Welcome to Healdsburg
When planning a trip to wine country, everyone has their own suggestions about where to go, where to stay, where to eat. Well, here is where I went, drank and ate. Do with it what you may:
Gary Farrell - full tasting and complimentary cheese. Our tour guide sure did know a lot about Gary Farrell. This is a great starting off point. We had a 10:30am reservation and were the only ones there. The tour was long enough to learn about how they make the wine, but short enough to not get bored. See below for info:
Gary Farrell Wines10701 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 473-2900Website: http://www.garyfarrell.com/Daily tasting and tours by appointment. View & Spacious Tasting Room, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay.
Grove Street Wine Brokers
Merry Edwards – full tasting – Our pourer was very knowledgeable about wines. I definitely learned more about the region and wine country than I did about Merry Edwards (a change from Gary Farrell). We were sat in a private room, with no interruptions. I assume that if you are there at a busy time and not such a big group (we were 6 people) that you may share your table with others.
Siduri – This is a random spot in the middle of a business park, great small family winery
http://www.siduri.com/
Twomey – very nice building and outdoor space. Extremely friendly wine pourer. Gave us good restaurant recommendations. $5 fee, but get a wine class for free.
Twomey Cellars – 3000 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 942-7120Website: http://www.twomeycellars.com/
Rochioli – said to be first pinot makers in the area, contested – give grapes to gary Farrell
J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery6192 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 433-230511am - 4pm. Picnic Area, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
Papapietro – small family owned in group of wineries
Papapietro Perry Winery4791 Dry Creek Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 433-0422Website: http://www.papapietro-perry.com/ Open Daily from 11 am - 4:30 pm. If you have a passion for Pinot, come join us in our tasting room.
Bella Caves – horrible wine, in caves, so interesting.
Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves9711 West Dry Creed Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 473-9171Website: http://www.bellawinery.com/
Martinelli – quick tasting, no personal attention.
http://www.martinelliwinery.com/
Gary Farrell - full tasting and complimentary cheese. Our tour guide sure did know a lot about Gary Farrell. This is a great starting off point. We had a 10:30am reservation and were the only ones there. The tour was long enough to learn about how they make the wine, but short enough to not get bored. See below for info:
Gary Farrell Wines10701 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 473-2900Website: http://www.garyfarrell.com/Daily tasting and tours by appointment. View & Spacious Tasting Room, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay.
Grove Street Wine Brokers
Merry Edwards – full tasting – Our pourer was very knowledgeable about wines. I definitely learned more about the region and wine country than I did about Merry Edwards (a change from Gary Farrell). We were sat in a private room, with no interruptions. I assume that if you are there at a busy time and not such a big group (we were 6 people) that you may share your table with others.
Siduri – This is a random spot in the middle of a business park, great small family winery
http://www.siduri.com/
Twomey – very nice building and outdoor space. Extremely friendly wine pourer. Gave us good restaurant recommendations. $5 fee, but get a wine class for free.Twomey Cellars – 3000 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 942-7120Website: http://www.twomeycellars.com/
Rochioli – said to be first pinot makers in the area, contested – give grapes to gary Farrell
J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery6192 Westside Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 433-230511am - 4pm. Picnic Area, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
Papapietro – small family owned in group of wineries
Papapietro Perry Winery4791 Dry Creek Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 433-0422Website: http://www.papapietro-perry.com/ Open Daily from 11 am - 4:30 pm. If you have a passion for Pinot, come join us in our tasting room.
Bella Caves – horrible wine, in caves, so interesting.
Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves9711 West Dry Creed Road, HealdsburgPhone: (707) 473-9171Website: http://www.bellawinery.com/
Martinelli – quick tasting, no personal attention.
http://www.martinelliwinery.com/
Hop Kiln: We learned that mustard is planted to supply nitrogen to wthe soil when wineries replant. So, when we were told at Twomey that there was a mustard tasting at Hop Kiln winery, we couldn't pass it up. Whats better than 100 bottles of wine to taste? 100 different kinds of mustards? Could go either way... Well, this change I enjoyed. I ended up with four different kinds of mustards, probably more mustard than I will ever need.
Lunch: Willie’s Seafood
We went to this place on a recommendation from one of the pourers at the winery. It was totally overrated, but the crab cakes and the calamari were excellent. Granted, you have to consider that we went here after a serious stop for mustard tasting at Hop Kiln and with four wineries under our belt. So, it could have gone either way.
Dinner:
In town: http://www.scopahealdsburg.com/
Scopa is a great little Italian place in the center of town. Seating is limited, with only one large table (semi-outside). But, it was packed. Even after 10pm, which I would assume in a quiet wine country town is pretty late for a neighborhood spot, people kept pouring in. The service was good, with a just-off-the-boat Italian guy helping out our knowledgable waitress. We went with a bunch of small plates, the best being the Burrata Cheese (some of the best motz I have ever had), Polpette Calabrese (Meatballs) and Lamb (small but spicy). Great thin crust pizza, but regular is the best way to go, you can skip the special.
Madrona Manor: The restaurant was very quaint yet extravagant in an old era type of way. It is expensive to stay there, but definitely worth the dinner stop. Great for a special occasion. http://www.madronamanor.com/ . There is a very liberal tasting menu – can choose you own size (3,4,5 courses and your own menu, or get the traditional tasting). Extraordinarily nice service, chef came out to greet us (young and to be honest… pretty cute). Standouts from the tasting menu included an asparagus course, with quail egg, the rabbit tasting, rabbit four different ways, fois gras tasting (I’m not a fois gras fan but I hear it was great: seared, terrine and torchon, stone fruit, savory popovers, uplandcress) and the halibut. No need to order the tuna appetizer (Oh-Toro Tuna Crudo sea beans, edamame, ginger, ponzu "froth"), it was two extremely small pieces of raw tuna on a huge plate, never a good idea.
We went to this place on a recommendation from one of the pourers at the winery. It was totally overrated, but the crab cakes and the calamari were excellent. Granted, you have to consider that we went here after a serious stop for mustard tasting at Hop Kiln and with four wineries under our belt. So, it could have gone either way.
Dinner:
In town: http://www.scopahealdsburg.com/
Scopa is a great little Italian place in the center of town. Seating is limited, with only one large table (semi-outside). But, it was packed. Even after 10pm, which I would assume in a quiet wine country town is pretty late for a neighborhood spot, people kept pouring in. The service was good, with a just-off-the-boat Italian guy helping out our knowledgable waitress. We went with a bunch of small plates, the best being the Burrata Cheese (some of the best motz I have ever had), Polpette Calabrese (Meatballs) and Lamb (small but spicy). Great thin crust pizza, but regular is the best way to go, you can skip the special.
Madrona Manor: The restaurant was very quaint yet extravagant in an old era type of way. It is expensive to stay there, but definitely worth the dinner stop. Great for a special occasion. http://www.madronamanor.com/ . There is a very liberal tasting menu – can choose you own size (3,4,5 courses and your own menu, or get the traditional tasting). Extraordinarily nice service, chef came out to greet us (young and to be honest… pretty cute). Standouts from the tasting menu included an asparagus course, with quail egg, the rabbit tasting, rabbit four different ways, fois gras tasting (I’m not a fois gras fan but I hear it was great: seared, terrine and torchon, stone fruit, savory popovers, uplandcress) and the halibut. No need to order the tuna appetizer (Oh-Toro Tuna Crudo sea beans, edamame, ginger, ponzu "froth"), it was two extremely small pieces of raw tuna on a huge plate, never a good idea.
They are famous for their homemade ice cream ($250 a lb vanilla from Tahiti, Cart "à Glace"Ice Cream Sundae, instantly hand "churned" tableside using -324º nitrogen. Served with chocolate sauce, almonds, whipped cream, cherries on top). Not an ice cream eater myself (I know, sacreligious) I was told from all the other diners that this sundae is the greatest sundae of all time. No joke.
OMG, I am so jealous I'm going to die. If you and the boy ever make it out to Seattle, look me up and we will go on a Columbia Valley tour. (I tried to make this as impersonal as possible per our last conversation).
ReplyDelete