But sometimes you have to dig a little to find out if the winery you’re visiting is owned and operated by a family of winegrowers and winemakers or if it’s really owned by a multinational beverage conglomerate.

Not much digging was needed when I recently paid a visit to Kastania Vinyards. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon on a weekday when I dropped in, so the tasting room was closed.

I was lucky to find Hoot Smith (who owns the winery with his wife Linda) there with his grandson rinsing out some barrels that he’d recently used. Hoot invited me in to have a look around and take some pictures of his winery and vineyards.

Hoot told me a bit of the history of his vineyard and winery. It started in 1994 (a very good year for California wine by the way) with a class in viticulture and a small plot of land that’s been in his family since the 19th century.

Kastania is planted with primarily with Pinot Noir. The vineyard sits on a hill just west of highway 101 north of the Marin-Sonoma county line. To the southeast there is a clear shot to the San Pablo bay and the cool fogs that come off the water.

The vineyard is in the Sonoma Coast AVA but shares much of the climate of the Carneros region, making Pinot Noir especially well suited to the site.

Like many family wineries, Kastania is a  fairly small operation, producing less than 1000 cases annually of award winning wine.

You will not find Kastania wines on the supermarket shelves, but you can visit the winery and buy direct, or get it through their wine club. and select Sonoma county restaurants.

The winemaking from the harvest earlier in the Fall is progressing nicely. A visit to a winery now may afford the opportunity to see the more subtle winemaking activities in progress.

It’s always  good time to visit the tasting rooms. You can sample the wine made from the 2010 harvest and learn how the wine from the latest harvest might compare. The crowds are now gone, so you if you are inclined, now is great time to learn more about the winery and wines, in depth.

The vineyards are beautiful anytime of year, but it’s pretty chilly now, so unless you are “hard core” you might want to spend your wine country time on indoor activities.

Now that the “high” season of summer and harvest are past, it’s a great time to find deals on wine country hotels and inns.  Each season has unique features that make it special and you will find that anytime you visit your appreciation of wine and viticulture is enhanced by what you experience when you visit.