HIDDEN GEMS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S SONOMA COUNTY: HEALDSBURG PLAZA & SCHERRER WINERY ADVENTURE WINE TASTING

Hidden Gems In Northern California’s Sonoma County: Healdsburg Plaza & Scherrer Winery Adventure Wine Tasting

In front of a hideous looking power station off of River Road, Spencer sat waiting for me roadside with his luggage.  Despite a few communication hiccups, he only had to wait for a few minutes before I pulled up in my car to start a 24 hour adventura with my friend visiting from Los Angeles. 

The aesthetically offensive power plant gave off a middle-of-nowhere vibe, but just across the street is John Ash & Co., one of the best restaurants in Sonoma County.

We were going to have to save that for another adventure.  We headed into Healdsburg to Taqueria El Sombrero for some yummy Mexican food in a casual setting where we could catch up, later venturing out for some Healdsburg Plaza wine tasting.

There are hundreds of wineries in Sonoma County and quite a few tasting rooms located around the Healdsburg Plaza.  It is a great way to walk around and taste wine responsibly.  

We visited the Topel Tasting Room first since it was just across the street and walked away with a bottle of Zinfandel we liked the best.  What made Topel the most memorable was the jovial interaction between us and the tall, dark-haired, amiable Tasting Room employee who was pouring that day.

Roadhouse Winery was our next stop. We tasted Pinot Noir and Zinfandel wines in their casual, relaxed tasting room and had trouble deciding which one we liked better to take home with us. After a decision was made, we headed on foot towards Memorial Bridge where there are a cluster of tasting rooms and one in particular I wanted to visit: Pezzi King Winery.  Just writing the words Pezzi King Winery makes me swoon a little at the thought of sipping what is my favorite Chardonnay.  Alas, they were closed as by this time it was maybe around 6 p.m.  Pezzi King Winery is now at the top of my list for the next tasting room to visit and one I can’t wait to share with Spencer next time he is in the area.

Healdsburg Wine Tasting Tip:  Go to tasting rooms on the outskirts of town first as the ones in Healdsburg Plaza tend to be open a little later.

Spencer and I regrouped changing clothes and setting purchased wine bottles down before heading out again in search of a great cocktail and some appetizers.  We took a tourist paced stroll through the line of restaurants near the Healdsburg Plaza perusing each posted menu.  Spoonbar was one top cocktail candidate but the place was packed so we continued walking.  My friend Charlie had mentioned he had seen a program about cocktails that looked absolutely amazing by a mixologist at Cyrus and, remembering his words, I figured we could wander down that way to check it out.  Obviously life has really had me out of the loop from either working too hard or playing out of the country too hard because I didn’t even know it had closed its doors, apparently due to some hotel landlord dispute. 

Disappointed, we turned away from the new restaurant’s mediocre menu and ended up at Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar.  The corner entrance was a bit confusing with a partition intended to give a table privacy looking like where we would be greeted, but we eventually made our way to the bar where we ordered cocktails and a couple of appetizers including oysters from their raw bar.  After talking for hours, sipping on cocktails, and continuing to order appetizers one after another because they were so delicious, we realized we were pretty much the last people there and reluctantly but considerately departed to continue an evening of good friends separated by a few hundred miles enjoying each other’s company.

 

The next day started off slow and meandering with café con leche made Costa Rican style until we figured out when we would need to leave by in order to make our 1:15 wine tasting appointment at Scherrer Winery.  Spencer had called the previous day to make the arrangements at this winery I had never heard of, a minor humiliation for a local girl who should be showing her guest around. 

We rushed out and headed towards Sebastopol relying on Spencer’s phone maps and memory of where Scherrer Winery is located.  There are no signs alerting you to the fact that you have arrived at what is one of the better wineries in the area. 

“Is this the right place?  Are you sure?  Where do I park?”

These are questions I asked but let me tell you how utterly refreshing it was to pull up to a winery that did not exude overcompensating marketing ploys, expensive gardens to distract you with their beauty, or sterile premises with overly charismatic and unctuous employees.  This felt like the real thing.  This was going to be some real wine tasting; a wine tasting adventura!  I was impressed and found myself in a state of true excitement about tasting wines at Scherrer Winery.

Fred is the type of winemaker I like best: affable, laid-back, humble, knowledgeable, and his love for wines and making them is conspicuous in his down-to-earth descriptions occasionally interrupted with poetic vignettes.  Everything from blending and bottling to storing and shipping the wines is impressively done from the same facility.  I have been in blending labs before but this was the first time I felt I was in the presence of an artist and felt honored when Fred shared a few aspects of his personal artistic process.

“Winemaking is more about what’s in the bottle
 . . . and less about who put it there.”

The above quote from the Scherrer Winery website poignantly sums up what other wineries should take note of in their winemaking pursuits.

Our laid-back, intimate wine tasting adventure started with a large wooden desk being rolled out to the barrel room and wines being pulled out one by one from a nearby box, beginning with a Sonoma County Chardonnay followed by a Dry Rose. After making a mental note of how much I enjoyed the Dry Rose, we moved on to a Pinot Noir. Two Sonoma County Pinot Noirs were tasted and one Russian River Valley.  At about this point I realized this tasting was going to be difficult in terms of choosing what I wanted to take home with me.  Which one is better?  What a terrible first world problem being caught deciding between 3 delicious Pinot Noirs!  

The Zinfandoodle was poured next and, having an affinity for names and labels of wine, I was *almost* loathe to try it lest it further confound my purchasing decisions.  Okay, twist my arm!  A Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County and one from Alexander Valley were tried next with a hint of exasperation.  Why does every wine I try have to be so damn good?! 

In the end, my pocket book awareness allowed me some semblance of control.  Bearing them like proud trophies, I walked away with the 2008 Scherrer Sonoma County Pinot Noir and the 2012 Scherrer Sonoma County Dry Rose; one of the best Rose’s I have tasted. Neither wine lasted long.  I had intentions of sharing them with a good friend or two but drank them in true Naomi “life is short” form.  I did share some of the Pinot Noir with my brother saying, “Here, you HAVE to try this!”

Scherrer Winery does not have a formal tasting room.  This is not a place to drop in unannounced with your rented limousine.  Please call them to request an appointment.  Per their website, they try to make appointments work depending on wine making schedules although, due to the busy harvest season of September through mid-November, they are not able to schedule any appointments. 

However, don’t let this stop you from trying their wines – they are a must-taste experience!  Whether you are looking for something off the beaten path, desire a down-to-earth wine tasting experience, just want to taste some really good wines, or want a little wine tasting adventure, this is the place to go.

For more information on Scherrer Winery, to request an appointment for an unforgettable wine tasting experience, or to find out where you can buy their wines, visit their website at www.scherrerwinery.com

You can thank me later after I’m done thanking Spencer for enlightening me to what is now one of my top favorite wineries in Sonoma County.