HEALDSBURG QUENCHES THIRST FOR ADVENTURE
Wine hikes — alfresco wine tasting during or after a vineyard hike — have become trendy, with wineries in Sonoma, Livermore and beyond offering vineyard hikes and wine country rambles that combine fresh air and wine.
If you’re venturing north to wine country, several Healdsburg wineries have begun offering guided treks that take advantage of their varied terrain and expansive vineyards, as well as their cabs, bubbles and rosés. Here are some can’t-miss “wiking” — wine + hiking — experiences that will turn your tasting jaunt into something special.
Sutro Wine Co., which is owned and run by an all-woman team, offer one of the valley’s more affordable wiking adventures ($45). A 45-minute hike through the vineyards with founder and winemaker Alice Warnecke Sutro will get your heart pumping, as you hear about the wine’s journey from soil to glass. Part education, part exercise, part wine experience, the outing concludes with a tasting of Sutro’s wines, including the 2017 Merlot and 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon.
For a longer trek, opt for the Sparkling Wine and Habitat Restoration walk at Amista Vineyards, a Dry Creek
winery known for its effervescent wines. Traipse across the 20-acre estate while learning about the winery’s sustainability and habitat enhancement efforts, which include a backwater pond designed to restore the area’s natural fish habitat. You don’t have to wait for the end of the hike to taste the sparkling wine. Several sips are poured throughout the 90-minute tour. Post-hike, crack open a bottle (included in the tour price) and sip away on the patio overlooking the vines.
If you’re looking to parlay your wike into a weekend away — a wike-end? — check out the Hike the Valley package offered by Bella Vineyards and the Hotel Healdsburg. Visit soon for a front-row seat to Bella Vineyard’s crush season before heading out on a private, guided hike through the estate, which offers 360-degree views of the Dry Creek Valley. Posthike, the package includes a wine tasting for two — with sips of five Bella Vineyard wines, including the 2017 Hills + Benches Zinfandel and 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast — and a picnic lunch provided by Dry Creek Kitchen.