GET OUT!
Bikes and Booze
Cycling the Southern Humboldt wine ride By Amy Cirincione
outdoors@northcoastjournal.com
If You Go room at Persimmons Garden Gallery in Redway. My friend Sergio Herrera, who is a serious biker and wine drinker (the man dropped words like “umami” and “notes” during our trip), came along with me. Sergio is the wine curator for the Humboldt Amy Cirincione and Sergio Herrera take a break from Bay Tourism Center, and cycling — and sipping — their way around SoHum. he put me in touch with Photo by Jon O’Connor the owners of the wineries (disclosure: The center is affiliated with the here is a fine art to wine and food North Coast Journal). The owners were pairing — the notes and tones of incredibly gracious about hosting us on a the right wine will bring out the Friday afternoon. My husband (and Sergio’s flavors of a dish, and the balance co-worker), Jon O’Connor, agreed to drive of sensations in a dish will affect shuttle. He dropped us off at our first winthe taste of the wine. There is a similar art ery and met up with us at each tasting. to pairing the right outdoor activity with Stop 1: Whitethorn Winery the right drink. A cold can of beer is the Sergio started our tour in a small tasting perfect end to a hot day of climbing (In my room hidden in the back of the Whitethorn opinion, the cheaper the beer the betConstruction lumberyard. Winemakers ter). A heartier microbrew is best enjoyed Tasha McCorkle McKee and her son Galen from a beach campsite mid-rafting trip on Doherty guided us through barrel tasting the Trinity. I personally find wine to be a and then a tasting of their luscious pinot cyclist’s drink of choice. There is something noirs. Whitethorn sources its grapes from very elegant about sipping from a stemmed Anderson Valley, Carneros and the Sonoma glass while wearing padded shorts, surCoast. McKee works full-time for the Sancrounded by grape arbors. tuary Forest in Whitethorn, a community Napa and Sonoma have built an entire land trust that manages 10,000 acres. As we industry out of pairing cycling and wine tasted the pinots, she showed us the 2013 tasting. Companies in the area deploy fleets guided hike schedule. Sergio and I took of tourists, equipped with laminated winery notes on future hikes, had our last sips and maps. The last time I was in Healdsburg, I nibbles of cheese and bread, and loaded up took my brother and father on a self-guided (a few bottles heavier). bike tour of the wineries there. We spent a The first 2.7 miles of the ride are exposed full day tasting and riding through rolling hills and uphill. The incline isn’t punishing, but it’s and along the Russian River. As we finished a steady, hot push up Shelter Cove Road and up, riding through the Armstrong Redwoods, onto Briceland Thorn Road. The hill doesn’t I thought, “There’s got to be a way to do a let up until the Ettersburg junction. There winery tour in Humboldt on bikes.” we turned right toward Redway and coasted It turns out this idea was a little complidownhill for a few miles. Briceland Thorn cated. The wineries in Northern Humboldt Road is the main road between Shelter Cove are tucked into picturesque locations, and Highway 101 and there is often no shoulbut none are close enough to be strung der, so if you bike it, expect to share the road. together for a day of cycling. So I picked On our trip, the drivers who passed us were up a Humboldt Wine Association map and exceedingly polite, even on the tight turns. realized that Southern Humboldt has four The remaining three miles were rolling wineries stretched between Myers Flat and hills — short, wind-sprint climbs followed Shelter Cove. After checking the mileage, I by fun descents. We coasted into the decided to visit the two westernmost winertown of Briceland and turned left off the ies, Whitethorn and Briceland vineyards, and main road, half a mile past the Briceland round out the trip with a stop at the tasting
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Our Whitethorn-Benbow route was 18.6 miles long one-way, with significant elevation gains and losses. It is possible to do the route as an out-and-back, or you can get a buddy to run shuttle for you like we did.
sign and up a short, of the Eureka elite. Redsteep gravel road to way Beach is a gorgeous Briceland Winery. pebble beach along the Stop 2: Briceland Eel River, and it was the • Whitethorn Winery: Tasting by apVineyards Winery perfect mid-ride swimpointment only. Call 986-1658 or Sergio and I were ming hole. email info@whitethorn.com. Plan to shocked to discover it From the beach, book an appointment one week in we coasted the last had only taken us 35 advance. mile into the town minutes to ride from of Redway. We rode Whitethorn. Since we • Briceland Vineyards: Tasting room Briceland Thorn until it were ahead of schedule, open on Friday or by appointment. ended, and then turned we were able to linger Call 923-2429 or email andrew@ left onto Redwood on Briceland Vineyard’s bricelandvineyards.com. Plan to Drive. Three blocks grounds. Winemaker book an appointment one or two later we turned into the Andrew Morris greeted days in advance. oasis that is Persimus at his gate with a • Persimmons Garden Gallery: Open mons Garden Gallery. tray of cheese, crackers Wednesday-Friday, 4-11 p.m. Call Persimmons is a café, and homemade paté. 923-2748. gift shop, music venue We guzzled water while and tasting room in we bragged about our • Benbow Inn: The hotel has rooms, Redway. When we arrecord time, which suites, cottages, RV and tent sites. rived a Latin jazz band Andrew indulged goodYou can request a tent site on the was setting up on the naturedly. river, which is bike friendly and only outdoor stage for the We relaxed in the $35 a night. evening show. Persimdappled sunlight, tasting • Humboldt Underground Bicycle mons serves light fare chardonnay, pinot noir Repair: Is available for emergency (salads, crêpes, dessert) and syrah. Briceland roadside assistance if you break a and a selection from Vineyard specializes in chain or get a flat. Call 923-1000. Whitethorn, Briceland producing wines from Open Tuesday through Saturday and Elk Prairie wineries. locally grown grapes, from 10-4 p.m. The outdoor seating and its wines are mainly — A.C. area is beautifully landdistributed from Benscaped, and we lingered bow to Trinidad. Andrew over more Briceland learned the art and science of wine-making from his stepfather, Joe wine and a delicious dessert crêpe. Just as Collins. The vineyard is home to Andrew and twilight set in, we got back on the road. his family, who also grow organic vegetables While we had considered driving back and raise chickens and pigs on the land. to Eureka, as the sun set we weren’t ready Sergio and I paced ourselves with our for our adventure to end. Fortunately, the tasting, knowing we still had several miles Benbow Inn had rooms available. Sergio and more wine ahead. Andrew suggested we got back on his bike for the final 5.4 mile stop for a swim at Redway Beach, midway descent to the hotel. I was too beat to cycle to our next tasting. This was not a tough sell. anymore, so I rode shotgun in the truck. We We turned left out of Briceland Vineyards all met up at the Benbow Inn bar, where we back onto Briceland Thorn Road and rode had one last drink and snack and congratulated ourselves on a job well-done. That five miles along more rolling hills. The road evening we watched the river flow from the turns through Humboldt Redwoods State terrace, appreciating the afterglow of our Park, and we had the exquisite experience winery cycling adventure. l of cycling beneath the redwood canopy. This stretch of ride was beautiful, cooler and easy. Just past a stop sign on the left side If you would like to write a Get of the road, we turned left onto Oakridge Out! Column, please email Journal Drive. We rode about a half mile toward the editor Carrie Peyton Dahlberg at beach, passing the historic summer homes carrie@northcoastjournal.com northcoastjournal.com • North Coast Journal • Thursday, June 20, 2013
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