Ronnie Takes the Mic: West Wine Tours on The Sonoma Spiel
If you've ever climbed into our vintage VW bus and wondered what's going on in the mind of the person behind the wheel, now's your chance to find out.
Our manager Ronnie Cotter recently sat down with Tim Zahner on The Sonoma Spiel — Sonoma Valley's own podcast — for a conversation that covers a lot of ground. They talk about the wineries we love, like Bartholomew Estate, Winery Sixteen 600, and Anaba. They talk about the buses themselves — yes, they're more spacious than you'd think, and yes, there is a perfect road trip playlist. They talk about what people look like the moment they climb in for the first time (it's a good look).
But the conversation goes deeper than wine tours. Ronnie shares what it was like growing up in Sonoma, learning to drive stick, spending years as a farmer before becoming a guide, and what it means to show people this valley from a slower, more intentional angle. Pizza at Mary's comes up. So does golf. It's that kind of episode — easy, warm, and full of the kind of local knowledge you can only get from someone who's actually lived it.
Whether you're a first-time visitor trying to figure out how to spend your days in wine country, or a longtime Sonoma lover who just wants to feel at home for 45 minutes, this one's worth a listen.