Alameda County

Alameda County is gravel, oak, and a bay breeze. The Livermore Valley runs east of the ridge — Wente’s 1883 plantings still hold the original sauvignon blanc cuttings, and the benches east of town bake cabernet and petite sirah into broad-shouldered reds. Afternoon wind off the Carquinez Strait cools everything by five. Tasting rooms line Tesla and Vallecitos roads, most with shaded patios that welcome a leash. Del Valle Regional Park opens its shoreline to dogs on a long lead. Pair a syrah with a walk along the Arroyo Mocho. The drive from Pleasanton pours wide open at the edge of a metro.