Simi Winery
16275 Healdsburg Ave.
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 746-4880
Hours: Open every day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s) from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Tasting Fees: $15 for 8 tastes (your choice; two are welcome to share), $3 per a la carte red wine tasting, $2 per a la carte white wine tasting; $10 for cellar tour and four guided tastings
Wines currently offered: Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Roseto (Rosé), Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, late harvest Riesling, Maiale Cieco (red blend) and Cuvee 1876 (white blend)
Appointment necessary: For groups of 10 or more
Picnics/Pets: No
Did you know?
“The Port here is far too good for most people.” —Alfred Hitchcock, 1942
If you like your wine seasoned with decades of colorful history and a bit of Hollywood spice, Simi Winery is waiting for you with stories to savor.
Giuseppe and Pietro Simi immigrated to San Francisco in the 1850s and soon converted their basement into a winemaking facility. Using grapes shipped downriver and across the bay from Petaluma, they made wine and sold it to local markets and restaurants as Montepulciano Winery (named for their hometown in Italy).
They eventually joined the flow of Italian immigrants moving north and bought two plots of land, one in Healdsburg (where they built their home) and a 126-acre tract just (then) outside of town that’s now the site of Simi Winery. Taking advantage of the Northwestern Pacific railroad’s plans to extend its line into the area, the brothers offered the company use of their personal land in exchange for the explosives, tools and labor needed to build their winery and cellar on the site. It was completed in 1880.
Early into the next century, the brothers began an expansion project that would double the winery’s capacity. Sadly, both succumbed to a flu epidemic in 1904 before its completion. That’s when Giuseppe’s 18-year-old daughter, Isabelle, stepped in to run the winery. Over the following eight decades, she became legendary for her sass, business smarts, graciousness and dedication to her family’s legacy.
When you visit Simi (Isabelle changed the name in the 1940s), be sure to take the tour through the historic stone cellar. There’s much more to this story than space here permits, including an earthquake, Prohibition, the Great Depression, the first tasting room in Sonoma County (made of what?) and some famous fans.
Although the history is deep at Simi, a visit to the tasting room focuses more on Isabelle’s legacy of hospitality than solely on the winery’s heritage. The Healdsburg Avenue destination, which used to be a diner and inn operated by Isabelle and her family, is friendly, casual and even a little boisterous. Easy conversation flows between hosts and guests (many of whom, on the day we visited, seemed to be locals making a regular stop-in).
Much of the Simi experience seemed geared toward entertaining and supporting the local community. In summer months, the Landslide Terazzo Pizza Café on-property is open Fridays (noon to 6) and Saturdays (noon to 4 p.m.), and in May through mid-October, it hosts Keep on Truckin’ Wednesdays, a benefit for Redwood Empire Food Bank, featuring local food trucks, live music and (of course) Simi wine (check the website for specific dates). Simi also has multiple sites available for weddings and private events.
Wines are the product of its 600-plus estate-owned acres and many long-term growers contracts across Sonoma County, mostly in the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley AVAs. Of the 13 wines on the tasting room menu, more than half are only available there or through a wine club (there are two to choose from), including the playful Maiale Cieco, a spicy Zinfandel-based red table wine jug that can be refilled on a punch card system (the seventh refill is half price).
My favorites were the 2011 Pinot Gris (flowery nose, crisp pear, light and refreshing), perfect for a hot summer night; and the 2011 Roseto, a Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon and Graziano, made in the dry, Italian style, which had a depth of spice that I didn’t expect (but really liked!). My husband quickly became a fan of the 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma County, with its bright red fruit, sweet cherry and creamy, smooth finish; and the luscious 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, which, he says, should be enjoyed “while cooking—don’t wait for the food to be finished.” Or maybe buy an extra bottle so you can do both.
A chalkboard behind the tasting bar announces the day’s wine deals, and the room is filled with fun accessories (glasses, corkscrews and stoppers), accompaniments (cookbooks, t-shirts and locally made foods) and bits of history (books, photographs). As a Sonoma County native, I’ve driven past Simi Winery countless times but never before stopped in. Now that I know all the treasures to be found, you can bet I won’t miss an opportunity for a repeat visit.
