The North Bay in California has a special place in my heart where I cherish every second I’ve been fortunate enough to spend in its glory. Petaluma is no exception and this post features a number of tasting rooms, distilleries, breweries, and associated businesses. At the recent Petaluma Drinks! event I explored a number of tasty places to explore for a Petaluma urban hike. The three ingredients to an urban hike, after all, are exploring somewhere on foot with ample eating and drinking. It’s the view as you pass individual businesses and crevices of nature that you find the small, subtle gems of a community.
There were 25 producers participating in the event across this small agricultural town and I opted to explore the downtown cluster of vendors to keep it easily walkable. That is up until the moment we had 15+ wine bottles to carry and needed to go get the car.
Barber Lee Spirits, 120 Washington Street, Petaluma, CA. 94952
Adjacent to the center of downtown, the adventure started with Barber Lee Spirits and Barber Cellars, sister tasting rooms on E Washington St. Here you can get spirits, wine, cheese (and grilled cheese sandwiches) all within three adjoining spaces.
Barber Cellars, 112 Washington Street, Petaluma, CA. 94952
Tastings included a superb 2018 “Kitten with a Whip” Rose and a 2017 Zin Master Reserve. The grilled cheese list was perfectly balanced with seasonal ingredients and some of Sonoma County’s most iconic cheeses. We took home a few bottles and were not disappointed.
Adobe Road Winery, 6 Petaluma Blvd N. Suite – A1, Petaluma, CA. 94952
Tucked away in the Great Petaluma Mill shopping center, this tasting room’s size makes it cozy while providing seemingly intimate spaces for spending time with friends. 
Tastings included a 2017 Sauvignon Blanc with lovely acidity and an approachable 2016 Redline blend. Personally, I could not get enough of this once home.
Monarch Bitters, 122 Kentucky Street, Petaluma, CA. 94952
After a few drinks, shopping makes perfect sense for your next stop. Monarch Apothecary on Kentucky St features an incredible selection of mixing and culinary bitters. Highlights included cherry vanilla, cayenne ginger, celery horseradish, smoked salt and pepper, and bacon tobacco. I had not considered culinary bitters but have sense explored with salads as a finishing salt.
Mezcal, sparkling hibiscus tea, lime, and smoked salt & pepper bitters.
The Block, 20 Grey St, Petaluma, CA. 94952
Stop by these food trucks to recharge with enormous sandwiches and wood-fired pizza. There is a wide selection of beer and wine options inside as well.
At Petaluma Drinks! three vinyards were positioned in a lovely liquor store/tasting room a few blocks from downtown, Charley’s. Go here if you want to find all of those hard-to-find bottles (ex: Peanut Butter Whiskey, anyone?) Inside their taproom three producers set up around the taproom.
