Nope, not Disneyland! For me, it’s Healdsburg, California. And this weekend I was lucky enough to spend two blissful days drinking fantastic wine, eating amazing food, and catching up with wonderful friends. Mickey Mouse has nothing on me!

I love Healdsburg because you get all of the wine country feel of Napa or Sonoma, with so many added bonuses! The wineries are smaller, lots are family owned, and many are organic! People are so nice and unpretentious (sorry Napa, but you know it’s true!), and there is a small town feel that is so awesome. I could go on and on, but bottom line, start planning your trip to Healdsburg ASAP! 

When you get there, your first stop should be Hawley Winery! 

I think Hawley Wines are so fantastic. My husband and I have been members of their wine club for a few years and I get a little too exited every time a shipment comes. When we make our way up to Healdsburg, visiting Hawley is a must on our to do list. Not only are the wines fantastic, the people are equally as spectacular. I kind of want to get a little cot and just live in their tasting room to drink their wine and hang out with them. Is that weird?? :)

We also tried some really fun new places this trip and branched out from wine to try some delicious concoctions! Check out this drink from Willie’s

Tequila. Grapefruit. Lychee. Three of my absolute favorite things! They combined to make such a yummy cocktail. I mean look at all that fresh grapefruit! And I must say it went wonderfully with this delicious appetizer…

Tuna Tartare with Taro chips. First of all, immediate points go to any menu item with that much alliteration, second, it was delicious! The tuna was so fresh and the sauce had a nice kick of spice. I didn’t mind at all because I had my cocktail to wash it all down :)

Like I said, one of the reasons I love Healdsburg is because of the small wineries, and because everyone is very environmentally conscious. It is the norm, not the exception to find organic wines, and many wineries also have organic gardens and maybe even…

Chickens!! These guys were hanging around the property at Porter Creek Vineyards. They have great wine and seeing these chickens at our first stop of the day (around 10:30 am) got me thinking about some over easy eggs with my Pinot (at the time I am pretty sure it would have been delicious!) :)

What goes better with wine than cheese? Not much if you ask me. I am what they call a cheese fanatic. I love it all. Soft cheese, hard cheese, creamy cheese, crumbly cheese, stinky cheese…you get the idea.

I’ve had my share of cheese over the course of my life, but I had something in this cheese plate that was brand new and shocked my palate…in a good way! White Truffle Honey. You guys, I have to tell you, it was one of the best and most interesting things I have had in a long time. You get all the flavor of white truffle with the creamy texture of honey, but because the white truffle flavor takes over, almost all of the sweetness of the honey is gone. It is so wonderfully weird and drizzled on top of the rich blue cheese was out of this world good. I wanted to get a big tub full and dive in Scrooge McDuck style. Go try this honey and then just try to judge me for that statement. Good luck!

After a very decadent afternoon, I was ready for some fruits and veggies around dinner time (although don’t get me wrong, I totally count the grapefruit in my cocktail as a fruit serving, don’t you??). At Mateo’s Cocina I had this light and fresh jicama salad which completely satisfied my need for something refreshing and delicious.

I have had jicama and grapefruit salads before, but what made this one unique was the blend of seasonings they used on the jicama. With just a hint of spice it was perfect with the tart grapefruit and the fresh herbs. Oh, and it went perfect with this

The “Bebidas” manu at Mateo’s was pretty amazing. I loved this drink so much the oh-so-wonderful bartender gave me the recipe and even said I could share it with you guys! :) Stay tuned for that one soon!

That’s just a hint of our absolutely perfect (even with pouring down rain!) wine country weekend. Even with all the great wine and fantastic food, the best part by far was getting to spend time with my hubby and some awesome friends. Such a fun getaway!

What’s your “happiest place on earth”????

What getaway are you looking forward to???