My wife and I are planning a trip to the San Francisco Area, flying in late on Friday, October 4th and back out early on Wednesday, October 10th. We're interested in visiting a few wineries in the Sonoma Valley (is Oct a good time of year in Sonoma?). Would also like to get in some hiking (possibly Muir Woods and/or an area where we can see some of the coast). We are less in need of spending time in San Francisco proper ...although might be nice the afternoon of our last day.

Any suggested itineraries? I don't think we want to spend more than two days in Sonoma doing wineries. Any guidance on lodging would be helpful. Not sure what to expect, but we're comfortable with a rate around $250/night.

Minor correction in my post. We're arriving late Thursday night, October 4th and then leaving Wednesday morning the 10th. So 5 full days.

No time for a full reply . . . But with 5 full days you could do sonoma and up the coast to the major redwood parks. Muir woods gets very crowded and the northern parks are much larger/better

Also no time for a full reply at the moment... Another option is Half Moon Bay. There is a lot of excellent hiking in the mountains. Purisma Creek is one of my favorites.

You may also want to check out Armstrong Redwoods near the Russian River. Then head out to Jenner, Bodega Bay, Pt Reyes. Take a look at Healdsburg as a location to stay in Sonoma County.

Is there a a good place to base ourselves out of for both the winery visits and the hiking?

You could base yourselves in Healdsburg or Sonoma (the town, as opposed to the county or the valley) or Glen Ellen. Bodega Bay and Point Reyes are only an hour away. Sebastopol is also a cute town.