The Days of Wine and Roses

Wine Tributaries
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

Healdsburg's outreach program to draw wine country tourist dollars into our community has finally hit its mark. If you don't believe it, just try to drive your car around the plaza and up Center Street to get to the post office. The streets are inundated, or rather cluttered, with sightseers behind the wheels who do not have a clue where they are going or what they are doing. Often, they will do anything to get a parking spot, including u-turns in front of oncoming traffic, and have little concept of what driving 25 miles per hour means. You know, it was not always like this.

It was the summer of 1968, with the smell of prunes wafting in the air, when I first set foot on the Healdsburg Plaza Square. Dad was here to interview for a job as pastor for a local church, and as he left me he tossed me a quarter, smiled and said, "Don't spend it all in one place."

Little did I know the time warp that would transform this small country town into the bustling tourist destination that the June 1998 Sunset Magazine called "Hip to be Square." From where I stood in 1968, it looked more like "hicks around the square." There was this old saddle shop, something called Garrett Hardware, the Office Fountain, Montgomery Wards, a shoe repair shop, three dingy bars, The Plaza Market, a classy Bank of America, Milt Brandt Insurance, Fred Young Mortuary, and a hodgepodge of other service-oriented businesses.

Windsor Vineyards was the first winery to recognize that the influx of tourists seeking wine ecstasy emanates from the plaza to the outlying Russian River Wine Roads from there. They established their tasting room half a block south of Matheson on Center Street. What better place to set up a tasting room than that? Although it took several years for the answer, it turns out directly facing the plaza on Center Street. Now so many wineries have followed suit that it is like a wine festival every day.

As a result, the city council has put a moratorium on tasting rooms around the plaza. There are some economic reasons for such action, because winery tasting rooms have driven the price for leases well beyond what many other types of businesses can afford to remain sustainable. And, what if the current wine boom becomes a bust? Although that seems unlikely currently, sales tax does play an important role in our economy, and a sudden downturn could cause havoc for Healdsburg.

Yet, if you want to taste wine at our daily wine festival there is Kendall Jackson, The Wine Shop, Healdsburg Cafe (owned by De Loach Winery), Russian River Wine Company, Trentadue Winery, Windsor Vineyards, Oakville Grocery, and Belvedere Winery. One can sip such wines as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Johannisburg Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Sangiovese. Sparkling wines, port-style wines, and wines ranging from dry to dessert are available. For a wine aficionado, it does not get much better than this.

Making Healdsburg a wine country destination has had an impact on the restaurant trade as well. Gone are The Iceberg Cafe, Tamalepeco, and The Office Fountain. In their place we have Charcuterie, Bistro Ralph, Mangia Bene, and Felix & Louie's. All have wine lists that cater to our appreciation for marrying food and wine, and once again they make Healdsburg a more pleasant place to live and for tourists to visit as a destination.

The community continues to debate these days of wine and roses, but one cannot argue that wine does bring tourism and the cash flow that accompanies it. But take heart, not everything has changed. The plaza itself has remained much the same today as it was thirty years ago. It still has those lush lawns, redwood, citrus and palm trees, pathways to the fountain, and benches that beckon us to come relax and soak in the glory of Sunday concerts, antique shows, a tree lighting ceremony at Christmas, and other activities.

It is our own little wine mecca, and pilgrimages from around the world to be one with our town will continue, with or without our approval. For me, after thirty years, there is no place I would rather be to enjoy the days of wine and roses than on the Healdsburg Plaza.

Wine Tributaries is hosted by Wines on the Internet.