Dry Creek Vineyard

3770 Lambert Bridge Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: http://www.drycreekvineyard.com/

The most alluring aspect of Dry Creek Vineyard for me is its location.  To get to the winery, we had a very picturesque drive down Dry Creek Road where there were rolling fields of vines as far as the eye can see.  It is simply breathtaking. The winery is less than five miles from the town of Healdsburg and there are many other wineries in the area. Although there are lots of wineries in Dry Creek Valley, it hasn’t been very busy the few times I have been there.  Anyone could easily spend a full day or more in this one location without running out of wineries to see.

Dry Creek Vineyard is a second generation winery that was founded by David S. Stare in 1972. Prior to starting the winery, Stare worked for B&O Railroad Company in the northeast.  He had visited the wine regions of Germany and France and fell in love with the Loire Valley. After hearing about the potential of the California wine region, he went out in search of land where he could start a vineyard.  He found a rundown prune orchard in Dry Creek Valley and decided this would be the perfect spot for his vineyard. Dave has passed down the winery to his daughter Kim Stare Wallace and her husband Don. The family is passionate about both wine and sailing, hence the sailboat on their wine labels.

Dry Creek Vineyard Picnic Area

The winery and tasting room has a pretty façade of tan stone with vines crawling up the sides and surrounding the entryways.   A stone walkway leads up to the front of the building with well-trimmed trees and bushes flanking each side of the walkway. The walkway leads around the side through the large picnic area to the tasting room.  The wide open picnic area has several tables shaded by trees and stunning views of the surrounding valley. This is a nice place to stop simply to take a break in the picnic area.

Dry Creek Vineyard Tasting Room

nside, the tasting room has a nautical theme. It is very spacious.  Off to right of the entrance is memorabilia that describes the history of the winery and to the left are shelves of gift items.  Straight ahead from the entrance there is a long dark wood tasting bar that could accommodate several groups at the same time. In the center between the entrance and tasting bar are a couple of wine barrels with glass table tops.  Behind the tasting bar is wine shelving that expands the length of the bar. The chandeliers hanging over the bar look like they are made from ropes that you would find on a boat. Dry Creek makes several varietals including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and some Bordeaux red blends.  All of these are available to sample from the tasting menu. My personal favorite is their flagship wine “The Mariner”.

The best way to experience this winery is to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery with some wine outside.  The Dry Creek General store is right around the corner from the winery, and the locals highly recommend it for grabbing lunch and snacks.