I’m always saying I need to take better advantage of being so close to the wine country. It truly feels away but it’s just a bit over an hour to get to a wider variety of spots than you might be aware of. I’ve been dabbling over the years (Calistoga+, St Helena+) and this year I’ve recently made a few jaunts.
First up my friend has a membership at Gundlach Bundschu and so we headed up for Deed Day. Free tastings all day? Yes please. They have a lovely patio and set up a few wine stations so you could get a full sampling of wines. Plus free soft pretzels (some foundation for the wine is never a bad idea). Afterwards we did a spin through Sonoma Square to enjoy a little window shopping before heading back. It can easily be done in a day (as long as you watch your wine intake).
The second trip happened based on a friend getting us good priced tickets at a charity auction for the Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience. We knew this was a serious wine intake experience so we planned to stay over, the Hilton Garden Inn in Santa Rosa had a free shuttle pick up across the street and was a fraction of the mostly sold out Healdsburg hotels.
The festival itself is a many tent situation with something like 100 wineries pouring. Sounds like a dream but it’s also a touch overwhelming. You fall into a sip, nod, move on rhythm and after a while it all blurs, and there isn’t much seating near the pours so you need to remove yourself a bit to find a spot. My one tip, and I wish I’d done it myself, look up the winery list ahead of time and pick the few you actually want. Then you can go slow at those and talk to the people pouring instead of marching. Otherwise it’s a lot of good wine flying by.
And yes there is food, over a dozen vendors, most doing genuinely elevated stuff, not festival food. There were also intentional pairings set up around the tents, small bites matched to specific wines, and those were the most fun part. The standout was Sushi by Scratch. We got into line before we knew what it was. They sat six of us down at an actual table for three little nigiri courses, with a wine pairing, each unique and layered in a surprising way. Was the whole thing worth the overall price tag? Maybe only for serious aficionados.
We were surprisingly eventually hungry again so grabbed an easy burger at Carmen’s Burger Bar. The next morning we hit Dierks Parkside Cafe for a tasty breakfast before heading back to Healdsburg Square which gives Sonoma a real run for its charm. Was there one more tasting? Naturally. The day before I’d told someone I’d been to Marine Layer Wine on the square last visit, then realized that wasn’t actually where I’d gone, so we set the record straight.
Then the third and most recent trip… I’m a member of Parlay House and once a year the Queen’s level members get invited to a day retreat which is not to be missed. It’s at a private home near Napa so we came up the day before and checked into the Silverado Resort. We were fortunate enough to do a private wine tasting with one of the winemakers at Relic Wine Cellars, I probably learned more about wine making in that one sitting than I have in any previous. The group of us then headed to RO Restaurant and Lounge down in Yountville for a lot of shared plates and a little reality star sighting.
The next day was filled with a ton of amazing women. We gathered and enjoyed support from Nina Walters for breathwork, Mimi Cohrt for herbal first aid, tarot with Tres Jimenez, a dance party with DJ Mai Azarov, and one more wine tasting with Azur Wines. And of course we needed to end the day with a good meal and weren’t disappointed by the bites at Bistro Jeanty (I especially enjoyed my Sole Meunière). The final day was taking advantage of the pool and some sips and bites at the Silverado before heading back.
So much territory covered and yet so much more to do and wines to taste. Where should I focus on my next visit?
