In January we took a trip to California wine country for my 40th birthday and it couldn’t have been more perfect! We stayed in Healdsburg which is an adorable town in the Russian River Valley area of Sonoma County. If you are planning a trip to the wine country, I would strongly suggest that you consider Healdsburg. It is the most charming little town that has everything you need within walking distance from your hotel including tasting rooms, fine dining, cool places to grab a quick sandwich or coffee, and cute boutiques! It is really the perfect location. Before wine country, we had a quick stay in San Francisco.

San Francisco

Where we stayed — After flying into Oakland and picking up our rental car, we made the short trip across the Bay Bridge to downtown San Francisco. We took advantage of a great points offer and stayed one night at the Ritz-Carlton in the Nob Hill neighborhood. The hotel was centrally located and in close proximity to Union Square, the Embarcadero, North Beach and Chinatown. I only wish we stayed more than one day!

What we did — Since our stay in San Francisco was short, we mainly spent time shopping in Union Square and eating in the Embarcadero. We walked through downtown to the Ferry Building and enjoyed a coffee from Red Bay Coffee while browsing the great selection at Book Passage. I love local bookstores and was happy to find a great read for the rest of the trip. My husband wanted something more substantial to eat and found it in the Dungenous Crab sandwich at Gott’s Roadside. After a quick trip to the hotel, we finished our night with a meal at Angler. This restaurant focuses on fresh seafood with interesting preparations, specializing in live fire cooking. We enjoyed almost everything we ordered, but highlights were our pre-dinner cocktails, Parker House Rolls with Seaweed Butter, Grilled Scallops and Potato with Sonoma Cheese Sauce. The star of the show was their Hot Fried Fish Collar. It was one of the best fish dishes we’ve ever eaten and a great value on the pricy menu.

Sonoma

Where we stayed — Healdsburg is a roughly 90 minute drive from downtown San Francisco, but seems a world away. We stayed at the h2hotel on the plaza in the downtown area. We got a great discount rate on this hotel through Hotwire and it was everything we could have wanted. Everything was walkable! The eco friendly rooms were very comfortable, but the location and value made this hotel a real winner. I would certainly stay here again.

Wine Tasting — You can’t go to wine country without tasting a lot of wine! My husband and I had not been to wine country since our honeymoon more than 15 years ago, so we had a little sticker shock when we were planning tastings. In part due to the pandemic, most wineries now require appointments with sit down tastings instead of bellying up to the bar. Below were some of our favorite stops, along with a great way to get around.

Bedrock Wine Co. — On our way up to Healdsburg, my husband convinced met to stop at one of his favorite wineries and it did not disappoint. Bedrock Wine Co.’s tasting room is located in a historic saltbox home in the Sonoma Plaza. The tasting fee was very reasonable ($30) especially considering the number and quality of wines served. We have been purchasing from Bedrock since their first vintage in 2008, so they generously waived our tasting fees. The hospitality was fantastic and we got a lot of great info that was very helpful for the rest of our trip. I even loved the red wines, which are usually not my favorite! We immediately broke our ground rule of not buying too much wine. Highlights were their Under the Wire Sparkling Wines, Old Vine Field Blends, and Syrahs. Who knew I love cool climate Syrah???

Ridge Vineyards — Located North of Healdsburg in Dry Creek Valley, Ridge is a legendary Sonoma winery. Their focus is on zinfandel and field blends in the middle of a beautiful vineyard setting. Our favorites were the Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, the Lytton Estate Syrah, and of course their Monte Bello cabernet blend. The tasting fee was $25, but was waived as we are wine club members. It costs $20 more to add a taste of Monte Bello, but is well worth it.

Marine Layer Wines — Marine Layer is a relatively new winery with a gorgeous tasting room just off of the plaza in Healdsburg. As it was highly recommended by the folks at Bedrock and only a few steps from our hotel, we had to check it out! The tasting fee was $35 and included tastes of a fantastic sparkling wine and several chardonnays and pinot noirs. We loved the sparking wine (of course), the Aries Chardonnay, the Lyra Pinot Noir and Upp Vineyard Pinot Noir. The winery focuses on elegantly made, cool climate varieties and was a welcome change of pace. We thoroughly enjoyed it and continued breaking our rule of not buying wine!

Aperture Cellars — We decided to bike from our hotel to Aperture Cellars. It was only a 10 minute bike ride, what could go wrong? Thankfully after crossing busy intersections and riding along highways, we made it to the stunning facility. Aperture’s winery building was very modern and our outdoor tasting was just what we needed after that bike trip! Aperture’s tasting was expensive ($75), but included several fantastic wines. There is also a $50 tasting option that you can choose. The Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Single Vineyard Cabernets were outstanding. My husband is a real wine nerd, so they poured us their ultra high-end Malbec called Devil Proof and he was ecstatic.

Limerick Lane Cellars — Limerick Lane was the unexpected star of our trip. We had a large group (17!) and were having a hard time finding a winery to accommodate the third and final visit of our group tour and tasting. At our request our tour guide reached out to Limerick Lane and they agreed to take our rowdy crew. It was one of the best tasting experiences we’ve ever had! The tasting was hosted around a picnic table in the middle of the gorgeous vineyard and its 112 year-old vines. The weather was perfect, the sky was bright blue, and we didn't have a care in the world! All of the wines were fantastic, but the Squatter’s Hill, Rocky Knoll and Estate Cuvee Zinfandels really stood out! We are also huge fans of their Rose.

Platypus Wine Tours — How did we get around with such a large group? Platypus Wine Tours was awesome and had room for all of us in one of their party buses. We were able to safely get around all of Sonoma Valley and they arranged everything, including picking up our picnic lunches. My only advice would be to be very vocal about wineries that you want to try and definitely stray from their recommendations if there are places you know you want to visit.

What we ate — Everything! Food in wine country is second to none and I loved almost every meal I had.

Barndiva — We chose Barndiva for my birthday dinner and have no regrets! They were able to accommodate all 17 of us in their private gallery. Dinner in an art gallery was very cool and a great memory of my 40th. The staff worked with my husband to plan a great menu, wine list and signature cocktails named after my sister and I. The food was amazing. The Cacio e Pepi pasta dish and cauliflower soup were out of this world appetizers. Steak and salmon entrees were tremendous and the caramel chocolate cake for dessert was the perfect way to end my special meal. I cannot understate how easy this was, especially since the restaurant was steps away from our hotel.

Valette — Most of the crowd left on my actual birthday, so my siblings and I had a special meal at Valette. We opted for the prix fixe menu with wine pairings. Some courses were outstanding and very memorable while others were just plain good. The scallop en croute was stellar and should not be missed! Those that opted for wine pairings were initially disappointed that all of the wines were private labels made for the restaurant…until they tasted them!

Roof 106 — Our festivities started at Roof 106, which is a new rooftop bar on top of the Matheson Restaurant on the plaza in Healdsburg. It was a great place to get everyone together around fire pits on comfy couches. The cocktails and food were delicious, but I would avoid the bocarones (anchovy) pizza!

What else — Shockingly, we didn’t just taste stunning wines and eat delicious food! We also took naps! Seriously, there are countless activities in and around Healdsburg. The area is perfect for cycling, canoeing the Russian River, and hiking. We did venture out for a hike on the Fitch Mountain Trail and were rewarded with amazing redwood forest and gorgeous views at the peak. After all of that hiking, I had to check out the new Montage Healdsburg for a massage in their spa. It was fab!

And…that’s a wrap! If I had a do-over of this trip, I wouldn’t change a thing (besides the anchovy pizza). It was a perfectly special trip with lots of fun memories made. =)

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