Tasting In A Winter Wineland

We traveled through the fog to Sonoma’s Winter Wineland, a weekend event featuring about 150 vineyards, each offering tastings. The first stop on our tour was Rodney Strong. We enjoyed some Zinfandel, which they served to us accompanied by applewood smoked bacon mac ‘n cheese from the local French bistro. We also tasted two Cabernets, which we were neutral about. Though the space was pleasant, it’s not somewhere we’d take a date.

Not far down the road, then down a long, winding driveway, we found Acorn Winery, one of our favorite vineyards of the day. The owners, Betsy and Bill Nachbaur, chatted with us about the unique field blending methods they use while we sipped their excellent Axiom Syrah and nibbled food from Zin Restaurant:. Acorn is normally appointment only, but we think it’s worth a call to visit.

Next up, we checked out Foppiano, a place with a train car, a cute tasting room, and a warehouse music space featuring a giant chalkboard. We’d recommend their older Petite Syrahs; we sipped one from 1996 that was worth trying.

We headed into downtown Healdsburg, a cute downtown area with quite a cluster of tasting rooms and the nation’s only Hand Fan Museum. Live New Orleans jazz greeted us at Hawley. One of the brothers who owns the vineyard gave us tries of their fruity Zinfandel and a very spicy Pinot Noir. We loved both. Portalupi wasn’t on our original plan, but the sign caught our eyes as we walked past, so popped in. They have a fresh, irreverent take on the wine tasting experience. Their tasting room features purple couches and close-up paintings of various farm animals. At this event they paired their wines with Pringles Potato Chips, mac ‘n cheese and lamb cocktail weenies, in lieu of the more stuffy wine-food pairings. As we enjoyed our smooth Zinfandel, we caught a few minutes of the Jets-Patriots game on the flatscreen TV mounted on the back room wall.

Boisset Family Estates provided another surprise stop on our tour, drawing us in with their gleaming crystal chandeliers. They just opened their tasting room, and feature old world techniques with new world grapes. We enjoyed two Pinot Noirs, the JCB ($45) and the Deloach ($55).

We wandered into Vintage Wine Estates next, and enjoyed a Pinot Noir Bubbly and some Pinot Noir. They gave us cheese pairings with their wines, which ranged from $28-$35 per bottle in the selections we tasted.

Topel Winery underwhelmed us. We finally got the attention of one of the guys behind the counter, who poured us a Syrah Noir ($30) and a Pinot Noir ($28). They were fine, but the ambiance in the room was meh, the guys behind the counter seemed like they’d be more at home in a frat house than in a vineyard… We did enjoy the M&Ms.

At Roadhouse we found another down-to-earth take on wine. Their stated vision is: “Two guys, a pool table, some barrels and a passion for Pinot Noir.” Their tasting room has a Kinect set up. Though we didn’t get to play, we love the idea. Evidently the tasting room attached to their vineyard does, in fact, have a pool table. Though their specialty is Pinot Noir, we actually liked their 2006 Zinfandel ($26) better.

At Selby we were underwhelmed by all of their wines, despite all of the framed letters adorning the walls from the White House, saying they’d enjoyed serving their wines at various functions. On our way from there to La Crema, we happened across the Hand Fan Museum. The walls of the small room the museum consists of are covered in framed feathered, beaded and painted fans from various eras. We enjoyed posing and fanning ourselves with the small assortment of fans available for sale. Admission to the museum is free.

A stop at Kendall Jackson wrapped up our time in Healdsburg and headed to our last stop of the day, Francis Coppola. We enjoyed their assortment of wines, from the affordable Blanc ($19) to the Archimedes ($50). One of our favorite wines of the day was the Cinema Blend ($32)- a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah from specific Sonoma County appellations. The wine is rich and spicy. The vineyard itself is worth a trip- there’s a hotel and restaurant nestled in the picturesque grounds. Around the tasting rooms you can check out various Coppola family movie memorabilia, including the chair and desk from “The Godfather” trilogy and the suite of armor from “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”

Though we barely made a dent in the list of vineyards featured in the event, we tasted well over 30 (we lost count) different wines, and made notes for several vineyards and tasting rooms we’d like to revisit. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event, and would recommend it as a great way to spend $55 for a weekend’s worth of delicious amusement. We also should note that designated drivers are welcome too, with plenty of non-alcoholic refreshments available, and an inexpensive $5 ticket make it easy for them to attend.