Sonoma Tasting Room Battle Heats Up

Nov 8, 2017

(Wine-Searcher) - Is Sonoma overdoing the number of tasting rooms in the town center? Liza B. Zimmerman finds rumblings of discontent.

How many tasting rooms are too many? Some Sonoma locals think the 33 in the vicinity of the town's central square, the Sonoma Plaza, are simply too many.

A mix of local residents and merchants have logged complaints with the city council to promote a more balanced retail mix and keep a lid on spiralling rents. A planned vote on a moratorium on new tasting rooms turned into a stalemate last month as the council decided to dedicate more time to the issue.

Residents want greater retail diversity in Sonoma town, according to Padi Selwyn, a Sonoma resident and one of the co-founders of Preserve Rural Sonoma County, an organization dedicated to protecting the area's rural character. It's a tight balancing act when both the county and town know how much revenue they get from wine-loving visitors.


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