A. Rafanelli Winery - Healdsburg Sonoma County, California - Winery

The A. Rafanelli Winery is located at West Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg, California and is approximately 110 miles from Sacramento International Airport. The wine tasting take place on a daily basis from 10am to 4pm and can be undertaken by appointment only.

The winery was founded by Italian immigrant Alberto Rafanelli in the early 1900s after he settled in Healdsburg with his family and began growing grapes. The business has prospered ever since with the family tradition carried on now into its fourth generation and specializing in Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Visitors will find that the winery sits on a knoll overlooking Dry Creek Valley and is surrounded by some of its hillside vineyards.

The winery is only a small family business with production of 11,000 cases annually and there are approximately 85 acres planted to various varieties.To that extent the winery concentrates on quality rather than quantity using very traditional wine making practices. The wines are not available at any retail outlets, so visitors here can purchase bottles in person at the winery, and the family will always welcome people to the winery personally.

Wine tasting will be paired with food such as cheese and is the best way to help visitors choose which wine if any they would like to purchase. A guided tour of the winery and a short history of the Rafanelli dynasty and how the winery was built up are provided. This is usually done by a member of the family, and reviews from past visitors to the winery suggest they are very courteous and the wines of a high standard.

This is a real wine producing region with several other wineries within close proximity to A. Rafanelli Winery. Less than a kilometer away is Quivira Vineyards, Dry Creek Vineyard and Passalacqua Winery all of which are highly regarded wineries, and in fact Healdsburg is centrally located to over 100 world class wineries and tasting rooms. Healdsburg is the ideal place to discover all the best that Sonoma County wine country has to offer and there are tours provided to a number of these wineries.

Should visitors to the winery wish to stay in or around Healdsburg overnight or longer they will find a number of inns and hotels in the area. Best Western Dry Creek Inn is just over six kilometers away in Dry Creek Road, while there is a Travelodge situated at Dry Creek Rd & Grove St/US 101. Other accommodation in town includes Honor Mansion, Geyserville Inn and Hotel Healdsburg.

After a visit to the A. Rafinelli Winery, visitors may feel a little hungry and there a few eateries just a short drive away. Adel's is a typical American diner serving food throughout the day and located in Dry Creek Road. Also situated in Dry Creek Road is Divine Pizza and Diavola is an Italian restaurant located about seven kilometers from the winery at Geyserville Avenue in Geyserville.