Spicy Vines Winery — Restaurant in Healdsburg

Stop #2 of our wine tour around Santa Rosa. We received a local tip about Healdsburgs being a "Playground for Wine Enthusiasts" since the wine bars and restaurants were open later than most wineries on any given Sunday, so we had to go check it out.

Spicy Vines showed up on our radar since there were small bites to keep us in check until dinner and it was open a little later than others in the area. With a group of eight, there was plenty of space available to accommodate us. Upon get entrance, the bar is to the right, the middle has a few communal barstool tables and along the wall to the left were comfy couches.

We ended up taking over the corner couch to the left since it could seat all of us comfortably where we were facing each other. The bar also supplied a few games and cards to keep it social amongst friends. Since we were new to the area, we started with wine flight ($12/each).

I chose the second option, which featured a Chardonnay, "In Memory" Counoise (a special blend in tribute to the late co-founder), Zinfandel and their Spicy Vines Original Blend. With each pour, a few facts were shared about the wines such as tasting profiles and production. I probably enjoyed the Chardonnay for its refreshing qualities followed by their Original Blend since it tasted like Christmas.

In addition to the wine, our group shared a cheese plate. You get a selection of three cheeses, two meats (prosciutto & salami) and the perfect accoutrements (honeycomb, dried fruits and almonds) to pair. It was beautifully presented and the honeycomb is locally produced. One of girls in our group loved it so much that our server said you can find it SHED, a local market a few blocks down.

Overall, it's a pretty low-key tasting room. I didn't get a chance to view the rest of their offerings, but the wine flight selections shows that there was a nice variety between the two. Although our visit was short, it was fun and the owners are really passionate about...

Came here with some friends that are local, and my wife and I REALLY loved this place. We come from Oregon's Willamette Valley wines and honestly find it hard to differentiate some of the wines in our area and even in the Napa/Sonoma area. These wines stand out in a good way.

I'll break up the review into the two parts I loved the most - ambience and character and then the wine.

Ambience is relaxed and inviting for conversation and live music was getting set up when we left which would've only made this a 6 star review instead of a 5. The winemaker and owner were both present and engaging, Doug was super cool about talking about wines and why he liked the ones he made, not pretentious, but you can tell he's proud of what he's made and that he loves what he does. Owner (Crystal) was cool and approachable and also passionate about making Spicy Vines stand out and they really nailed it.

I think we had 5-7 wines and I think the ones that stood out to my wife and I were different but remarkably robust and full of flavor and depth that I usually associate with older vintages or more well known names. I'm not a sommelier, but I would drink any of the wines we had and found myself thinking about what food I could make at home that would pair best with each one. Also had their namesake mulled wine (spiced wine) and was honestly thinking it'd be overpowering or weird and I just loved it.

The tastings didn't seem to end and even when we were thinking we were done, Doug busted out some mead that he'd made and been working on. Doesn't matter if you don't know if you like mead, everyone should try some as it's one of the oldest fermented drinks and Doug's was the best I've ever had (not the only, definitely the best).

Anyway, long review, but cool place, great vibe, wine, and experience and fun people to boot. If you're in Healdsburg, you owe it to yourself to visit...

Where do I even begin? The food? The wine? The service? The ambience… You get the point. Everything about this place is five star. Doug the owner and wine maker is a genuine soul and you can feel his personality come through in his food and in his wine. My group and I discovered this place while on a tour (Wine Country Walking tours which I highly recommend as well) it was our last stop on the tour and we loved it so much we decided to stay, hang out order more food and more wine and we had the most incredible time. I am pretty sure we tried everything on the menu and loved it all so if you’re looking for a fun spot to have a great meal and sip on some incredible wine this is the...