The week’s news from the valley’s vineyards and farms — the associations, the growers, and the water that keeps it all going.
Around the valley's vineyards
- Flowers and Farmers at the Sonoma County Fair (Jul 29), Sonoma County Winegrowers — The Sonoma County Fair runs August 7–16, opening with the $50 Floral Fandango preview at the Hall of Flowers on August 6 and Farmers Day on August 9.
- Untitled_1 (Jul 28), Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers
- Sonoma Valley Harvest Dinner (Jul 27), Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers — The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers will hold their Harvest Dinner on Friday, September 25th at 5:30 pm outside Sonoma City Hall, with food by the girl & the fig.
- 5K Fun Run & Vintage Vines 1 Miler (Jul 27), Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers — A 5K Fun Run at 8:00 am and the new Vintage Vines 1 Miler at 9:00 am, both featuring a costume contest, open Sonoma Valley's Daytime Festival on September 26th.
- Pour + Explore Aromatic Whites August 20 (Jul 27), Sonoma County Vintners — Sonoma County Vintners hosts Pour + Explore, an evening of rosé and aromatic whites at Banshee Wines in Alexander Valley on August 20, tickets $85, capped at 100 guests.
- Sonoma County Begins One of Its Earliest Winegrape Harvests in Years (Jul 24), Sonoma County Winegrowers — Sonoma County's 2026 winegrape harvest has begun in what may be the region's earliest start ever, with a smaller crop expected to yield exceptionally concentrated wines.
- Semillon in Sonoma County (Jul 22), Sonoma County Winegrowers — Semillon, a white Bordeaux grape brought to Sonoma County by Agoston Haraszthy in 1862, survives in Monte Rosso's 1886 vines and modern bottlings from Lambert Bridge to Peter Michael.
- Mauritson Family and Foley Family Wines & Spirits Recognized for Outstanding Industry Leadership (Jul 16), Sonoma County Winegrowers — At their annual BBQ on July 16, 2026, Sonoma County Winegrowers honored the Mauritson family with the Viticulture Award of Excellence and Foley Family Wines & Spirits with the Sustainable Winery Award.
Water & drought
Sonoma County is free of drought this week — 100% of the county is out of drought and abnormal-dryness categories, per the U.S. Drought Monitor (week ending 2026-07-20).
Lake Sonoma, the valley’s largest reservoir, held about 248,283 acre-feet of water as of 2026-7-29 .
From the wider wine world
- Oregon Wine Earns Multiple Honors in 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Awards (Jul 29), Wine Industry Advisor
- Afternoon Brief, July 29 (Jul 29), Wine Industry Advisor
- Discover a brand that is ‘a complete Spanish wine universe’ (Jul 29), Wine Industry Advisor
- 📺3 Up-and-Coming Italian Wine Regions You Absolutely Need on Your Radar (Jul 29), Wine Industry Advisor
- The Most Misunderstood Thing About Red Wine, According To Sommeliers (Jul 29), Wine Industry Advisor
Sources: the valley’s wine associations, the U.S. Drought Monitor, and California water data. Headlines link to the original source; we summarize, we don’t reprint.