Your insider's guide to Wine Country

Rent a fancy car and follow this route through Sonoma County, complete with pit stops, as mapped out by a road rally team.

Vintage race car owners travel to Wine Country each spring to participate in the Napa Valley 750 road rally, which also covers Sonoma County. If you don’t happen to have your own classic wheels, you can still enjoy a rally-worthy adventure. Click through the gallery for a race car driver's perfect Sonoma County tour. (Everett Lederer)

The Napa Valley 750 team has mapped out a detailed course for a single day adventure through Sonoma County. The tour begins in St. Helena, traveling through Calistoga, Santa Rosa, Forestville, Occidental, Freestone, Valley Ford, Tomales, Marshall, Pt. Reyes Station, Olema, Petaluma and Sonoma. Find the a map of the route here: tinyurl.com/4vjwbx3p. Click through the gallery for pit stops. (Everett Lederer)

Calistoga: Get a piece of pie (a perfect breakfast) at the iconic Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs. Its new House of Better restaurant celebrates Hatch green chiles in such mouthwatering recipes as apple pie laced with smoky, roasted green chiles tucked in a butter-based cheddar crust and topped with walnut streusel and clouds of crème fraiche. 1507 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, 707-942-6257, houseofbetter.com. (Emma K. Morris)

Santa Rosa/Larkfield-Wikiup: As you motor down Mark West Springs Road, pull off for a killer beverage at Blue Beagle Coffee. The small, artsy shop stocks a delicious assortment of hot and iced brews, teas, and milk alternatives like soy, almond, breve and hemp. 540 Larkfield Center, Larkfield-Wikiup, 707-535-0776, facebook.com/bluebeaglecoffee. (Blue Beagle Coffee)

Forestville: Shop for delightful sundries at the charming A la Heart café and marketplace stocked with locally-made goodies like gluten-free breads from Mama Mel’s of Petaluma, Volo Chocolate of Windsor, Comet Corn organic popcorn of Santa Rosa, Iced Sunshine Coffee of Forestville, and Revive Kombucha of Petaluma, plus many local cheeses, artsy toys, candles, cookbooks, jams, lotions, and so much more. 6490 Mirabel Road, Forestville, 707-527-7555, alaheart.com. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Occidental: The Altamont General Store is a lovely place for lunch, tempting with picture-perfect sandwiches such as heritage walnut-finished pork topped in melty Havarti, slaw, pickled onions and kimchi sauce on a banh mi roll, or beautiful bowls like the Boho of stewed French lentils, Koda Farms kokuho rice and organic brown rice, charred cabbage, marinated carrots, Beet Generation lettuce mix, pickled beets, kraut and chimichurri. 3703 Main Street, Occidental, 707-874-6053, altamontgeneralstore.com. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)

Freestone: The town has a population of just 32, but it’s home to the marvelous Freestone Artisan Cheese, where owner Omar Mueller showcases spectacular cheesemakers from Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Mendocino counties. Taste samples to find your favorites, then round out your purchase with locally made products like Sebastopol olive oil, kefir water sodas, kvass, pickled mushrooms, jams, honey and charcuterie. 380 Bohemian Hwy., Freestone, 707-874-1030, freestoneartisan.com. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)

Valley Ford: Blink and you’ll miss the mini-town. But check out the family-owned Valley Ford Market, which caters to farmers and ranchers and visitors looking for staples like plumbing fixtures and fishing tackle but also an extensive selection of local wines, housemade beef jerky that’s more like luscious steak, and a mish-mash old-school décor that reminds you that, yes, you are in the middle of a rural community dating back to the 1870s. 14400 Highway 1, Valley Ford, 707-876-3245. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)

Petaluma: If you love gardening and heritage produce, you’ll adore Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company's Seed Bank in the historic Petaluma Downtown District. It brims with plantable treasures you’ll rarely find, such as the sweet, rich, and fruity Swiss heirloom Gniff carrots, the renowned Bernier Farms certified organic seed garlic, and many varieties of Agastache, a deliciously fragrant herb that makes wonderful tea with its showy flowers that also are a favorite of butterflies and bees. 110 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, 707-773-1336, rareseeds.com/petaluma-seed-bank. (Crissy Pascual/Petaluma Argus-Courier)

Sonoma: The Napa Valley 750 group wraps things up at the upscale El Dorado Kitchen for appetizers and fancy mocktails garnished in edible flowers, and that’s a great choice. But plan some extra time to explore the entire Sonoma Plaza that El Dorado flanks. Laid out in 1835 by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, founder of Sonoma, the 8-acre plaza is the largest in California and rimmed with dozens of boutiques, wine tasting rooms, restaurants and art galleries. 453 First St. E., Sonoma, 707-996-1090, sonomaplaza.com. (Courtesy of El Dorado Hotel and Kitchen)

Sonoma County is well known for its scenic backroads, snaking over mountains, around bucolic farms, ranches and endless vineyards, then out to the Russian River and the glorious Pacific Ocean. Spectacular views abound, and one of the best ways to take it all in is with a race car.

A vintage race car, to be exact, such as the 1958 Porsche Speedster owned by Dave and Natalie Hagan of Calistoga. Or the 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider owned by Charles and Gail McCabe of Napa. Or any of the more than two dozen classic motorcars owned by enthusiasts who travel to Wine Country for each spring’s Napa Valley 750 road rally.

(It’s called the Napa Valley rally to designate the tour’s host resort, Harvest Inn in St. Helena, but it also covers Sonoma and Mendocino counties, as well as a jaunt into Davis in the Sacramento Valley region).

Over five days, the car collectors tour in dramatic, movie-style convoys all across the northern California region, exploring remote byways and the California 1 Highway. Along the way, they make numerous stops at picturesque wineries, quaint cafés, landmarks, and high-end restaurants. In all, the trip covers 750 miles, starting and ending each day at Harvest Inn.

These small but mighty cars go fast, and with their lean, racy frames, feel like they’re flying as they hug the skinny, winding pavements. So here’s an even better idea for folks timid behind the wheel: Hitchhike with a professional driver, like I did.

My guide politely ignored when I dug my foot into the floor mat by the passenger seat, making futile attempts to brake. He assured me that his car wouldn’t lift off the earth as it zipped around curves, and suggested I hold on to the dashboard’s safety handle if I felt particularly buoyant.

And he reminded me that truly, we weren’t speeding – not much, anyway. Rally participants have to honor policies that keep everyone safe on the road. It’s not a race, we all agree.

Next year’s Napa Valley 750 rally is slated for March 26-31, with entry open to anyone with a snazzy sports car built before 1972. But if you don’t happen to have your own classic wheels, you can still enjoy a rally-worthy adventure on your own.

The Napa Valley 750 team has mapped out a detailed course for a single day adventure through Sonoma County, which you can embark on any day of the year. You can drive your own car or rent a fancier version from Turo. A recent check for bookings via the Santa Rosa Airport found a variety of sexy beasts, including a 2021 Tesla Model S, a 2022 BMW X6, and a 2021 Audi A4.

The tour begins in St. Helena, traveling through Calistoga, Santa Rosa, Forestville, Occidental, Freestone, Valley Ford, Tomales, Marshall, Pt. Reyes Station, Olema, Petaluma and Sonoma. It covers 125 miles. Find a map of the route here: tinyurl.com/4vjwbx3p. And be sure to stop along the way to soak up each of these unique destinations.

Click through the above gallery for more details and the perfect pit stops.

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Through in-depth stories and vivid photography, Sonoma Magazine keeps readers on the pulse of the restaurants, wineries, arts, entertainment, culture and style that make Sonoma a destination, a haven, and a way of life.