Third Thursday Happy Hours, Sonoma Style
We’re incredibly honored to be featured in Sonoma Magazine’s recent article highlighting the rise of winery happy hours across Sonoma County and Napa Valley. To be included alongside so many respected wineries is meaningful to our team, especially because Third Thursdays began with a pretty simple idea: create a wine experience that feels welcoming, social, and easy to say “yes” to.
At Dutton-Goldfield, wine has always been about connection. Not ceremony. Not memorizing tasting notes like you’re preparing for a sommelier entrance exam under fluorescent lighting. Just good wine, good people, and moments that feel relaxed and real. Humanity occasionally overcomplicates fermented grape juice, so we figured we’d lean the other direction.
That spirit is exactly what inspired our monthly Third Thursdays Happy Hour in Sebastopol.
What Makes Third Thursdays Different?
Third Thursdays were designed to feel more like gathering at a friend’s farmhouse than attending a formal tasting. Walk-ins are welcome, reservations aren’t required, and the atmosphere is intentionally casual. Guests can enjoy wines by the glass, bottle service with friends, complimentary small bites, and a lively tasting room that often spills outdoors on warm Sonoma evenings.
As Sonoma Magazine noted, consumers today are looking for experiences that are more approachable, flexible, and social. We’ve seen that firsthand.
Some guests stop in after work for a quick glass of Pinot Noir. Others settle in for the evening with friends, a cheese plate, and a bottle of Chardonnay. Locals mingle with visitors. Wine club members meet first-time guests. Conversations happen naturally. That’s the magic of it.
Our co-owner Karissa Kruse Dutton summed it up perfectly in the article:
“We’ve found that when you lower the barrier, you actually deepen the connection. People engage more when the experience feels natural.”
A More Everyday Wine Experience
We love traditional seated tastings and vineyard deep-dives. Those experiences will always be part of who we are. But not every wine occasion needs to feel formal.
Third Thursdays are about integrating wine into everyday life the way it’s meant to be enjoyed: socially, comfortably, and without pressure.
That’s also why we recently refreshed parts of our tasting room with a brighter farmhouse feel and added more communal gathering spaces. The goal wasn’t to become trendier. Sonoma County already has enough reclaimed wood and strategic Edison bulbs to power a small nation. The goal was simply to create a space where people genuinely want to spend time.
Why the Response Has Been So Strong
What surprised us most is how quickly Third Thursdays became part of our regular rhythm.
What started as a seasonal experiment quickly turned into one of our favorite recurring events. The turnout has been consistently strong, and more importantly, the energy feels authentic. People linger. They reconnect. They bring friends back the next month.
As our General Manager Ed Thralls shared with Sonoma Magazine:
“This complements the traditional tasting experience. It doesn’t replace it.”
That balance matters to us. We still care deeply about vineyard expression, craftsmanship, and the stories behind the wines. Third Thursdays simply create another way for people to experience them.
Join Us
If you haven’t joined us yet, we’d love to welcome you.
Third Thursdays Happy Hour
📍 Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Sebastopol
🕟 4:30–7:30 PM
🍷 Wines by the glass & bottle service
🧀 Complimentary small bites
🚶 Reservations Appreciated | Walk-ins welcome
Come by, grab a glass, and settle into a West County evening with us. Sometimes the best wine experiences are the least complicated ones.
