First stop for any good LGBTQI wine enthusiast must be Equality Vines right in the heart of Guerneville. Equality Vines was founded by Matt Grove (founder of Eighth Wonder Wines, a sustainable wine company in South Africa) and Jim Obergefell (activist and lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage across the United States). With the support of high quality local vintners, Equality Vines has created several series wines with themes like; Love Wins (by Joy Sterling of Iron Horse Vineyards in support of Equality), Empowerment (featuring women pioneers), Respect (supporting the YWCA), The Decision Pinot Noir (which Wine Enthusiast scored 90+ for the 2014 vintage) and a Winemaker’s Series featuring out wine producer Kurt Giusti with his Via Giusti Vermentino and Giusti Estate Russian River Pinot Noir wines. A portion of proceeds goes to the various LGBT and women’s charitable organizations or other causes important to Equality Vines.
Next, you need a place to hang your hat(s) and there are a number of fun Gay and yes, Lesbian places to stay from lovely B&B rooms to rustic cabins and ‘glamping’. Not all are Gay owned but most are LGBTQI friendly. There are many to choose from but here are my picks for great places to relax, splash about the river, party down, take an inspirational hike through Armstrong Woods or simply to make your Sonoma County wine tour base camp.