Sit, Stay, Healdsburg

Once upon a time, the sleepy Sonoma town of Healdsburg billed itself as "The Buckle of the Prune Belt." Vineyards were replaced with plum trees after prohibition, but by the 1970s most reverted to grapes. Today wine is the word, and the charming city has become a destination revered by oenophiles, outdoorsmen, and world-class culinarians.

BY BRADLEY LINCOLN

The 1849 Gold Rush lured Harmon Heald to the rolling hills of Northern California from Ohio, but when that pipe dream didn’t pan out, he built a post office and a general store and settled down in what is now Healdsburg. The picturesque town is located 70 miles north of San Francisco, at the confluence of the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys wine regions. It routinely lands on lists of best American small towns to visit, and it’s ideal for a getaway weekend.

A central Spanish-style plaza anchors downtown shopping and serves as a community gathering spot.

Holiday afternoon tea at the Hotel Healdsburg.

Shopping in Healdsburg has come a long way since Harmon opened that store. Boutiques, galleries, one-off shops, and even a flirty hand fan museum are interspersed with the myriad wine-tasting rooms clustered around the Spanish-style town plaza. Pull up to the fermentation bar for a shot of SHED’s house-made shrubs while you try to decide between the aubergine or anthracite linen napkins at this popular home goods vendor. The chic SHED also serves as a café and community center, offering farming workshops, lectures, movie screenings, and themed dinners. Dragonfly Floral is a mother-and-daughter design collective nestled in six acres of organic flowers, and sponsors wreath-making classes, tours of wine country, and a seasonal farm stand as well as its signature floral shop and event planning services.

In recent years, chefs have homed in on Healdsburg from Los Angeles and across the nation. Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus resto and Top Chef Masters fame oversees the Healdsburg Bar and Grill, a casual joint that elevates the proletarian hamburger to one of Food & Wine’s top 25 burgers in the US. The BBQ and frickles (crispy fried pickle chips) at KINsmoke can’t be beat, and inventive pie maker Ozzy Jimenez and his Moustache Baked Goods partner, Christian Sullberg, turn out rustic pies and artisanal ice cream inspired by Nordic and Japanese flavors at Noble Folk. Try for top-chef status of your own by taking a cooking class at Relish, a culinary center and teaching kitchen with a modernist farmhouse vibe.

French country chateaus served as inspiration for the Jordan Vineyard and Winery.

For a farm-to-table experience to write home about, reserve a table and about three hours of time for the 11-course tasting menu at SingleThread Farm and Inn. Feasts are customized to palates and dietary restrictions, and after dinner you can stay in one of the five artfully appointed guestrooms upstairs. Another place to bunker down in town is Hotel Healdsburg on the plaza, with a spa offering services inspired by the area’s agrarian sensibilities (Meyer lemon sage massage? Yes, please!) and Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, a progressive American eatery with 500 selections on the wine list. Or check in to the eco-friendly h2hotel, a hip haven with an undulating succulent roof and complimentary bike rental.

With more than 100 vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms (Sonoma.com recently put the count at 142), it’s always wine o’clock somewhere in Healdsburg. Start sipping at the rooms around the plaza, picking up maps and tips, and make a plan of attack to visit and tour the growers your taste buds and schedules dictate. Fans of California cabs will want to hit the Jordan Vineyard and Winery, an elegant French-chateau inspired estate that has been wooing wine-country wanderers since 1972. When you’ve had your fill of pinot, a less spirited, more spiritual experience is on call at the Taste of Tea lounge. Have a full traditional tea service, chill on the patio with a bento box, or sit at the counter and get a master class in steeping. When you’re ripe for a recharge, get a Shinwa Japanese green tea facial and foot soak at the onsite spa. You’ll need to get your chops back for more tastings. Wine not?

The wine-wellness package at Hotel Healdsburg includes spirits and spa time.

Al fresco wine tasting on the Jordan grounds.