‘Sonoma in the City’ Returns to Chicago

Grand Sonoma Wine Tasting Sold Out Weeks Before Event in Windy City

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (March 4, 2025) – Chicago and Sonoma County have a mutual love affair.

Sonoma in the City, a signature event that brings Sonoma County winemakers and winegrowers to cities around the country, made its first return to Chicago in a decade on March 1. Driven by the importance of the Chicago region to wine, in 2024 Sonoma County Winegrowers established its first NFL sponsorship when the Chicago Bears began featuring Sonoma County wines at exclusive wine tastings and special events on certain game days. The love for all things Sonoma County has clearly expanded beyond the team’s legendary fans to include all of Chicagoland.

The marquee of the weekend was the “Grand Sonoma Wine Tasting” which sold out weeks before the event. The grand tasting was held on the 17th floor of the beautiful 167 Events space in downtown Chicago on Saturday, March 1. The celebration of Sonoma County was hosted by the Sonoma County Winegrowers in partnership with Lettuce Entertain You and The Oakville Grill & Cellar, part of its renowned restaurant group. Lettuce Entertain You is a family-owned organization that owns, manages and licenses more than 60 brands and 130 restaurants in twelve states. In addition to the Oakville Grill & Cellar, Lettuce Entertain You owns RPM Steak, Shaw’s Crab House, Mon Ami Gabi and many more. The Grand Sonoma Wine Tasting marks the first collaboration event of many planned in the new partnership between Sonoma County Winegrowers and Lettuce Entertain You.

More than 400 attendees joined in the Saturday afternoon celebration which included the opportunity to sample wines from more than 40 Sonoma County wineries, meet winegrape growers and winemakers, and learn about the region. Additional tables featuring five of Sonoma County’s 19 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)—Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Valley, and West Sonoma Coast—and Sonoma County Tourism provided more information on the region’s appellations and all it has to offer as a travel destination. Prior to the Grand Tasting, more than 40 guests were able to join in an intimate Masterclass exploring the diversity of Sonoma County wines, where six winemakers and winegrowers shared their expertise and stories while showcasing six different varietals from six different appellations.

“The sellout of all these special events and the many younger wine lovers attending is proof that Chicago’s long passion for Sonoma County wines continues and the team at Lettuce Entertain You is best in class,” said Karissa Kruse, president and chief executive officer of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. She added, “We appreciated being able to join Sonoma County Tourism’s media lunch and pour wines from five of Sonoma County’s AVAs. We even added a pop-up Sonoma County Happy Hour tasting at four of the legendary Binny’s Beverage Depots on Friday evening featuring our winery partners to ensure all Chicagoans had an opportunity to enjoy our wines. We are already planning to return to Chicago next year and build off the enthusiasm from this amazing weekend.”

The Chicago Bears were the first NFL team sponsorship for Sonoma County Winegrowers which also has collaborations ongoing with the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Rockets. Building on that success in bringing world-class Sonoma County wines to new and diverse audiences, Sonoma County Winegrowers is also an official sponsor for Acrisure Arena and the Coachella Valley Firebirds minor league hockey team. In the past few years, Sonoma County Winegrowers has also forged long-standing partnerships with many important industry leaders, including Landry’s, Food & Wine, Alaska Airlines, and GuildSomm, continuing its focus on building audiences among consumers, the trade, and media.

About Sonoma County Winegrowers:

Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), was established in 2006, evolving from the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, which was first launched in 1983 by local grape growers inspired to work together to elevate the region. SCW is a marketing and educational organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality, sustainability and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers and influencers around the world. In 2014, Sonoma County’s winegrowing community embarked on a major initiative to have all Sonoma County vineyards certified sustainable. Today, 99% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has completed certification by a third-party auditor making Sonoma County the most sustainable winegrowing region in the world. In addition, in 2020, SCW became the exclusive pilot partner for the California Land Stewardship’s Climate Adaptation Certification. In 2022, SCW began envisioning a Farm of the Future which it officially introduced in 2023. SCW’s sustainability efforts have been recognized with California’s highest environmental honor, the 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). Learn more at www.sonomawinegrape.org.