Swan Vineyards – nicest humans
2. Belvedere – lots of food and begging opportunities
3. Taft Street – ask for the free treats behind the counter
4. Wilson – tri tip on the grill, olfactory heaven for dogs
5. Russian Hill Estate – they may adopt your dog
6. Seghesio – cool gardens
7. Iron Horse – chill vibe and great views
8. Hop Kiln – the best patch of grass in the county
9. Gary Farrell – can roam around the barrel area but stay out of the fancy tasting room
10. Mazzocco – nice deck
Our bottom 5 least dog friendly Sonoma wineries are:
1. Lynmar – must have taken a wrong turn in Napa and planted their most pretentious asses here
2. DeLoach – the family sold out to corporate interests and it shows
3. Ferrari Carano – great potential but got kicked out in favor of some stupid fat cat
4. Ridge – success and new building has gone to their head
5. Hartford Family – owns the most expensive house in the neighborhood