Timing Is Everything In Windsor: The After Hours

WINDSOR, CA — Windsor is in wine country, but was not really part of it.

However, in May, the town became the last stop north on the region's train service.

The status is temporary — only until the Healdsburg stop is finished. But that won't be until 2028.

In the meantime, Windsor merchants and city officials see the train as a vehicle to jumpstart a tourist economy that passed the town by on the way north to Healdsburg, or south toward Santa Rosa, Petaluma and beyond to Marin. And, yes, Napa Valley.

Promotions describe Windsor as a West Coast hideaway — overlooked, living in the shadow of Napa because it wasn't easy to reach until the SMART stop: "Now accessible by train for the first time in decades, it's time to let the uppity's have Napa to themselves while you fall in love with the idyllic town of Windsor."

Up and down streets hang banners overhead with slogans that try to sum up the town in five words or less.

"Big heart. Small town."

"Small shops. Big smiles."

A lot of the businesses around the station predate the station. But Windsor was once mostly farmland, filled with wine grapes, hops, and prunes, according to the town history. That started to change in the 1980s, when more houses and apartments were approved, bringing new families and businesses into the area. The town only formally incorporated into Sonoma County in July of 1992.

And now there is the SMART station.

Merchants in videos I've watched describe couples and families coming to Windsor by train for a weekend getaway, where they can eat, drink, and not drive.

What will they find when they step off the train?

On a Saturday night in late October, I walked from the station a few minutes to The Publican — the kind of place with no fear of fried food.

I took a place at a table outside and shared the patio with a family of three there to enjoy a drink, watch a college football game, and enjoy one of the few breezy, warm evenings left in 2025.

A set of Harley Davidson's roared to life a few feet to my left, and a couple vintage low-riders crawled by on Windsor Road in front. The little boy and his parents watched, and the drivers smiled back.

Across the street, a cluster of mostly women sat outside Mutt Lynch, a winery whose motto is "Bark Less. Wag More!"

The owner and winemaker Brenda Lynch donates a percentage of sales to animal rescue organizations. The room is stuffed with wine merchandise having something to do with dogs — treats, T-shirts, and a plush toy shaped like a bottle of Chardonnay.

At the long table in the middle of the room sat two people dressed in San Francisco 49er jerseys and another in a hoodie with a Sonoma County Sheriff's logo across the back. Nearby, in front of the bar, stood a 50-pound bag of dog kibble destined for a Lake County organization helping to feed dogs during the freeze on CalFresh food assistance to their humans.

Behind the bar, Lisa Ahrens was pouring a glass for two women from Sacramento in summer dresses eating gelato and drinking a glass of Albariño. "Dogs and wine, how can you go wrong," one of the women, Lani Crider, said. She and Laura Moore had come by car. They hadn't heard about the train.

Ahrens said her father has taken the train from Alameda to visit several times. She also saw new faces in the tasting room for a while after the train began to stop in Windsor. Mutt Lynch started opening earlier to match the SMART schedule.

But, for the most part, weekend service stops at 6 p.m. After that, visitors either have to stay overnight, which would please hoteliers offering special deals for the train travelers. Or, they leave early, at least if they want to go by train.

I continued up the road, toward the Town Green, the social heart of Windsor not far from the station.

I passed a family sitting outside of the Baldassari Wine Lounge. I decided to order a Pinot Noir, one of the four varietals made by the owner and chatted with a man in a baseball cap across the bar.

Outside was a family of four, the children and parents highlighted against the sunset.

I was told that tourists to wine country often taste during the day, have dinner, and are in bed by 9 p.m., when most of Windsor seemed to be closing down anyway.

The latest hours I found were at the Rough Draft, a new taproom started by former Flagship staff, which stays opens until 9 p.m.

I decided to return for the paella and sparkling rosé release party on Nov. 15. It ends at 5 p.m., shortly before the last train.

The After Hours is a recurring column, written by Patch Editor Angela Woodall, where she will share her opinions on all things that happen after hours. The opinions expressed are her own.