Why the Best Wine Shop in Sonoma Is a Gas Station

"Tucked into a former 76 service station on Sonoma's main drag along Broadway, Jack's Filling Station looks unassuming from the outside — a six-tank fuel stop with a petrol-can–carrying gorilla logo — but when I step inside it feels like my go-to bottle shop. Opened in 2019 by restaurateurs Chad and Erika Harris after the city declined their restaurant proposal, the place was designed to be welcoming to both kids and adults and mixes a tightly curated selection of local, small, and natural wines (what Joel Burt describes as the “New California” scene) with craft beer, vinyl, retro arcade games, toys, kitschy kitchen gear, spices (I even spotted Philippine banana ketchup), picnic gear, and beverage-packed fridges and cabinets in the back. The shop champions casual crowd-pleasers like Glou Glou and Superbloom while also stocking rare bottlings supplied by Las Jaras (including a sparkling wine and Alder Springs Vineyard Chardonnay), which makes it easy to explore new wines without intimidation; prices are approachable, and locals praise its food and service (one winemaker even calls the burgers the best in town and another notes “the cleanest handles in town”)." - Stacy Briscoe