great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Dry Creek Valley Wine Tasting

One of my favorite wine tasting destinations is Dry Creek Valley, an easy hour drive from San Francisco. This area feels undiscovered compared to the neighboring wine areas of Sonoma and Napa Valley. It has no traffic, no crowds and some great wines, primarily Zinfandels. The atmosphere at the wineries is warm, friendly and relaxed. Unlike the large wineries of Napa, that have a corporate feel, here you will often be served by the owner of the winery in intimate, well designed tasting rooms overlooking the vineyards.

In the summer, my husband and I ride our bikes on the warm afternoons from winery to winery. We usually park by the Raford Inn, bike north on Wohler Road and then north again on Westside road. We visited many wineries along the road including Hop Kiln, Davis Bynum, Belvedere and ridden all the way up to Preston. (A tip: Know thyself. I would only ride the length of this road if you ride frequently and the weather is on the cool side. I was tired at the end of the day, very tired, and in the summer, I found the sun was merciless. My husband loved the ride and thrived in the hot weather. He also rides most weekends.) You can create a ride varying in length from one to twenty miles and stop at as many wineries as you like. The two lane country road offers low rolling hills and few cars. My pace definitely slows as the day progresses. At the end of the day, we drive back to the wineries and pick up any wine we purchased. I recommend plenty of water and bringing a picnic lunch. There are no restaurants along the way and very few wineries offer any substantial food.

This wintry weekend, due to the cold weather, we decided to drive and meander further down the valley and visit wineries on the West Dry Creek Road. Each of the wineries are within about a ten minute drive from each other. We started with lunch in Healdsburg and then drove about fifteen minutes to Zachichi, a winery founded in 2000 by a New Orleans physician and his wife. The warm and welcoming couple were in the light filled serving room overlooking their vineyard and offered selections straight from the barrel. Get their Petit Sirah, if you can. Next we went to Bella, they serve tastes of Zinfandel from inside a cave, created by dynamiting the hillside on their property. They have lightened the cave by painting the interior in a dark cream and decorating with tones of white, its pretty. Dutcher Crossing was our final destination, it offers a sauvignon blanc, chardonnays and of course Zinfandel. The wines were good and the servers friendly. This quick tour will give you a sampling of the hospitality and the wines of the area.

Whether you are a wine expert or you are just learning about wines, Dry Creek Valley is a fun getaway with great wine, friendly people, unique architecture and amazing vistas.