HEALDSBURG HAVENS

Healdsburg Havens

  In Healdsburg the first thing you notice are 

the beautifully well kept large porch homes with a 

splash of red white and blue proudly displayed up front and some neat well kept gardens. When you reach the central town plaza a few lonesome large redwoods rise up to meet you surrounded by great restaurants, bakeries, boutiques and wine tasting rooms.

There are over 250 wineries in Sonoma, with more than 20 tasting rooms in Healdsburg itself all within walking distance. What better way to introduce yourself to the flavors of Sonoma.

I managed to try eight places and all of them were of a high standard. Of particular note were three smaller producers. 

The first Williamson wines was interesting for the way they matched food and wine. A large selection of wines but the food matches like truffle salt and cheese or a mango ginger cheddar is what made the experience particularly fun.

Stephen and Walker around the corner made a textually rich and riper tropical style Sauvignon Blanc from Russian River and some savory Zinfandels from both Russian River and the warmer Dry Creek Valley which i liked. They also had a rich and complex 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from a highly regarded Napa Valley vineyard subregion called Howell Mountain.

The last of the three amigos was Hawley Winery. Not a bad wine in the whole list. First rate quality. From the fresh and clean NZ style Sauvignon Blanc, a rich varietal orange blossom Viognier and  a european styled elegant textural Chardonnay a little funky and doesn’t have oak as a main component. The reds didn’t disappoint the richest and most intense Zinfandels of the day with that baked christmas cake character I associate with great Zins (due in part to some raisins in ferment). And both the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon had a sophistication and elegance that can only come from a winemaker who really knows what they are doing. Hats off to you Mr Hawley.

 

Novel Browsing

 

Wandering through the centre you will stumble upon Copperfields a chain that has a good selection of magazines and a small but interesting selection of coffee book style selections. For a more in depth  and compelling read just across the plaza their is Levin & co. Here you will find great food and wine information, a good selection of novels and interesting hard to find books. The layout of the store has a chaotic library feel that any book lover will really get into just for sheer diversity and scope. The store is locally based and has a real personality. Grab a read and then pick up a coffee and something hot at the Downtown Bakery just next door.

 

 

Smell

The intense aromas of the Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley of fruitcake and Chocolate berry at any of the wine tasting rooms in Healdsburg.

Taste

At Campo Fino as  many courses of three share bite sized dishes from great pizza to pork belly as you can muster. Wash it down with a great Vermentino or any of the local reds on offer.

Sights

Check out the cute couples and dog walking oddities of people around the plaza that seem to appear on the weekend. Up from San Francisco or further afield for their weekend wine and food fix. 

 

 

Extreme Vineyards


The Vintage  Nomad

A  Beautiful Coastline of Olive groves, grapevines and picturesque villages

 Extreme Viticulture

 Throughout Cinque Terre on the terraces that dot the coast the grapevines tan in constant sunlight, struggling like resting climbers for a foothold before plunging into the Mediterranean.

 After a winding and treacherous drive from Pisa relying on the local Bus driver to keep you alive you will arrive at Riomaggiore the first of five villages know collectively  as CINQUE TERRE . This part of central Italy was for many years separated from most of the country, as the only way in to the communities was by boat. Even today it is not easy to get into them and most  cars are rendered useless due to the narrow roads to the villages. Old golf cart like three wheelers seem to be the vehicle of choice. However a train now runs along the coastline stopping at each village making it more lazy traveller friendly.

Being  the most southern, Riomaggorie main vista is really the only street in the town rising up from the sea which small boats use   as a jetty, the clean slatted street climbs some fifty metres above the water giving you great views towards the other villages. Heading for Corniglia you weave through the village  labyrinth and emerge out  on a breathtaking terrace that sits out of the town like a crows nest, with magnificent views in both directions.

The vineyard and fruit growing terraces of the region are UNESCO listed having been established and farmed from as early as when the Normans first invaded the area.

Bosca, vermentino and albarola are the three grape varieties used to make the local speciality. They are grown in all manner of styles  up individual stakes to be mostly overhead trellises, where the fruit hangs down protected from the mid September sun. Small plots mainly no bigger than a small motel pool before the land falls away to the next terrace.

The grapes are picked into 40 litre baskets and loaded onto the back carriages and then the bloke who drew the short straw takes them up to the main road some 50 to 100m above.The driver seat being just a plastic chair you would use in any school assembly hall.

Arriving at the local winery co-op, a  wine is made from partially drying the  grapes on racks in the shade, providing heightened sweet berries with a greater acidity due to the natural water evaporation. These grapes are then crushed and are given some skin contact to extract more of the sugars.

The resultant wine is known as Sciacchetra an interesting mix of madeirised brown apple nutty raisined apricot sweetness followed by a fresh and lively acid finish, it has a deep golden amber colour. A wine that goes particularly well with the local deli spread of salami creamy buffalo mozzarella on a foccacia.

Views from above the villages where the temperature is considerably cooler and the air fresh with the smell of the pine forest, not many tourists are up at the heights preferring to stay on the main paths making them very quiet peaceful retreats.

Architecture with old world charm and stunning vistas are also on offer

    The  local villas offer stunning views and some of the narrow laneways hold visual surprises with neat well kept windowsill gardens and colourful pastels and rustic red walls. 

The shutters all bear a consistent deep green and the mailboxes have a certain charm. This in combination with the people, the hikes the vistas and the food and wine make for a rich experience.

Sights Sunset on the crows nest in Corniglia. Or any vista from the

paths between and above the villages.

Sounds

 Debating in the square in Corniglia in late afternoon in your best garbled Italian about nothing in particula

Activity


Kayaking between the five villages here coming into Vernazza

Taste

The local chilli mussels washed down with the sweet nutty and apricot madeirised yet fresh acidic Schiacchetera wine

Smell


 Pine forest floor freshness emanating from the slopes as you hike to the top peaks above the villages.

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The Journey Begins

From humble beginnings the nomad travels across the globe seeking activities, tastes, flavours and smells that arouse his interest. From far flung corners of the continents to well travelled paths, the experience of a travelling vinofile getting his hands dirty all to unravel the mysteries of the ancient vitis vinifera. The Journey is about to begin.