Back in 1976, wine writer and publicist Millie Howie figured the best way to put Sonoma County on the map was to create one.

That year, Napa Valley burst onto the national scene by winning the legendary Paris Wine Tasting, and the artist Christo brought the spotlight to Bodega with his Running Fence project.

But the only way people found their way to Sonoma County’s wineries was by happenstance or word of mouth. Wineries interested in selling their products needed to find a way to get people up there and give them a reason to visit.

To increase their visibility, Howie and five area wineries banded together to raise their visibility, devising a map of their own they could send to potential wine buyers.

From that humble beginning grew Wine Road, a trade organization that began with a modest map of five wineries, that now has mushroomed to 200. It celebrates the 40th anniversary today with a gala at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville.