List: LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties

In honor of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 we want to highlight the locally owned LGBTQ+ businesses that contribute to the success and economy of Wine Country.

Here’s a list of LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties. If any are missing from this list, please email: elissa.torres@pressdemocrat.com.

Sonoma County

Bia Cafe: Bia is a local coffee shop featuring organic coffee, espresso and tea, traditional Irish breads and paninis. They also sell custom breads by the slice and loaves to order. 19420 Highway 116, Monte Rio, 707-865-9877, facebook.com/BiaNorthwood

Birdhorse Wines: Birdhouse Wines’ Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse are partners in life and in business. The Sonoma-based team say they are driven by intellectual curiosity, transparency, science and data, but most importantly an ardor for delicious wines and sharing them with the wider drinking public. Birdhouse Wines can be purchased online. 707-532-4631, birdhorsewines.com

Books & Letters: Russian River Books & Letters was born In December 2021 to fulfill that need and create a gathering place for bibliophiles, writers, or just anyone who wants to hang out and browse. The business hosts special events including music, readings, book clubs and writing workshops. 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville, 707-604-7197, booksletters.com

Boon eat + drink: Chef-owner Crista Luedtke learned to cook from her mother. She also grew up in working in family restaurants doing everything from waiting tables to cooking on the line. Luedtke is passionate about seasonal ingredients and uses her gardens at boon to help inspire the menu. 16248 Main St., Guerneville. 707-869-0780. eatatboon.com

Brew Coffee and Beer House: This friendly establishment just west of downtown Santa Rosa serves locally sourced coffee, beer and baked goods. Brew also offers a menu of rotating food items prepared in-house, including a few creative takes on the ever-popular avocado toast. The homey dining room doubles as an art gallery, displaying works by local artists, and as an event space for open mic nights and music performances. 555 Healdsburg Ave., Santa Rosa. 707-303-7372, brewcoffeeandbeer.com

Brot: BROT literally means “bread” in German but, figuratively, it means “livelihood.” Chef-owner Crista Luedtke called on her German roots for this spot. The menu includes salads, shareable bites, main dishes and desserts. 16248 Main St., Guerneville. 707-869-0780. brotguerneville.com

California Brick Chicks: Santa Rosa couple Teresa and Christy Murphy opened the doors of their locally owned Lego shop in Penngrove on Oct. 15. The store is fully stocked with at east 500 Lego sets, both new and pre-owned, of different collections such as, “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” Lego City and Lego Friends. 9550 Petaluma Hill Road, Penngrove. pdne.ws/490arLG

Cluster Funk Studios: Co-founders Tyler Ann Shahan and Brittany Lee host art events around Sonoma County including live and guided painting tutorials, DJ appearances and musical performances. 707-536-1314‬. clusterfunkstudios.com

Corner 103: This Sonoma winery is led by vintner Lloyd Davis. Originally from New York City, Davis left the banking and finance industry to work in wine. He opened Corner 103 in 2015. The winery produces sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, malbec, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and rosé. 103 W. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-931-6141, corner103.com

DJ Dyops: Colleen Teitgen, aka DJ Dyops, spins at Santa Rosa’s the Flamingo as the resident DJ at Vintage Space. DJ Dyops hosts LUSH, a monthly dance party for the LGBTQ+ community. She also specializes in event production. 415-412-9581. facebook.com/dj.dyops

Eco Terreno Wines and Vineyard: Eco Terreno, a Spanish phrase, translates to “ecology of the land.” Founder and winemaker Mark Lyon began producing his own wine in 1985 and his bottles support various causes and communities. For example, his Pink Pride Rosé supports the LGBTQ+ community and his Climate Conscious cabernet sauvignon supports environmental causes. The winery has a tasting room in San Francisco. 19410 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-938-3833, ecoterreno.com

El Barrio: Chef-owner Crista Luedtke’s restaurant showcases artisanal handcrafted spirits with a focus on mezcal, tequila and bourbon in an upscale, authentic Mexican-inspired atmosphere. 16230 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-7601, elbarriobar.com

Equality Wines: Michael Volpatt is one of three co-owners of Guerneville-based Equality Vines. Volpatt is the voice of the boutique brand that’s closing in on 2,000 cases a year. He works closely with co-founder and co-owner Matt Grove, who handles operations. The label champions the rights of women, migrants and those who identify as LGBTQ+ by donating 15% of sales to related organizations. 16215 Main St., Suite 4, Guerneville, 877-379-4637, equalityvines.com

Fast Signs: Kevin Jones is the owner of Fast Signs in Santa Rosa. His team offers graphic design assistance, exhibits, banners, displays, interior design help and more. . 707-931-4277, 3768 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, fastsigns.com

GayRussianRiver.com: The travel site shares lots of LGBTQ+ friendly events, local destinations, businesses and more with visitors and locals alike. gayrussianriver.com

Guerneville 5 & 10: Located in the heart of downtown, the business has been open since 1949. The store sells toys, collectibles and candy. Plus, items for knitting, crochet, yarn, buttons, thread and art supplies. And items needed when visiting the Russian River like baby floats, river shoes, sunscreen, towels and apparel. 707-869-3404, 16252 Main Street Guerneville, guerneville5and10.com

Guerneville Bank Club: The Guerneville Bank Club is a collective of businesses located in the historic Bank of Guerneville building built in 1921. It takes its name from this and an old bar across the street called the Bank Club. The collective was the brainchild of local chef Crista Luedtke and building owner Bob Pullum, both a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The building is home to Nimble & Finn’s Ice Cream, the Wine Vault, VaVa Vault and the Russian River Historical Society’s exhibit space. 16290 Main St., Guerneville, 707-666-9411.

Out In the Vineyard: Gary Saperstein is the owner of the event and travel company that focuses on the LGBTQ+ community in Wine Country. The itineraries include luxury hotels, exclusive winery tours and local food experiences. Events like the annual Gay Wine Weekend and Pink Saturday bring the LGBTQ+ community together to socialize and raise money for many LGBTQ+ nonprofits and causes. 16926 Eveton Lane, Sonoma, 707-495-9732, outinthevineyard.com

Passaggio Wines: In 2008, Cindy Cosco established her Passaggio Wines with 50 cases of unoaked chardonnay, her flagship wine. In 2014, Passaggio Wines’ tasting room opened in Glen Ellen and in 2016, Cosco launched her own production facility. Now the label produces 1,700 cases with grapes sourced from various vineyards. The brand produces Grenache blanc, Grenache, chardonnay, pinot grigio, syrah, rosé and red blends. 4301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-548-5366, passaggiowines.com

Pizza Leah: Co-owner Leah Scurto is an award-winning pizza chef who has won multiple awards for her pizza creations both across the United States and the world. Clarence Wainer is also co-owner of the restaurant. He has been an organic farmer for over 20 years. 9240 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 116 Windsor, 707-620-0551, pizzaleah.com/story

Mercury Wine: The Geyserville business was founded in 2009 by Brad Beard. As a winemaker, Beard aims to blend European-style wines with Northern California grapes. The brand produces Bordeaux, rioja and Rhone-style blends, and white wines. 21015 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, 707-857-9870, mercurywine.com

Morihouse: Adrian Chang and Chris Lewis are the married team behind Morihouse in Sebastopol. It offers online and in-person heritage cooking classes, seasonal food pop-ups in Occidental and recipes following the Chinese microseasonal calendar. mori.house

Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar: Life partners and entrepreneurs Ozzy Jimenez and Christian Sullberg opened Noble Folk Ice Cream and Pie Bar in Healdsburg in 2014. In 2018, they opened a second location for Noble Folk in downtown Santa Rosa. The Noble Folk storefronts proudly fly the rainbow flag and the transgender pride flag and display Black Lives Matter posters to signal that their businesses celebrate diversity and inclusion. 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-395-4426; 539 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-978-3392, thenoblefolk.com

Radical Family Farms: Radical Family Farms was founded by Leslie Wiser in 2019. The Sebastopol farm specializes in Asian heritage produce, medicinal herbs, flowers and heirloom seeds. It operates a Community Supported Agriculture program in which customers in Sonoma and San Francisco counties as well as the East Bay can pick up boxes of the Asian heritage produce and flowers. 707-210-2773, radicalfamilyfarms.com

Rainbow Cattle Company: The bar opened in 1979 by a man named Hans, who owned many bars in San Francisco and wanted the Rainbow Cattle Company to serve the LGBTQ+ tourists who were coming to the North Bay. 16220 Main St,. Guerneville, 707-869-0206, queersteer.com/about

Rio Bistro Restaurant: This American restaraunt sells 'Country comfort cuisine’ from their Guerneville business. 16390 Fourth St, Guerneville, 707-869-1400, facebook.com/riobistrorussianriver

Roadhouse Winery: After two decades of working in tech in San Francisco, Eric Hall bought a home in Cazadero and a few years later, started working at Papapietro Perry Winery. He also cofounded the Pinot on the River Festival at his resort property in the Russian River area, later teaming up with friends and family to create Roadhouse Winery in 2010 in downtown Healdsburg to make pinot noir. 250 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-433-0433, roadhousewinery.com

Solar Punk Farms: Longtime Russian River visitors Nick Schwanz and Spencer Scott made the leap to full time west county living in 2020 when they bought a 10-acre former horse farm. The Guerneville farm is “a queer-run, regenerative agro-tourism experiment,” according to its owners. “Part showroom, part educational space, part imagitorium." bio.site/SolarPunkFarms

Smart Pizza: Suzy Kuhr has worked at the Guernville pizza business since 2000 and took over ownership in 2015. The business sells pizza, pasta, salads, calzones, sandwiches and makes their own homemade dough. 16205 First St., Guerneville, 707-869-0651. facebook.com/duchessofdough

The RT3 Hotel: The R3 Hotel, restaurant and bar is an LGBTQ+ resort in the lower Russian river area of Sonoma County. Located in Guerneville, the hotel has 23 guest rooms, a restaurant and a freestanding bar and lounge surrounded by a pool and sun deck. 16390 Fourth Street, Guerneville, 707-869-8399, ther3hotel.com

THTR Productions: The new theater and production company in Sonoma County is a cross between nightlife and theater. THTR offers a range of services including theatrical productions, special events and concerts. 917-291-0790, thtrproductions.com

Timberline Restaurant: Customers will find owners Scott and Larry’s favorite family recipes and Sonoma County Harvest Fair medal winning dishes. The dishes are simple, authentic, hearty and delicious, with fresh and seasonal ingredients. 16440 Fourth St, Guerneville, 707-604-7617, timberlineattheriver.com

Trillium Winebar and Taproom: The business makes house-made food, has local brews on tap and a wide selection of wines from local vintners and around the world. 16222 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-5750, trillium.bar

Lake County

Crazy Quilt Farms: The business has closed its storefront, and is now only selling its baked goods and other products at special events around Lake County. Owners Lyle and Liam Coburn make an assortment of items including specialty jams, gooey cinnamon rolls, fresh baked breads and chocolate chip cookies. They take inspiration from family recipes and local ingredients. 1215 State Highway 20, Upper Lake, 707-264-9651, crazyquiltfarm.com

Mendocino County

Disco Ranch: The modest Boonville wine bar and specialty market carries charcuterie, cheese, crackers and more. Also available are obscure local wines, beloved European wines and aromatized wines. Sometimes the shop hosts pop-ups where visiting chefs will whip up full meals on the patio or for take away. 14025 Hwy. 128, Boonville, 707-901-5002, discoranch.com/#menus

Inns of Mendocino: With his husband, Andrew Hindman, the proprietor of the Inns of Mendocino, runs JD House, Packard House and Blue Door Inn, all within walking distance from one another. 707-937-4892, innsofmendocino.com

Napa County

Gentleman Farmer Wines: Joe Wolosz and Jeff Durham met in the spring of 1999 and shortly thereafter decided to make wine together. The pair’s first vintage was in 2005, with 80 cases. Located in Napa, the winery produces small batches of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, red wine, pinot noir and rosé. 1564 First St., Napa, 707-948-6107, gentlemanfarmerwines.com

Majuscule Wine: Partners Jeff Davis and Greg Brickey made two barrels of the first Majuscule Wine in 2009. The Napa Valley winery produces under 500 cases of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon per year. 707-681-5758, majusculewine.com