Given Healdsburg’s status as the epicenter of Sonoma County’s swankiest food and drink, Evan and Jade Hufford, along with their business partner Ryan Knowles, were surprised the town didn’t have a wine bar. There were plenty of wine tasting rooms, innovative cocktail bars, a live music-fueled pub, and multiple beer gardens. But a wine bar? Not since Bergamot Alley closed in 2018.
“Guests would frequently ask us if there was a wine bar in town, somewhere they could go for a late-night glass of Champagne,” says Evan Hufford, the former wine director at three-Michelin starred SingleThread. “For a long time, the answer was ‘no.’ To be honest, we wanted a wine bar, too, a place we could go to enjoy a glass after work. So we decided to open one ourselves.”
Maison is open until 2 a.m. Friday to Tuesday and caters to a broad range of wine lovers. Old World selections focus on the Champagne and Burgundy regions of France, Germany, and Austria, and appear alongside elegant, nuanced favorites from the California coast. There is also a selection of old-vintage California wines, sourced at auction and from private collectors and sold by the ounce, an approach that gives more people the chance to experience these rare wines.
There’s also a strong selection of sake by the bottle and glass, including several paired with cheese—an unlikely but surprisingly delicious accompaniment. Doralice Handal, formely of the Cheese Shop of Healdsburg, is sourcing cheeses for Maison. Other accompaniments include caviar with potato crisps and crème fraîche, smoked oysters, and salumi.
Evan Hufford acknowledges it will take a little time to fill Maison’s cellar with the 800 to 1,000 wines they hope to carry. For now, the owners are happy to finally welcome guests through the door, especially those in the hospitality industry looking for a post-shift glass of wine. “There are some great bars in town, but none have the wine-forward vibe we were looking for,” Evan says. “We’re excited for Maison to fill that niche.”
210 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. maisonwinebar.com