Yes, I know you have been waiting for another wine country post for ages.
So here ya go…
The view from Copain Winery
Russian River Valley is often called the rustic side of wine country, and rightfully so. It is more sprawled out and quite a bit more down to earth than the Napa and Sonoma areas. It feels romantic at times, relaxing at others, and perhaps even a little enchanting every now-and-again.
The Russian River is a longer day trip than many of the other areas, mostly because it is farther north and more spread out. I would suggest you plan ahead, leave a little early, and don’t try to rush from place-to-place. You probably want to plan on going to 2 or 3 wineries, walk on the beach or around Healdsburg Square, perhaps have a nice picnic lunch, and certainly end the day with a relaxing dinner at one of the many great restaurants.
Here is one plan that will hopefully inspire you to kick-off your holiday season with a quick Saturday wine country trip:
1) Get your picnic together the night before. Perhaps pick up some Bi-Rite meats, a few cheeses from Rainbow, an Acme bread, and some sparkling water.
2) Get in the mood for your drive with a quick wake-up cup from Four Barrel Coffee in the Mission. They really do have some of the best coffee San Francisco has to offer, with little acidity, tons of flavor, and lots of care. Try one of their lattés for a sweet subtle taste or one of their Americanos for bold flavor.
3) Your first stop is Copain,where you will get to mellow into your day through one particularly flavorful white called Roussanne. I don’t particularly enjoy whites, but for some reason this one gets me every time. It is so much fun to drink, so light and airy, and yet has more depth than expected. Yes they have many notable reds, which you will want to taste as well, but oh Roussanne, you get me in the mood.
4) After a relaxing tasting step outside to their scenic patio, and crack open your picnic lunch. If you are having the affair with Roussanne I expect you to be having, you will probably will want to pick up a bottle for lunch… she goes very well with soft cheeses.
5) Stop two, it is time to get down with the always elegant and fantastically consistent, Gary Farrell,one of the more well-known wineries from the area. They have a great tasting room and are always full of life. When I was there last there was a lively group of ladies celebrating a birthday, a few smiling families, and a bunch of lovely young couples. They had some great bottles open. One that really stuck out was their Pinot Noir Starr Ridge Dijon Clone. It was delicious today, but with a few years under its belt it is going to be oh so fantastic.
6) Take a walk around Healdsburg Square, stopping in at the book stores, galleries, and boutiques. Make sure to check out candles, scents, and body care products at Le Farmacista… ask for Raul.
Or, if you have a little more time before dinner, head down River Rd for a brisk sunset walk at Goat Rock State Beach.
7) Dinner time. (Side Note: Always get an early reservation. There is little to do in the area after 5pm, unless you are staying up there, and you will usually get into your first choice.) Figuring out where to eat in wine country is always something I enjoy… there are so many fantastic restaurants you really can’t go wrong. I suggest you skip the bigger names like Dry Creek Kitchen and Cyrus, unless this is a special occasion, and head to something more quaint and casual like Mosaic. They do a great job producing rustic Russian River California cuisine. Everything is always fresh and local, the portions are big, and the flavor combos are bold. Some of their highlights are their local mushroom appetizer with brie, their duck confit, and their hearty coffee encrusted steak. Their service is hit-or-miss, but they make up for it in their food. Their desserts are quite well done, with their homemade ice cream taking the cake. As always with wine country dining, bring a bottle or two of wine to go with your meal.
Ready for your Russian River adventure?
. I think you’ll especially enjoy the ability to customize any plan and turn it into an event with your friends.
their food is quite tasty, but their cocktails are why you go there. They actually start with good quality ingredients and take their time concocting your libation. Some of their more noteworthy cocktails are:
few friends. They have two small locations, always fresh unique pizza’s, lots of quality ingredients, and great seasonal specials. They are pretty much packed every night of the week with a line out the door on the weekends, but the line moves fast and the service is usually pretty snappy. If they are featuring any pizza with a lightly cooked egg on top, like the one in this photo to the right, you must get it. Read more about their pizzas at 
big, open concrete space that just feels social. It is usually quite noisy and rarely do people mingle, but the people watching is always fun. They have a fantastic long bar that draws the room together. Yes it is hard to get a seat at the bar. This is probably because, 
