Armida Winery

If they were handing out awards for the most spectacular view from a winery, there is little doubt that Armida Winery would walk off with a golden statuette. The magnificent display spread before the visitor stretches from the lake just below the picnic deck far down Dry Creek valley and off to the hills on either side. The deck, under the trees, has become a favorite picnic spot for wine lovers and the really great news is that now the deck has been expanded three-fold, with more tables and benches for al fresco dining.


At the winery, at 2201 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, tasting is free, although some of the wines are produced in such limited quantities that it is not possible to offer samples. For instance there were only 150 cases of 375ml bottles of the 2001 Dry Pinot Gris produced. The sub-name for this wine is “The Antidote,” and if you ask Antidote to what? The answer is winemaker Michael Loykasek’s “Poizin – The wine to die for.” This spectacular Zinfandel, also available only in the tasting room is packaged in a coffin-shaped box, which makes it about as unusual a gift as you could possibly carry home. If you’re planning a big party and want to impress your guests, consider La Femme Mystique Bordeaux Blend. Purchases of this wine, which is available in a three-liter etched bottle as well as the familiar 750mls, salute women with a 10% donation to the breast cancer program.

Before leaving the tasting room, which is open daily from eleven am till five pm, ask to taste the Dry Gewürztraminer. Because he could only obtain three tons of the outstanding fruit used to make this wine, and didn’t have a tank small enough for fermenting the grapes, Michael barrel-fermented the wine, stirring the lees, which he feels results in a creamy, mouth-filling pleasure.

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