Buy a bottle of Dry Creek wine, get free corkage at a local restaurant

Heading for Sonoma? Here’s a great idea. Starting Monday, when you buy a bottle of wine at any of 60-plus Dry Creek Valley wineries, you’ll get a voucher good for complimentary corkage at a participating restaurant in the Healdsburg area.

The Dry Creek Valley Culinary Cooperative, started by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, is a smart idea, because it not only encourages visitors to drink that bottle of wine they just purchased, but also to enjoy it with food at one of Healdsburg’s many and diverse restaurants. And in recent years, Healdsburg has become a wine country hub with its dynamic food scene and lodging options.

In a statement, Ann Petersen, executive director of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, explains that one of the goals of the Dry Creek Valley Culinary Cooperative is “to encourage a conversation among guests about the prestige of Dry Creek Valley wines and the extraordinary local culinary scene.”

Wineries participating include Ridge Vineyards, Ferrari-Carano, Rafanelli and Dry Creek Vineyard, and also smaller boutique wineries such as Nalle, Lambert Bridge, Bella and many more. To locate a winery, check out WDCV’s interactive winery map.

Restaurants that are part of the program include Michelin-starred Madrona Manor, Bistro Ralph, Bravas Bar de Tapas, Barndiva, Dry Creek Kitchen, Healdsburg Bar & Grill, Spoonbar and Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar, to name a few.

Waiving the corkage makes sense for everybody. Guaranteed: The visitor will remember both the wine and the restaurant with fondness.

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