Wine Country - need help with itinerary!
 

I just booked a trip to wine country, June 10-18. I've already booked 2 nights (Sat & Sun) in San Francisco, and four nights (Mon-Thurs) in Healdsburg. Any thoughts on good wineries near Healdsburg?

We have to drop off the couple we're traveling with at the airport early Friday morning, then we need to decide if it's worth it to drive back up to Napa or Sonoma to stay Friday night. Our flight leaves Saturday at 5:30pm. Are two full days in San Francisco enough? Would a 3rd be too much? Any thoughts???

We're planning on hiking one day in wine country (redwoods), and touring wineries the other three days. If we added a fourth day would we get bored?

Any thoughts on what to do in San Francisco? We're staying at the Hyatt on Union Square.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

If it were me, I wouldn't drive back up to the wine country. First of all, have you seen www.wineroad.com? It is a great representation of the wineries in the area you'll be visiting.

For hiking, I recommend Armstrong Redwoods. You might also want to consider canoeing on the Russian River (Burkes in Forestville is very good).

My favorite wineries in the area are Ferrari Carano, Chateau Souveraign (great place for lunch), Rafanelli (make a reservation.. don't miss this one), Michele Schlumberger, Seghesio, Hop Kiln, and Davis Bynum. Korbel is a fun place to visit and taste; beautiful grounds and an interesting tour.

If you like Jazz, check to see if there's a concert at Rodney Strong while you're there. It's an excellent venue and they have some great performers.

You can also rent bikes at a shop near the square in Healdsburg. It's a fun way to visit wineries. Be careful about drinking much if you do that.

I don't think three days in SF is too many at all. Heck there are so many great restaurants it takes three days to make a dent in what you'll want to eat!

Just a thought, but why not reverse your trip - if you have to come back Fri to SF to drop friends at the airport, why not do Healdsburg first, then do SF, airport, and back to SF for the night. If you can't do that due to reservations already made, I would still do Fri night in SF. There's lots to see - 3 days is not too many.

Check out Jordan winery in Healdsburg - you'll need an appt. though.

Don't miss A. Rafanelli. Their Zins & Cabs are some of the best in the area -- make a reservation. Their number/address is on wineroad.com.

http://www.visitwineroad.com/ is another source -- they have recommended day trips -- A. Rafanelli is on Day #2.

In fact, I'm having one of their Cabs for dinner tonight at a BYOB restaurant. ((b))

If you're staying 4 nights in Healdsburg, I think you can get all the tasting done that you want in that area without returning Friday.

I just responded to your other posting, so I won't repeat it. I agree entirely with Grasshopper's recomendations about Chateau Souvereign, Ferrari-Carano (I've bought wines at both) and Armstrong Woods, which is also close to Korbel. All three have beautiful grounds. However, I was very disappointed in Seghesio. Didn't like a single wine I tasted there.

For fun in the city, I highly recommend Beach Blanket Babylon and the arboretum in GG Park for a leisurely walk. And there are so many good and great restaurants in the city, ranging from cheap Chinese and taquerias to some of the most highly rated (and expensive) ones in the world.

As for me, I'll be checking out Rafanelli soon. Never been there, but this isn't the first time I've seen recommnedations