The second annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience returns to the heart of Sonoma County Wine Country. On May 18 -21, come celebrate the best of Sonoma County and its world-renowned food and wines against the gorgeous backdrop of Healdsburg, CA, a crown jewel of Sonoma County. With unique events celebrating the “Makers Behind the Magic” ― including exclusive wine tastings and seminar discussions, barbecues, exceptional lunches and dinners, celebrity chef demonstrations, farm-to-table cocktail experiences, and an expansive Grand Tasting showcasing the region’s sustainability and diversity ― the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience offers wine novices and aficionados alike the opportunity of an unforgettable wine and food experience.

“Our hope is that we are able to bring an experience that you just can’t get anywhere else,” says Mark Stanich, chief operating officer of the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE), of this year’s event. “The feedback from our 2022 inaugural year event was so positive from all our constituents ― our guests, our sponsor partners, the local community and, of course, the incredible chefs and wine artisans who were so vital to the overall event.” 

Kathleen Clifford, a local real estate agent, wine enthusiast and guest at last year’s HWFE, agrees. “The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is a truly first class, ‘concierge’ type experience in every sense; you feel very looked after and special.” Of last year’s event, Clifford says, “What I enjoyed most was that everyone there was full of joy to be attending and experiencing all of it and wanted to share and chat and mingle with others. The event seemed filled with a group of people who were eager to talk to others and were open and friendly. One could attend this event solo and walk away with new friends!”

Set at wineries and restaurants across Healdsburg, CA, the event already attracts guests from all over the world. The goal for the 2023 event, says Stanich, is to make the 2nd Annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience even more special for guests and participants by adding programming and extraordinary experiences that you can’t access in any other place. While single day à la carte tickets are available, the optimum way to experience the best HWFE has on offer is with a VIP or Ultra VIP package.

“The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is best had with the VIP package because it is so worth it to experience access to world-famous chefs and master vintners with smaller groups of like-minded people,” says Clifford, who attended the inaugural HWFE with a VIP package. “This access greatly enhances the overall experience of eating fresh-from-the-farm food and drinking special local wine.”

For those who want to do it all at the highest level of access and luxury, VIP and Ultra VIP are the only way to go. VIP and Ultra VIP packages include exclusive meals with celebrated chefs, early access to the HWFE’s main event, the Grand Tasting, elite events available only to VIP ticket holders, access to the hottest party of the weekend with some of the world’s best wines and live music, entrance to celebrity chef and cocktail demonstrations, and transportation between the weekend’s events. VIP and Ultra VIP packages will sell out so get them while you can.

VIP packages include:

  • A VIP Welcome Celebration on Thursday at Montage Healdsburg, featuring local star chefs Crista Luedtke, Domenica Catelli, Duskie Estes and Tracey Shepos.
  • Exclusive lunch options like the garden-to-table lunch at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate with Maneet Chauhan or a multi-course alfresco lunch with stunning views at the beautiful Jordan Vineyard & Winery.
  • Curated dinner options like a traditional Italian dinner at Aperture Cellars with a focus on local ingredients, featuring Joe Sasto & Domenica Catelli, or a multi-course dinner experience at the Bricoleur Vineyards chef’s table.
  • Early VIP access to the main event of the weekend, the Grand Tasting in downtown Healdsburg, with 100+ wineries from all over the world, bites by celebrity chefs, live music and so much more.
  • Entrance to a Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstration or Wine/Cocktail Seminar.
  • Entrance to the hottest party of the weekend ― The Magnum Party at Bacchus Landing, with some of the best wines in the world.
  • Tickets to the Zinfandel Live Wine Experience at Villa Chanticleer on Sunday, featuring incredible wine paired with delicious bites from Kent Rathbun and pizza legend Leah Scurto, plus an immersive musical experience let by Emmy award-winning host Leslie Sbrocco and young guitar phenom & singer Asher Belsky.
  • Transportation during the weekend + exclusive gifts & more!

Ultra VIP packages feature top-tier luxury everything across the entire weekend. This is the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience as it’s meant to be had. These packages are extremely limited and are almost sold out.

Ultra VIP packages include:

  • A VIP welcome celebration Thursday at Montage Healdsburg, featuring local star chefs Crista Luedtke, Domenica Catelli, Duskie Estes and Tracey Shepos Cenami.
  • An exclusive lunch Friday at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, featuring Chef Michael Reed.
  • Then, a multi-course dinner at Michelin-starred restaurant Cyrus, featuring Chef Douglas Keane.
  • A full day of exclusive perks and access on Saturday, including
    • Early access to the Grand Tasting in downtown Healdsburg
    • Choice of a Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstration at The Matheson
    • A Wine/Cocktail Seminar of your choosing
    • Access to the Ultra VIP Rooftop Lounge at The Matheson with over-the-top bites and beverages available during the event
    • Tickets to the hottest party of the weekend at Bacchus Landing: The Magnum Party, featuring some of the best wines in the world
    • Reserved seating at the live outdoor Concert at Rodney Strong Vineyards, featuring award-winning country duo Maddie & Tae
  • Finish Sunday with brunch at the fabulous Madrona, featuring special Celebrity Chef Stephanie Izard.
  • Plus, enjoy transportation during the weekend, exclusive gifts & more!

The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is unique in many ways, but it’s the mission at the heart of the experience that sets it apart: celebrating sustainability in the winemaking industry, in which Sonoma County Wine Country is a global leader. 

“Sonoma County is steeped in an incredible history of farming and agriculture,” explains Stanich about the HWFE’s commitment to sustainability, “which is so important to all of our lives ― think future food supply, water and soil management, and simply the joy of eating fresh food ingredients prepared incredibly well. The Sonoma food and wine community are such models when it comes to best-in-class sustainability practices, and the area itself has so many incredibly talented chefs and winemakers and mixologists and other makers that come from so many geographic and cultural backgrounds. Our objective is to really celebrate these vital themes.”

This year, Clifford says she’s especially looking forward to lunch in the vineyard, the chef demos, the Magnum Party and, of course, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience’s marquee event, the Grand Tasting. Choosing the VIP or Ultra VIP package means experiencing these diverse and exciting events with an unprecedented level of access and luxury. “If you are even remotely a ‘foodie’ and enjoy wine and learning more about local wines, there is no better way to treat yourself to a truly immersive experience than the VIP package.”

Stanich agrees. “The Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience is part educational and part pure joy ― our hope is to have everyone be completely immersed and leave with a greater sense of appreciation for this part of the world and the world around them.”

Don’t sleep on the opportunity to experience all the HWFE has to offer at the pinnacle of access and luxury. Get your VIP or Ultra VIP packages today and explore the “Makers Behind the Magic” before you go at healdsburgwineandfood.com.