Lots of food, lots of wine...check and check. Price tag to support this unlimited gorge..check! A…read morehuge variety of wines, goes without saying, mostly local wines from the northern CA region. Great way to meet the wine makers which is always fun! As far as food..the highlight for me were the sushi bar from my fave Sushi by scratch! Is it the same as the restaurant ? No but it's a nice introductory taste. Ceviche from Nobu. The dipped ice cream...I could go on! There was a limitless array of food from local and California eateries. The vibe is fun and relaxed. Def worth a fun time up north!

The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE) grand tasting was a well organized event with an…read moreabundance of delicious food and drink. It was our first time attending, and we are accustomed to large food & wine events like this having long lines for food as well as running out of food... Not the case at all for HWFE! We ate so much (pasta, sliders, burgers, tacos, fried chicken, croquettes, poke bowls, pate, cheese, ravioli donuts, gelato) within the first hour and half of the event that we were too full to try many dishes (sushi, japanese hot dogs, and meatballs were just some of the ones we missed). After eating a lot of food and drinking the accompanying wine pairings, we really appreciated having something lighter like the tasty non alcoholic Susurrus sparkling teas and Agricultural Institute of Marin's mocktails.

This is one of the most amazing little local fairs around…read more I will prolly date myself by writing this review, but I can remember back to being a kid, and going to a local fair - seeing everyone from town, and getting to go on pony rides, pet animals, eat corn dogs and cotton candy, and of course try to chuck a ping pong ball at a golf fish that was living in colored water. Many of the local little fun fairs have gone by the wayside -- people getting mad that the $20 cent gold fish were traumatized by the ping pong balls - corn dogs going up to astronomical prices, and of course we have the big theme parks with the thrill rides - what makes anyone think that a kid wants to go on a pony ride? I do!! and apparently the citizens of Healdsburg do too! Cause the fair is in it's Umteeth year -Ok 60th year in 2009 - my bad and guess what? it starts off with a really cool parade on the Thursday before which practially the entire town shuts down for (who wouldn't want to be seen in the parade I ask you? It's like an oscar nomination just to be asked to ride in one of the floats!) You can go, stuff your face with amazing treats that are locally made by little booths that support little league, soccer camps, and Future Farmers of America, 4H - etc. The kids can play bean bag toss games, chuck ping pong balls at gold fish (yes, really still) and also play lots of other old fashioned games that you just don't see at carnivals these days. There is a circus performance, and also the animal auction for FAA and 4H. What is not to love?

My third year attending this grand event, and it continues to impress every time!…read more We were warmly welcomed by the check-in volunteers, who were friendly and organized (though the gentleman overseeing things seemed a bit less approachable). We always look forward to receiving the iconic Healdsburg burlap tote to stash all our goodies in throughout the day. The atmosphere was fantastic -- a fabulous DJ spinning great music, a talented violinist adding an elegant touch, and an outstanding selection of five-star food and wines. It's such a wonderful opportunity to sample an incredible variety of wineries all in one place without having to travel from tasting room to tasting room. Even the restrooms deserve a mention -- definitely a step above the usual portables and very well maintained, which was especially appreciated... along with the thoughtful women-to-men ratio

Wine Road's Wine and Food Affair is by far my very favorite annual wine event. We recently…read morereturned for our first time back in about 5 years. My husband and I started attending back in 2009 and have been several times since. Though some things have changed, the idea of the event is still the same. You purchase a ticket that covers food and wine tastings at over 50 vineyeards and tasting rooms (probably way more) all over Sonoma County. The ticket is reasonably priced, I think it was $125 for both days. Each winery does a food pairing with one of their wines. The food is typically homemade on site, and is usually a hearty fall dish. We then get to taste a variety of their other wines. We later have access to the recipes online, and I always make a few of them after returning. The first day, we typically hire a driver to take us around to the vinyards. I would say that we usually make it to around 6 during the 11-4 timeframe. Some are quicker stops. Others offer live music, lots of tastings and scenery to explore. The second day, we typically travel on foot to various tasting rooms, and when we are determined, can make it to almost 10 rooms. We usually buy lots of wine along the way. This event take place the first weekend in November each year, and offers beautiful fall foliage and usually perfect cool, sunny weather. Unfortunately, the amount of participating wineries have dwindled over the years, though there are still lots that participate. I also used to really enjoy the hard cover recipe book that had beautiful photographs of each winery alongside each featured recipe for that year. Now the recipes are all online, which I guess is expected. Despite the changes, I still highly recommend this even and look forward to returning.

I was so curious about all of these metal sculptures around town so a friend and I parked on one…read moreend of Florence Avenue and casually walked up and down the street. What imagination and creativity! I loved photographing each one. There was one house with tons of artwork. The entire front yard is adorned with them and I wondered if this is where the artist lives. Sure enough there were pamphlets near the sidewalk and that's when I learned that the artist is Patrick Amiot. His spouse, Brigitte Laurent, paints his works of art. He calls his creations Urban Folk Art. Some are quite huge but all are very unique and original. What an entertaining way to reuse metal. For feathers and scales, we noticed he layers flat jar lids and they look amazing after they've been painted. My favorite was (Buster) Posey and the two owls but there were so many we both loved. I drive up this street regularly but it is definitely worth it to park and take a closer look. Florence Avenue is like the artist's outdoor studio. It's a manageable and worthwhile leisurely stroll. You will see other metal sculptures around town by this artist and I happened to know that Mom's Apple Pie on Gravenstein Highway has one now too so I included a photo of it. Such fun whimsical creations!

If you want to put a smile on your face just walk along Florence Avenue to see the amazing ,…read morewhimsical art made of recycled objects. This sculpture's art also pops up in many places in Sonoma County including the Humane Society and some local businesses.

Wow can these guys put on an event!…read more Just recently did the Savor Sonoma Valley Barrel Tasting & Culinary Food Experience, and WOW is the only word I have to say. On the weekend of March 17th & 18th 2007 my GF and a bunch of her friends were able to go wine tasting to 19 Sonoma Valley Wineries. Not only were you able to sample the upcoming wine releases, but they were also paired with foods from many local caterers and stores. So for a weekend pass, you must be thinking I can go to 19 wineries, sample both the food and wine, get a comparative tasting glass and this is going to cost me like $150+... HA! Not even half that price for the weekend. We are talking $55! Yes only $55!!! This was probably the best Sonoma wine tasting value I've ever seen. I will most definately be doing this again next year. They have other events coming up such as a Film Festival, and special dinners at the Wineries, but this Savor Sonoma Valley Barrel Tasting & Culinary Food Experience is definitely worth doing for a short get away weekend and wine tasting experience!

These are the guys that put on the barrel tasting weekend every March in Sonoma. We attended this…read morepast weekend and had a really fun time. This is a special event for a few reasons including food pairings by local chefs and the opportunity to taste wine from the barrel and compare it to the finished product. You can also buy futures for a barrel that you really like and some vineyards discount their wines for Savor Sonoma. My favorite participants were La Rochelle and Muscardini who led the pack with great wines and amazing bites.

A Cotati classic, always funky and fun! Great music, food and shopping in the shady park.read more

What an amazing treat! This festival is the best. Do bring your own chairs (to sit in the back) or…read morestadium chairs for the hay bale seating in front. At the very least you need a blanket to cover the hay bale. The music will blow you away. Accordion music from all over the world - Hungarian, Cajun, classical, French - all here, all wonderful. I enjoyed everything. Go early for decent parking. There are tons of vendors. No outside food allowed and only one water bottle per person. They will search your bag. Lots of food vendors - we bought containers of food from Brothers (hummus, garlic spread, olives, pitas, baklava,etc) and the kettle corn was delicious. Also bought lots of merchandise - festival had past years tee shirts and the bands had clothing and CDs. There's a great play area for the kids, and lots of bathrooms - a mix of conventional and porta potties. The people who put this on are epically nice volunteers and they do a magnificent job. I enjoyed every second and I'll be back next year! (We stay in Windsor and go to both days of the festival.)

Great crowd, good food, nice band & great beverages served in awesome souvenir glasses! Love…read morehaving cool events in our little town of Cotati

I really wish I can say it was better but if I'm being honest watching the yodeling contest was the…read morebest part of our time there. They have you buy a glass to use for beer so I got the glass boot 20 Oz and the beer total was $38 and then $17 to fill it up with another beer. Way too expensive. The food was decent. Chicken wings were my favorite thing I tried. Also got the German donuts but were uncooked in the middle. Glad I finally went but I would be ok with skipping them.

I was skeptical at first, especially because I've been to my share of overrated festivals. Also…read morebecause I happened upon two mediocre online reviews of past festivals but I am very happy to say I was proven wrong. Contrary to what was advertised, shuttles do not come every 15 minutes. Towards the end of our 50 minute wait at the shuttle pick up, I was getting antsy, but the experience in itself made up for it because it was a lot of fun. Where do I begin? This year, the mustard festival took place at the Mondavi winery, which is beautiful and had lots of Spanish-style indoor buildings as well as outdoor space with green lawns for folks to enjoy. The festival is set up so that people can 'purchase' wine samples and food selections with tickets that are given to them upon entrance. True to it's name, I was able to sample my share of different mustard: Sweet, Honey, Dijon. I'll tell ya, the horse radish mustard is not for the faint of heart because it burns! Food selection to name a few included: gourmet pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, cheese, Ben and Jerry's ice cream and even gourmet cupcakes. After a long day of tasting, my red velvet treat was icing on the cake. A lot of vineyards from Napa/Sonoma county were there to endorse their wine. I was most excited to see Sterling there because of a past visit to their vineyard and a natural liking of their selection. Most of the vendors were generous with their samples, which of course made for a more enjoyable time. Don't like wine? There was also a section of the festival that had beer sampling too. If you can, buy $35 pre-sale tickets from the Raley's in napa. In addition to what comes with general admission we received +5 wine tickets. General admission itself comes with 10 food coupons, 5 wine tickets and a complimentary wine glass sans an inscription, which is a plus for me because I hate getting wine glasses with wording on it. Highly recommended for people who are interested in attending next year. Me and my friends came in a group of over 10 people. The set up is very group friendly, as I saw groups of many age ranges who like me love good food, good drink, and good times.

WOO HOO!!! Let me…read morejust start with the cool tickets! We bought our tickets at Raley's in Napa... saved $5 AND got 5 extra food/drink tickets. Parking was no hassle. The jazz music was great, relaxing. The weather was just beautiful yesterday!!! GORGEOUS! Amazing desserts! The cooking demos were fun and you even get food samplings. I got to meet the executive chefs from AVIA and BRIX. HOW COOOOL IS THAT? Tons of beer and wine tastings available. It was just tons of fun. Plenty of seating if you want to take a break and relax. OH and the art walk was very enjoyable as well. Perfect venue, execution, and good price point. thumbs up!