TASTING THE GRAPE AT LOCAL WINERIES.

Byline: Susanne Hopkins Daily News Travel Editor

It isn't only author Jack London who thrived in Glen Ellen. The area just north of Sonoma also produces some fine wines. If you're headed up Glen Ellen way, you might want to take in some of the area wineries, many of which include not only wine tasting, but special features.

Among them:

Arrowhood Vineyards and Winery, 14347 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen; [phone]. Open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, this winery operates in a New England-style farmhouse. The winery produces merlot, chardonnay, cabernet, viognier and a late harvest riesling.

Benziger Family Winery, 1881 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen; [phone]. Benziger produces 26 wines, so guests can choose to taste from a vast assortment ranging from chardonnay, rose and pinot noir to speciality and dessert wines. Tasting is offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; guests also can take a tram tour of the grounds and follow the winemaking process from vineyard to cask, browse the original artworks in the gallery and take in nearly a dozen educational displays. There's even a redwood grove for picnicking.

B.R. Cohn Winery, 15140 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen; [phone]. This winery is perched amid olive trees on Olive Hill. You not only can buy the winery's chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir wines, you also can purchase its own olive oil. Tastings of the wine and the olive oil are offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Glen Ellen Winery Tasting Room and History Center, 14301 Arnold Drive, Jack London Village, Glen Ellen; [phone]. If you're looking to capture some of the spirit of the town, stop by this tasting room, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. While the winery, which actually is in Sonoma, is not open to the public, you can taste its products here, including chardonnay, cabernet, merlot, carignane, muscat canelli, grenache and viognier. The center stands on the site of the original winery, which was established in the late 1800s.

You also can stroll through the history center, which offers a look at the town's past via photographs, antiques, letters and other items, all artfully displayed.

Valley of the Moon Winery, 777 Madrone Road, Glen Ellen; [phone]. Temporarily closed for renovation, the winery, which dates to the mid-1800s, is expected to reopen with an expanded tasting bar in January.

Wellington Vineyards, 11600 Dunbar Road, Glen Ellen; [phone]. A small, family-run winery that opened in 1989 in a vineyard dating to 1892, Wellington produces mostly red wines, including red zinfandel, old-vine port, syrah, merlot and cabernet. It produces one white wine, a chardonnay. Its specialty is a criolla made from the mission grape (original cuttings taken from Sonoma Mission vines, the seeds of which were planted centuries ago). The tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Also:

The Olive Press, 14301 Arnold Drive, Jack London Village, Glen Ellen; [phone]. No, there's no wine here, but you can watch olive pressing from October to March, taste several olive oils and wander through the gallery and gardens. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

Jack London Bookstore, 14300 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen; [phone]. If you're in the mood after visiting Glen Ellen to read some of Jack London's tomes, stop here. There's a wide array of London books, including early editions, and hundreds of other titles, both old and new, as well. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesday, when the store is closed.

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