Husch Vineyards, Mendocino County

Mendocino County, Northern California

Best for:  wine and beer lovers,
outdoorsy types

She likes wine, he likes beer. What is a couple to do except hop on the first plane to San Francisco and head north to Mendocino County, where several microbreweries, wineries, redwood forests, beaches and paddle-ready rivers beckon low-key travelers.

Driving north on SR 101 from the Bay Area, you’ll reach two breweries before you get to Mendocino County. But, heck, beer knows no borders. Stop in Santa Rosa at Russian River Brewing Co. to taste why their Pliny the Elder IPA inspires religious fervor, and in Healdsburg to sample gold medal-winning ales at Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Once in Mendocino County, visit Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Hopland Brewery, home of Red Tail Ale. Then jaunt up to Ukiah to visit America’s first organic brewpub, Ukiah Brewing Co.
Next, cruise into Anderson Valley to Boonville, an isolated hamlet where locals still speak Boontling, a dialect developed in the 1800s. There, you’ll find aplenty bahl steinber (very good beer) at Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Base yourself amid pastoral solitude in the simple cottages at Other Place. Dine at Table 128 in the Boonville Hotel, where the menu is small, set and superb. Go for granola at hippie-shabby-chic Mosswood Market & Café, and pick up honor-system jams at Apple Farm. Then hike in redwood groves at Hendy Woods State Park until it’s time for tasting.

The unpretentiousness of still-untapped Anderson Valley belies the excellence of its wines. Artist Toby Hill makes artful pinot noirs at Phillips Hill Estates. Sip chenin blanc at grape-trellised picnic tables in Navarro Vineyards and buttery chardonnay with cheese at Standish Wine Co., where the picturesque wooden tasting room was once used to dry apples.

The owners of farm-like Lazy Creek Vineyards are happy to talk about their award-winning, sustainably farmed, affordable vino. Pony up to the 19th century barn-turned-tasting room at Husch Vineyards, then finish posh with sparkling wines at
Roederer Estate. Hungry? Locals clamor for the carnitas at Libby’s, which pairs its fresh Mex fare with great wines.

Next, it’s north to tiny Navarro, with its Tolkienesque setting in a redwood forest. Cruise up the coast to Fort Bragg, staying at eco-friendly Living Light Inn and touring North Coast Brewing Co., named one of the 10 best breweries in the world by the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago. Tired of tasting? Rent a handmade redwood outrigger canoe from Catch a Canoe to paddle Big River State Park, then stroll the beach at Caspar Headlands State Park.

Mendocino County Resources
Russian River Brewing Co.: 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa; 707-545-2337, russianriverbrewing.com

Bear Republic Brewing Co.: 345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; 707-433-2337, bearrepublic.com

Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Hopland Brewery: 13351 S. Hwy. 101, Hopland; 707-744-1361, mendobrew.com

Ukiah Brewing Co.: 102 S. State St., Ukiah; 707-468-5898, ukiahbrewingco.com

Anderson Valley Brewing Co.: 17700 Hwy. 253, Boonville; 707-895-2337, avbc.com

Other Place: Boonville, 707-895-3979, sheepdung.com

Table 128: Boonville Hotel, 14050 Hwy. 128, Boonville; 707-895-2210, boonvillehotel.com

Mosswood Market & Café: 14111 Hwy. 128, Boonville; 707-895-3635

Apple Farm: 18501 Greenwood Road, Philo; 707-895-2333, philoapplefarm.com

Phillips Hill Estates: 8627 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-2209, phillipshillestates.com

Navarro Vineyards: 5601 Hwy. 128, Philo; 800-537-9463, navarrowine.com

Standish Wine Co.: 5101 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-9213

Lazy Creek Vineyards: 4741 Hwy. 128, Philo; 888-529-9275, lazycreekvineyards.com

Husch Vineyards: 4400 Hwy. 128, Philo; 800-554-8724, huschvineyards.com

Roederer Estate: 4501 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-2288, roedererestate.com

Libby’s: 8651 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-2646

Living Light Inn: 533 E. Fir St., Fort Bragg; 707-964-1384, livinglightinn.com

North Coast Brewing Co.: 455 N. Main St., Fort Bragg; 707-964-2739, northcoastbrewing.com

Catch a Canoe: 44850 Comptche-Ukiah Road, Mendocino; 707-937-0273, catchacanoe.com

Scott Paul Wines, Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley, Oregon

Best for:  pinot noir lovers,
environmentalists, locavores

At his first state dinner, President Barack Obama served a Riesling from Willamette Valley, but it was misspelled on the menu – a sure sign that this region is getting buzz but still is relatively unknown. Pronounced Will-AM-ette, the valley takes its name from the eponymous river that unfurls south from Portland past Eugene. Eco-friendly vintners flourish in this doubly green landscape rife with organic farm stands, while moody, pensive pinot noir grapes develop character in the cool, damp climate.

Cruising State Route 99W south from Portland for 25 miles, you’ll find a cluster of wineries in Newberg. But to really feel you’ve arrived, press on to the Dundee/Dayton area. A golden light suffuses this lush, wide-open wine country, and many tasting rooms afford views. To wit: Winderlea Winery & Vineyard, which overlooks biodynamically farmed vines.

Taste the pinots at Erath Vineyards, and when you return to Arizona, compare them to the reds from winemaker Dick Erath’s newest venture, Cimarron Vineyards near Willcox. Drink in the views of Mount Jefferson as you sip premier cuvée pinot noir at Archery Summit Vineyards. And at Sokol Blosser, sample organic wines crafted with the help of solar panels and biodiesel-fueled tractors.

In Dundee, stay at the Inn at Red Hills, savoring fresh produce at the on-site Farm to Fork restaurant or at homey winemaker favorite Tina’s. Next, detour west to tiny Carlton to stroll among around 20 wineries, eight of which are housed in Carlton Winemakers Studio.

Nearby, Scott Paul Wines crafts highly acclaimed pinot noirs, including one named Audrey for its supposedly striking similarities to Ms. Hepburn. If you stay in Carlton, sleep in beautifully converted grain silos overlooking a farm at Abbey Road Farm B&B.

In Cucina restaurant at Cana’s Feast Winery, it’s easy to imagine you’re in Tuscany, but why bother when you can savor the equally seductive alchemy of Western American wine country?

Willamette Valley Resources
Winderlea Winery & Vineyard: 8905 N.E. Worden Hill Road, Dundee; 503-554-5900, winderlea.com

Erath Vineyards: 9409 N.E. Worden Hill Road, Dundee;
503-538-3318, erath.com

Archery Summit Vineyards: 18599 N.E. Archery Summit Road, Dayton; 503-864-4300, archerysummit.com

Sokol Blosser: 5000 N.E. Sokol Blosser, Dayton; sokolblosser.com

Inn at Red Hills: 1410 N. Hwy. 99W, Dundee; 503-538-7666, innatredhills.com

Tina’s: 760 Hwy. 99W, Dundee; 503-538-8880, tinasdundee.com

Carlton Winemakers Studio: 801 N. Scott St., Carlton;  503-852-6100, winemakersstudio.com

Scott Paul Wines: 128 S. Pine St., Carlton; 503-852-7300, scottpaul.com

Abbey Road Farm B&B: 10501 N.E. Abbey Road, Carlton; 503-852-6278, abbeyroadfarm.com

Cucina at Cana’s Feast Winery: 750 W. Lincoln St., Carlton; 503-852-0002, canasfeastwinery.com