Offering signature cheese as close to the source as you can get, Matos Cheese Factory is a must-visit for the cheese connoisseur. Located in the heart of wine country along the so-called “Sonoma Cheese Trail,” Matos Cheese Factory is in an ideal spot to grab some cheese to bring along with you to a nearby wine tasting.

Though it’s about 15 minutes from Creekside Park, the factory can be a bit hard to find, as you’ll have to travel along a one-lane road up to the farm. But the trip is completely worth it, according to visitors, not just for the mouth-watering Portuguese-style hard cheese that’s aged right there in the small shop, but for the gorgeous farmland and numerous dairy cows you’ll pass on the way to the store. Service is provided by the owners themselves, and the store is open seven days a week. Just be sure to bring cash or check, as they don’t accept cards.

Matos Cheese Factory
3669 Llano Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
(707) 584-5283
www.sonomacounty.com/culinary/joe-matos-cheese-factory
www.yelp.com/biz/matos-cheese-factory-santa-rosa

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr Kent Wang