Have started to organize the details of a quick Sonoma wine country getaway. We're coming to San Fran for a wedding in mid-September and have two days to explore Sonoma. Have done some reading & browsed chat here but am still without a good sense of where things are in comparison to each other. Does this some reasonable?
Tuesday PM: depart for Sonoma. Staying at the Grape Leaf Inn in Healdsberg; heard the plaza in Healdsberg proper is quite nice. Will use the late afternoon to explore there, and then have decisions to make for dinner: should it be at Zin, Dry Creek Kitchen, Bistro Ralph? None of the above?

Wednesday: Wine country! Am thinking Gundlach Bundschu, Ravenswood, Roshambo and Seghessio. Is that too much for one day, do you think? Dinner at the girl & the fig.

Thursday: Have time in the AM for more exploring, and would like to venture farther up into the Russian River valley but need to back in to San Francisco by late afternoon.

We enjoy a good sauvignon blanc and of course a fabulous zin, but want to check out whatever smaller boutique treasures we might otherwise miss. Suggestions? Are we being realistic?

Sounds great, belin. I usually do 4 or 5 wineries in a day. Sometimes it's a good idea to focus on a specific varietal. For example, maybe do an all Zin day. My typical wineries are Alexander Valley Vineyards, Chateau Souveraign (good place for lunch), Ferrari Carrano (I love the grounds), Rafanelli (make an appt. first), Seghesio. If you venture towards the Russian River you might want to try Hop Kiln and Korbel (beautiful property).

I'm not a fan of Bistro Ralph.

Be sure to check out www.wineroad.com

I'll be back with more advice- but if you like seafood, Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar in town (Healdsburg) serving tapas-style dining is GREAT. Get there early. Richard and Kae at Grape Leaf Inn can help you with your itinerary and make suggestions. I loved Gundlach, BTW. Grape Leaf is the best- after breakfast, you won't be needing lunch! We were there in April- simply outstanding! Don't miss happy hour in the "speakeasy". They know their stuff!

I'd opt for Ravenous for dinner on Tuesday. You might check out Willi's as well. Folks have been giving it very good reviews on here. I recommend a drive out through the Alexander Valley. I'm a big pinot noir and zin fan so usually opt for places featuring those. The Rosenblum tasting room in downtown Healdsburg(next to Oakville Grocery) has some pretty good zinfandels for the tasting. Enjoy. It will be beautiful in mid-september.

Ridge has a tasting room near you and has super monster Zins. Dry creek, just down the road is a little more restrained. Both are worthwhile for tasting, both charge for tastes of the good stuff, fee refunded with purchase.

We tasted really wonderful whites (viognier and pinot blanc, especially) at Arrowood, the winery owned and run by the former winemaker of Chateau St. Jean. You'll need to make arrangements in advance if you want a tour.

Here's a good link for lots of Sonoma information:

http://www.sonoma.com/thingstodo/shopping/#

We enjoyed Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen very much. The tasting dinner for two was included with our room at the Hotel Healdsburg. It was very nice.

Try to make to the Chateau Souverain for lunch at the Alexander Valley Grille. You will receive a complimentary tasting with lunch, so save that for after your meal. ***kim***