Francis Ford Coppola Winery

 
  Barndiva’s Heirloom Bean Cassoulet with seared wild halibut
 
  The picnic area at the Medlock Ames tasting room

San Francisco is the gateway to California’s wine regions, but you don’t need to leave the city to enjoy great tasting experiences, as even the hotels have gotten in on the action. The Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco is home to the Press Club, a wine bar and lounge whose Visiting Vintners series rotates a selection of California wine, beer and sparkling wine. The InterContinental San Francisco’s Bar 888 houses an unrivaled collection of grappas, while the superb city views from the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco are only outdone by the hotel’s Ngima Cuvée Pinot Noir, a special collaboration with Hirsch Vineyards.

For an insightful overview of the city’s wine scene, enlist the bespoke guided-tour services of Carried Away. They’ll whisk you from cozy wine bars such as the Hayes Valley hole-in-the-wall Hôtel Biron to the saloonlike Fat Angel in lower Fillmore and SoMa’s boho-chic Terroir for its stellar cellar of natural wines.

Later, wander the historic Jackson Square area to sample private-label wines from the patented Cask Delivery System at Barrique before dining at one of the hottest tables in town at Cotogna.

One of Food & Wine’s seven Sommeliers of the Year, Rajat Parr of Mina Group, will get your palate ready for the Russian River Valley through pairings like Freeman Vineyard & Winery Ryo-fu Chardonnay with deconstructed lobster pot pie at Michael Mina.

Just 90 minutes north of San Francisco, the Russian River Valley—which takes up one-sixth of Sonoma County and is known for the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs it produces—just might be California’s most exciting up-and-coming wine region. Both the trendy Hotel Healdsburg and its LEED Gold-certified younger sibling, H2Hotel, sit near Healdsburg’s picturesque, boutique-filled town square. Upscale rusticators might prefer the luxe suites and Michelin-starred restaurant at Forestville’s Farmhouse.

Spend your morning hiking to a picnic spot high above the Alexander Valley at Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate, hop aboard Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves’ vintage Swiss Army Pinzgauer vehicle for a tour of the Lily Hill Vineyard above Dry Creek, or wander the ancient redwood groves at Simi. Next, taste a cross section of Sonoma vinos while perusing Terroirs Artisan Wines’ art gallery in Geyserville.

In the evening, stop for a drink at Medlock Ames’ speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar before an Italian feast back in town at Scopa, or a dinner of farm-fresh delicacies on Barndiva’s patio.

Spend the next day relaxing at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Pools & Cabines (pronounced “ka-beens,” they’re European-style changing rooms) or take a cooking class at Relish Culinary Adventures. And once you’ve caught the Russian River Valley bug, travel back up November 5 and 6 to catch the 13th Annual Wine & Food Affair, with 110 participating wineries in northern Sonoma County.