★★★★★
rated 5.0 on Yelp, Google & TripAdvisor
Our personal favorites from 15 years of dog-friendly wine tours across Lodi, Sonoma, and the Sierra Foothills.
Northern California is home to some of the most dog-friendly wineries in the country. These are our seven personal favorites — wineries where dogs aren't just tolerated, but genuinely welcomed. We've been visiting all of them for years with our own dogs, and the experiences behind this list are real.
Our number one is Jessie's Grove — a fifth-generation farm that planted its first wine grapes in 1886. Those vines are still alive and producing: 25 acres of the oldest Cinsaut vines in the world. The wines are exceptional, but the reason Jessie's tops our list is the people.
Owner and winemaker Greg Burns is such a genuine animal lover that when our Cattle Dog, Dozer, passed away in 2020 at age 17, Greg allowed us to bury him on the property. We've been regular visitors ever since — buying a bottle and spending afternoons at Dozer's grave with our other dogs, toasting the dog who ran out in front of a truck in New Mexico in 2004, jumped into the open door, and spent the next 16 years traveling through 10 countries with us.
Don't miss a visit. Beautiful setting, great wine, people with big hearts.
Heritage Oak has a walking trail that winds down to the Mokelumne River — a 25-minute stroll through vineyards and old oak trees that ends on a riverside beach. Bring a picnic, open a bottle, let your dog roam. It's one of the best dog-friendly wine experiences in Northern California.
Over 100 acres farmed sustainably, award-winning wines across Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and a tasting room staff that genuinely enjoys meeting dogs. Owner Tom Hoffman runs a tight, welcoming operation, and their small winery dog Cusco is always there to greet visitors. Our dog Riley actually found us at Heritage Oak — a stray who popped out from under a fig tree and decided he was coming home with us. He's been with us ever since.
Winemaker Layne Montgomery and his wife Karen are serious animal lovers, and it shows in everything M2 does. They've produced wines that donate proceeds to animal rescue, run a "Doggone Good Wine Club" for dog lovers, and host summer "Yappy Hour" events with live music and food trucks on the lawn.
The tasting room and outdoor patio are dog-friendly, and the atmosphere is one of the most welcoming you'll find anywhere in the Lodi region. Bring your dog, buy a bottle, and hang out on the grass while a band plays. A different food truck shows up every week, or bring a picnic of your own.
As the name suggests, Mutt Lynch is all about dogs. Founded by Brenda Lynch — a dog lover and animal rescue advocate — the winery produces dog-themed wines with labels like "Unleashed Chardonnay" and "Merlot Over and Play Dead," and donates a portion of proceeds to rescue organizations.
Dogs are welcome inside the tasting room and on the outdoor patio, with water bowls provided. They host "Dog Days of Summer" festivals with live music, food trucks, and dog costume contests. It's fun, it's genuine, and the wines are actually very good — particularly the "Out of Reach" Zinfandel and the "Portrait of a Mutt" blend.
Matanzas Creek is beautiful in a way that's hard to describe until you've seen the lavender fields in full bloom from May through July. More than five acres of lavender alongside the vineyards, a committed biodynamic and organic farming approach, and an outdoor patio that welcomes well-behaved dogs.
The winery is particularly known for its Bennett Valley Merlot, and they also produce a limited lavender-infused wine worth trying. The setting alone is worth the visit — and bringing a dog makes it that much better.
Story Winery sits in the Sierra Foothills overlooking the Cosumnes River, owned by two partners originally from the country of Georgia. They pour wines made from locally grown Sierra Foothills grapes alongside wines from their winery back home — a genuinely unique multi-continental tasting experience.
The wines are bold and interesting, the tasting room is warm and rustic, and their resident winery dog Simba the Rottweiler is one of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet. He greets every visitor — two-legged and four-legged alike — and when we come with our dogs Riley and Margie, the three of them spend the whole time playing on the patio.
Bella Grace is a family-owned estate nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, producing estate-grown wines from sustainably farmed grapes in small batches. The range is impressive — Chardonnay, Viognier, Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah — and they also make and sell estate olive oils.
The best way to visit is outside their wine cave, tasting wines while overlooking the valley. Winery dog Lucy the Goldendoodle and occasional visitor Jack the Black Lab make sure every arrival feels like a welcome. On food truck days, the whole property comes alive. A wonderful way to end a day in the foothills.
Since 2010, we've been bringing dogs along for wine tours across Northern California. Your driver rides in your vehicle, handles the navigation, and is happy to keep an eye on your pup if a winery doesn't allow dogs inside. We've been to every winery on this list — many of them dozens of times — and we'd love to take you.
Call or book online — we're happy to answer questions before you reserve.