3 Best Bars in Petaluma, Napa and Sonoma

Ramshackle Ernie's shares a corrugated tin building with a frozen-in-time roadside garage, with part of the bar actually in the garage. Mounted stag heads and a toothy wild boar watch over this rural neighborhood hangout with a long narrow bar, a patio outside, and Pliny the Elder and another 20 or so brews on tap. There’s often live music on weekends. Signs everywhere ban cell phone use, though patrons and staffers occasionally flout them.

Saturated colors out of the Day-Glo school of lighting illuminate a decor heavy on bamboo, rattan, and intricate wood carvings at this Tiki establishment. The rum-led lineup includes updated takes on Trader Vic's mai tai and Don the Beachcomber's Zombie, along with newer cocktails with equal verve. All play well with the Asian-influenced bar fare. 

Sahar Gharai's downtown wine bar highlights boutique producers worldwide. You can sip by the glass or order a themed flight, perhaps of whites and reds from Italy or comparing Sauvignon Blancs from France, New Zealand, and Mendocino. The kitchen turns out small bites, pizzas, soups, sandwiches, and desserts.