Is tasting a serious pursuit, or simply a bit of fun? Most of us are accustomed to enjoying wine at table, in relaxed and convivial company. Yet, learning the gentle art of tasting adds a new dimension—one that deepens both appreciation and pleasure.

The good news is that not all tastings are conducted with furrowed brows and solemn silence. We prefer to introduce a touch of lightness—perhaps even a bit of mischief—so that the essential elements of tasting become effortlessly clear, helping you discover, with confidence, the wines that suit you best.

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There is, these days, no shortage of advice on what one ought to be drinking—scores, medals, glowing reviews, and the confident pronouncements of assorted experts, all urging you toward a particular bottle.

Charming as this chorus may be, it offers little of real value when it comes to your own enjoyment. After all, no critic can taste on your behalf.

The far better approach is to trust your own senses. With sight, smell, and taste—ably supported by a dash of curiosity—you are perfectly equipped to judge a wine for yourself. In doing so, tasting becomes something rather more meaningful: a small act of cultural appreciation, and a quiet nod of respect to the people, the place, and the traditions that brought the wine to your glass.

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Your feedback, we find, is quite invaluable. Thoughtful and attentive guests have a remarkable way of encouraging us to refine our wines—making them ever more expressive, of higher quality, and crafted with care for both the environment and the well-being of those who enjoy them.

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We are open for tastings every day from 11 am through 7 pm for tastings by appointment.

Wine & Cheese Pairings
Food & Wine Pairings

Location: 18 Matheson St., Healdsburg
When: Daily at 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm

Appointments are recommended to ensure a comfortable seat at the table. Should you arrive a touch late, we will hold your place for up to 15 minutes before offering it along to the next eager guest.

Walk-ins and groups are welcomed when space permits. And do understand—when we say we are full, we are, quite simply, full.

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Tasting Room Locations

• Eighteen & Bill's Cellar ~ 18 Matheson Street, Healdsburg CA 95448 Directions →
  
• Yoakim Bridge Estate ~ 7209 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg CA 95448 Directions →
  

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Each quarter, we devise a fresh collection of recipes, spices, and cheese pairings to accompany the wines in our tasting flights—an exercise we approach with equal parts curiosity and appetite.

All tastings are comfortably seated and arrive with a proper bit of food, as any civilized indulgence should. Do allow a leisurely 90 minutes; rushing such pleasures would be quite missing the point.

Should you find yourself running fashionably late, do bear in mind that reservations may be released after 15 minutes—we must keep the day flowing for all.

We ask, with gentle firmness, that no outside food or drink make its way into the tasting room; our chefs would be most put out.

And finally, do let us know of any allergies or dietary preferences when booking. With a bit of notice, our kitchen is happily equipped to accommodate nut allergies, pescetarian, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free requirements—because everyone deserves a place at the table.

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Healdsburg is the confluence of a series of valleys which stretch out in different directions, each with its own soil structure and micro-climate. Interestingly, these valleys and the bench land that divides them provide ideal growing conditions for various different types of wine grapes.

Russian River Valley with its marine influence gives us the ability to grow Burgundy varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley are ideal for the right bank Bordeaux varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Franc while Alexander Valley and Napa Valley favor left bank Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The bench land favors the Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Grenanche.

Best-in-the-world quality fruit of all these varieties can be grown here and all within an hour's drive. It is the most challenging and rewarding place on earth for a winemaker and produces some of the greatest wines for wine lovers.

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We are, it must be said, quite fond of dogs. Yours is most welcome—so long as he is a well-mannered, registered service companion who knows how to behave in polite company. Do keep him close at heel, on a leash no longer than two feet, as we’d hate for an enthusiastic tail to send a glass—or a guest—toppling.

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Our tasting rooms are designed to provide a taste of our award-winning wines, paired with food samples prepared by our winery culinary staff and presented by our wine educators.

We are legally required to only serve people over 21 years of age so our tasting rooms are places where adults can experience our wines and make a decision to buy them or have them delivered regularly via our wine club.

We have a duty to our customers to maintain an ambiance appropriate to the enjoyment of fine wines and foods.

Our license to serve alcohol is restricted to serving glasses of wine. We are not a bar nor are we a restaurant. We simply cannot cater for impromptu requests for water, soft drinks or food service.

Before starting out, putting all that stuff in the car, rounding up the little tykes, etc., - ask yourself this - "Do you really want to take your kids wine tasting with you?"

If your answer is yes then we welcome your kids — as long as you are willing to supervise your own children and they're well-behaved and respectful of other guests in the tasting room.

Simply call us for an appointment to visit our 18 Matheson Tasting Experience with your kids. Tell us how many and their ages so we can be prepared to make their visit as happy an experience as yours.

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Our wines are meant to be enjoyed at the table by our club members so we are not focused on producing one "flagship" wine. We provide the same degree of focus on every single wine from Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon that's why they all taste like "flagship" wines.

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This is a great place to work, just ask any of our people or check us out on Yelp and Trip Advisor. With more than 500 five-star reviews our people are the best!

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Here are tips from wine industry journalists on how to best enjoy your wine tasting experience an any winery:

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes
• Don't wear perfume or cologne
• Turn off your cell phone
• Finish your coffee or food before entering
• Allow your hosts to seat you
• Supervise your children or dogs and keep them with you
• Be open-minded about varietals like Rose or Merlot
• Remove your hand from the glass while wine is being poured
• Wine experts actually like Whites as well as Reds
• If it tastes good go ahead and swallow
• Do buy wine - it keeps a lot of Americans employed
• Refrain from discussing politics, religion or other opinionated topics
• "Industry" means you are 100% employed in a winery
• Be nice - enjoy the experience - its basically free wine
• It's against the law to smoke in or within 20 feet of a tasting room entrance
• Its not good to start a tasting expecting friends to join you "soon"
• Your tasting lineup generally consists of the wines being poured
• Its difficult for two people to share a glass, so don't
• Its not nice to be that loud person who just sounds like a drunk
• Tipping is OK - Buying wine is better
• If you over-consume why expect to be served more
• Wine scores only influence people who can't taste
• Talking about other wineries is impolite to your host
• Refrain from washing your glass with water between wines
• It's not cool to show up at closing time expecting to taste

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