Russian River Wine Road

Give these people your money!
Seriously, the events this group throws are the best events ever. I’ve been to the Food and Wine Affair twice now. And I just got back from the Winter Wineland event.
I cannot say enough good things. These events are well organized, a great value and thus far not completely insane with crowds.
This Sunday, for $ 40 (because I failed to buy in advance, which would have saved me $ 10), I was granted access to 123 wineries in the Healdsburg area. Granted, I only made it to like 8 or 9 before I was down for the count, but what a good time.
So yes, check out the website and see if any events are coming up. And if one piques your interest, then gather some friends and go for it.
Napa is for snobs. Healdsburg is for lovers. Or something like that.

In the cold of November there’s nothing like a little wine and a good recipe to warm you up. At the annual November Winter Wine Road along the Russian river, you get just that and more.
Start out at Wilson Winery in Healdsburg for the best wine marinated cut of steak you’ve had in a long time. They grill it right there before your eyes and slice off thin pieces to go with their deep red wines, including the highly drinkable 2005 DCV Cabernet Sauvignon.
Stopping in at Truett-​Hearst winery also in Healdsburg, there’s more meaty products waiting for you inside their comfortably packed tasting room along with a sampling of this year’s best selections. But the true calling to Truett-​Hearst is the wild salmon running through their section of the Russian river. Just a quick walk through the food gardens leads you to the river where bright red Adirondack chairs await and salmon jump upstream, sometimes just swimming in place as if posing for the camera.
With a quick $ 60 online payment you receive a cookbook compiled by all of the wineries on the tour and a free pass to visit as many wineries in the Russian river area as your designated driver can get you to in two days.