Sonoma Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Berthoud Winery with a Private Chauffeur
A Swiss family's six-acre vineyard and 1919 wine barn, where the family walks you through the vines and the open-top redwood vats, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Claude Berthoud grew up in a village outside Geneva in the 1930s and 1940s, where wine was poured at every meal, and dreamed of farming his own grapes. He came to California in 1954, made his first wine in a San Francisco garage in 1967 and in 1972 settled in Sonoma Valley with his wife, Ann, buying a six-acre property west of town. Their son Mike planted Merlot right away, studied enology at Fresno State and went on to work under Richard Arrowood at Chateau St. Jean, then spent 15 years as winemaker at Arrowood Winery and later made the wines at Mayo Family Winery, all while making Berthoud wine for the family.
Everything is made by hand in a wine barn built around 1919. Grapes ferment in traditional open-top redwood vats and are punched down by hand several times a day, pressed in a 19th-century one-ton basket press, aged 22 months in French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. The estate is farmed for less than two tons per acre. Besides Merlot and the Bordeaux blends Ursus and Ursus Minor (Ursus is Latin for bear, and Berthoud is pronounced Bear-Too), the family makes a rare Chasselas Doré, Switzerland's most planted white grape, and only about 75 cases of Syrah a year from some 300 vines.
A visit is a tour with the family, not a tasting bar: you walk the vineyard and see the barn where the wines are made, by reservation only. It is about as small and personal as Sonoma Valley gets, and a good fit for guests who want to meet the people who make the wine.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation. Berthoud does not publish a tour fee; club members tour free.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
1265 Craig Avenue, Sonoma
AVA
Sonoma Valley
Visiting
By reservation only. Tours of the vineyard and wine barn are requested for a morning or afternoon, for up to 8 guests, and are confirmed by email from a member of the Berthoud family.
Known For
Handmade, unfiltered estate Bordeaux blends, Syrah and a rare Swiss Chasselas Doré from a family barn
Founded
1972, by Claude and Ann Berthoud
Good to Know
Reservations are not confirmed until a member of the family emails back, so we book well ahead. Requests are for parties of up to 8. Wine is sold by email or at the winery.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Sonoma hotel such as Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn or Ledson Hotel.
10:00 · Pickup at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn or Ledson Hotel
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, a historic resort with its own geothermal mineral waters, is about 10 minutes from Berthoud Winery, and Ledson Hotel, on the east side of the Sonoma Plaza, about 15. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Berthoud Winery
A morning tour of the vineyard and the 1919 wine barn with the Berthoud family (what is poured, and any fee, confirmed when we book). We plan about an hour.
11:40 · Nicholson Ranch
About 25 minutes away. A 40-acre estate in the southern foothills of Sonoma Valley, where Napa and Sonoma meet, making only estate-grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah. The Cave Tour and Tasting walks you through the vineyard, the winery and the underground cellars and finishes in the Great Room, with five Estate and Reserve wines ($75). By appointment, 2 to 8 guests; open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
12:55 · Lunch at the girl & the fig
About 15 minutes away. Sondra Bernstein's restaurant on the Sonoma Plaza, serving French country cooking from a seasonal menu, with cheese and charcuterie, a Rhône-focused wine list and a garden patio. Open from 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:40 · Hamilton Family Wines
About 30 minutes away. Greg and Lindsay Hamilton's family winery in Kenwood, built around Grenache and the other Rhône grapes, with tastings in an olive grove, cabanas or the tasting room. The Rhône Table pours their tiny-lot Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah side by side, then the GSM blend, with a cheese and charcuterie board, about 75 minutes ($75). Book 48 hours ahead; open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., final hosted tasting at 4.
4:25 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 4:30 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
All three stops are open daily, so this day works any day the Berthoud family confirms a morning tour. Hamilton's Rhône Table needs 48 hours' notice.
About $150 per person in tasting fees for Nicholson Ranch and Hamilton Family Wines; Berthoud's fee is to be verified upon reservation. Fees are paid directly to each winery.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Berthoud Winery?
Yes. Visits are by reservation only and are confirmed by email from the family. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Berthoud Winery?
Tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation; Berthoud does not publish a tour fee, and wine club members tour free.
Who owns Berthoud Winery?
The Berthoud family. Claude and Ann Berthoud founded it in 1972, and their son Mike, a longtime winemaker at Arrowood and Mayo Family Winery, makes the wines.
What is Chasselas Doré?
The most widely grown grape in Switzerland and almost unknown in the United States. Berthoud makes it crisp, low in alcohol at about 12% and very lightly sparkling, a nod to the family's Swiss roots.
Where is Berthoud Winery?
At 1265 Craig Avenue, on the west side of the town of Sonoma in Sonoma Valley.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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