Healdsburg's Quirky Little Wine Overachiever
· Healdsburg · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Spinster Sisters’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Eighteen bottles, eighteen glass pours — that's not a wine list, that's a statement. The Spinster Sisters are clearly not interested in running a lazy, safe-bet program in the middle of Sonoma wine country. This list reads like it was curated by someone who actively avoids the obvious.
The geographic range here is genuinely surprising for a list this compact: Austrian Zweigelt from Neusiedlersee, Monica from Sardinia, Grillo/Catarratto from Sicily, Carignane/Grenache from the Côtes Catalanes, and a Late Harvest Furmint from Hungary all share space with local Sonoma and Dry Creek producers. There's a California Delta sparkling Albariño, a Lodi Mission grape, and an Alsatian-style blend from Willamette Valley. Serious wine nerds will find things to get excited about; casual drinkers might need a minute to find their footing. The bottle price ceiling of $58 keeps this entirely accessible, which makes the list's ambition even more impressive.
Every single bottle on the list is available by the glass, which is either generous or logistically terrifying depending on how busy their nights get. Glass pours run $12–$16, with most options sitting at $13–$15 — reasonable for Healdsburg, where $18 Chardonnay pours are basically the floor at most spots. The range covers sparkling, white, orange, rosé, red, and dessert, so you can theoretically drink your way around the world without committing to a bottle.
The Bottom Line
The Spinster Sisters are doing something genuinely unusual in Healdsburg: running an adventurous, globally-minded wine list at prices that don't make you do math before ordering a second glass. If you care even a little about wine, this list is worth your time — and if you're a local Sonoma drinker who wants to try something that isn't another Valley Chardonnay, this is exactly the detour you've been looking for.
· Healdsburg · Seafood
The Marshall Store earns its reputation as a low-key, scenic spot for fresh West Coast oysters and smoked salmon — and if that's your mission, it delivers. But the wine program is effectively an afterthought: undocumented, uncurated, and not a reason to visit. Bring a bottle from one of the Healdsburg producers down the road, check the corkage policy at the door, and spend your energy on the food.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Global small plates
Bird & The Bottle is doing something genuinely unusual: a near-complete by-the-glass program, fair pricing in an unfair wine country market, and a list that rewards curious drinkers willing to stray from the obvious. We'd send any friend here who wants to drink well without the Healdsburg sticker shock.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
If you're visiting Healdsburg for the wine — and why else are you there — The Union Hotel's list isn't the reason to sit down. The Montepulciano and the Albarino are the most interesting things on a short, cautious list that plays it extremely safe for a town surrounded by world-class vineyards. Order a bottle, enjoy your dinner, and save the serious wine exploration for a tasting room down the street.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Seafood
Nick's Cove earns a Wild Card badge because it's doing something specific and doing it with conviction: a seafood restaurant on the Sonoma Coast that built its list around sparkling wine and Chardonnay is a confident, logical bet. The markups get steep as you climb the ladder — Cristal at $750 and Dom Pérignon at $650 are priced for occasion, not for value — but there are real finds at the $80-$155 range if you know where to look. Come for the Failla, stay for the Radio-Coteau.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Truckee · New American
Cottonwood's wine program is a by-the-glass-only affair, but whoever built this list has taste — a Loire Muscadet, a Tempranillo, and a natural California red don't end up together by accident. If you're skiing into Truckee and want something more considered than the usual resort pour, this is a solid stop. Don't come expecting a deep cellar; do come knowing the glass options are genuinely worth ordering.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Paso Robles · New American
The Anderson Paso is doing something genuinely considered with a compact list — leaning into local producers, elevating overlooked white varieties, and keeping markups reasonable across most of the range. If you're in Paso and want a wine list that reflects where you actually are rather than a generic American steakhouse roster, this is worth your attention. Send a friend who likes white wine. Send yourself if you're tired of lists that phone it in.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northeast Portland · Portland · New American
OK Omens is doing something genuinely uncommon: running a focused, adventurous wine program in a neighborhood restaurant without making it feel precious or intimidating. If you're the kind of person who wants to drink something you've never heard of and trust that the staff knows why it's there, send yourself here immediately.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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