Bella Winery in Dry Creek Valley

9711 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: http://www.bellawinery.com/

The name of this vineyard and winery is very suitable. Bella in Italian means “pretty” or “beautiful” and the landscape surrounding the winery is just that. The story behind how the winery got its name is also touching. Scott and Lynn Adams, who operate the winery primarily on their own, fell in love with the land when they were married in wine country in 1994 and spent many weekends exploring the area. Finally, they decided to follow through on their passion for outdoor living and fine wine and purchased the vineyard in partnership with Scott’s father and three brothers. Over the next 4 ½ years they dedicated themselves to learning how to grow grapes, and their two daughters were born while they were in the process of setting up the winery. The winery was really named after the daughters, and both girls are actively involved in the winery today.

Bella Winery

This winery is located off a somewhat narrow, windy back road in Dry Creek Valley in the northern part of Sonoma. The view of acre upon acre of vineyards is well worth the drive there. Preston Family and Zichichi Family wineries are located along the same stretch of road. The entrance to the winery has a small wooden, worn down sign with Bella Vineyards painted on it. It could easily be missed if someone is driving too fast and not keeping an eye out for it.  When I stepped out of the car, the first thing that caught my attention was the amazing view of the valley stretching out from the bottom of the driveway. The main building sits at the top of the driveway along with a picnic area and wine cave. There is a crush pad to the side of the main building with stainless steel fermentation tanks. In front of the building is a peaceful picnic area with large, beautiful olive trees encompassed by a small rock wall. Off to the left is the wine cave that is built into the side of a hill. Rows of vines cover the hill above it. It is a spectacular view!

Bella’s wine cave and tasting area

The owners and staff at this winery are very warm and welcoming. Wine tastings are conducted inside the cave every day. Lights hang from the ceiling and a few small tables with chairs provide a nice ambiance. The tasting bar is located at the opposite end of the entrance to the cave. As we walked into the cave, we saw areas off to the side where they had candlelit tables set up for private events and wine club members. The first time I visited several years back I did the basic wine tasting experience.  I was offered a sample of 5 wines for a small fee, but the servers were willing to pour any wine I wanted to try from the menu.  This winery focuses on Zinfandel and I highly recommend it to any Zin fans.  They produce a late harvest Zinfandel, Syrah, and Petite Sirah as well.

Inside the wine cave at Bella Vineyards

I recently returned to Bella and did the Mix It Up: Barrel Blending Tour. Our tour guide, Benji, started off the tour underneath the olive trees explaining some of the history of the winery. Then we snapped some photos near the vines before heading over to the crush pad for a lesson on how the grapes are pressed and fermented. After our time outdoors we walked through the caves where we were led to a private room. The best part of the tour was sampling wines from the barrel and then getting to create our own blend. There were 4 people in my group and we each created our own wine blend. Benji then sampled each one and selected a winner. I’m proud to say I won the prize in my group for the best wine blend! This was one of the most thorough and fun tours that I have been on. Thank you to Benji and the rest of the staff at Bella for the great experience and terrific wines!

View from Bella Winery in Dry Creek Valley