Armida Winery
2201 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, CA 95448
Website: http://www.armida.com/
Armida Winery is located amongst several other well-known wineries along Westside Road.Visitors could literally spend a full day hopping from one tasting room to another on this stretch of road. Armida sits within the Dry Creek Valley, although it is right on the line of the Russian River Valley as well. It’s a short drive to downtown Healdsburg.
Armida’s pond and picnic area overlooking Russian River Valley
There are a few unique features about this winery. The tasting room is inside of a white dome-shaped structure with a huge picture window that looks out toward the Russion River Valley. Armida is co-owned by the Cousins and Foley families who have been producing wine here for 25 years. Outside of the winery there are beautiful views with a pond and fountain, as well as a picnic area with redwood picnic tables and a large patio with tables that seat 4 to 6 people beneath a big oak tree. There is also a bocce ball court for entertainment.
Armida’s flagship wine is Zinfandel. Their most popular wine is PoiZin, “the wine to die for”. This wine comes in a coffin shaped box with a skull and crossbones on the label. It is certainly a bold Zinfandel that isn’t for the faint of heart. This winery also produces several other Zins from different vineyards, as well as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and red or white blends including the intriguing Antidote white.
Armida Tasting Room
I felt that the inside of the tasting room had a rather simple design and the real beauty was outside. The tasting bar is in the center of the room with the huge picture window opposite of it. There is brown tile flooring and earth toned walls. In one corner of the room there were a couple of high top tables and a fridge in the corner where visitors could grab a chilled bottle of wine. The front of the tasting bar looks like it is propped up by a couple of wooden columns with a dark wood wine rack behind the bar that contrasts the white walls and brightness coming in from the windows. On display on the wine rack behind the bar are bottles of PoiZin. My husband and I visited toward the end of the day. There was one other small group there when we walked in. Our tasting experience was a little disappointing because our host didn’t give us much information about the wines or try to personalize our experience. He just poured what was on the menu and left us on our own. Nothing really jumped out to me. Of course I had to try the Poizin, but I found it was a little too firm for my preference.
My overall feel for this winery is mediocre. It might have been an outcome of it being the end of the day and I just wasn’t feeling it at that moment. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything exciting about my experience that would draw me back. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the wines were bad. You can’t really go wrong with any winemakers in this area. I would suggest for others planning to visit this winery to take advantage of the grounds outside, maybe plan a picnic, and soak in the surrounding views.
