A LOOK INSIDE THE HEALDSBURG WINE & FOOD EXPERIENCE by Trevor Felch
Surrounded by vineyards, farms, and ranches and boasting a robust dining scene (including the three-Michelin-starred SingleThread), Healdsburg has firmly established itself as the epicenter of food and wine for Sonoma County, making it the perfect place to host a festival of nonstop eating and drinking. That abundance was on display throughout the second annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE) in late May, thanks not least to the representatives from more than 200 wineries and 40 chefs on hand for the four-day occasion.
The Grand Tasting at the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience. Photo Credit: GALDONES PHOTOGRAPHY
After a chilly, unusually rainy winter and early spring, the trademark California sunshine greeted some 2,200 attendees from both nearby and afar. Setting the stage for the weekend ahead was an opening reception at the Montage Healdsburg, where several West Coast wines were poured and guests enjoyed bites from local chefs like Crista Luedtke and Domenica Catelli against the splendid, twilit backdrop of Mount St. Helena.
The next day, festivalgoers had the chance to enjoy a leisurely al fresco lunch among the vines via early-afternoon excursions to such marquee estates as Kendall-Jackson, Ferrari-Carano, and Jordan Vineyard & Winery or take a tour of Dutton Ranch before a feast courtesy of acclaimed chef Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue in Oakland. Later, back in the downtown area, one fun event held in the backyard of craft-cocktail bar and restaurant Lo &
This Article was originally published on The SOMM Journal
