Dry Creek Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Amphora Winery with a Private Chauffeur
A potter-winemaker's winery that ferments and ages wine in handmade terracotta amphorae from Italy, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Owner and winemaker Rick Hutchinson, a Sonoma County native, started on the bottling line at Sebastiani at 20 and learned his craft alongside winemakers including Doug Nalle and John Kongsgaard. A pottery class he took on a whim turned into a second calling: he hand-burnished and pit-fired his own amphorae, the clay jars the Greeks and Romans used for wine, and they became the winery's emblem and label. He crushed his first three tons each of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in the autumn of 1997, in the basement of an old redwood barn in a Dry Creek Valley vineyard.
By 2006 the barn was full, and Amphora moved into a former cold-storage building at Timber Crest Farms, once a dried-fruit plant famous for Sonoma brand dried tomatoes. Today the winery owns eight amphorae imported from Italy, 750 to 1,000 liters each, used to ferment and age some of its Rhône, Spanish and Italian varieties. In 2008 Amphora became one of only a handful of California producers of Teroldego, and the lineup now runs past a dozen varieties, from Zinfandel and Cabernet to Aglianico, Sagrantino and Vermentino.
Tastings are seated outdoors under a shade structure, or at the bar in the tasting room, and move into the cellar or the Amphora Room in bad weather. The big clay vessels are the thing to ask about: how fermenting and aging in terracotta changes the wine.
Tasting Fees
$25 per person for a wine tasting.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg
AVA
Dry Creek Valley
Visiting
Open daily. Tastings start at 11 a.m. and run every half hour, with the last at 3:30 p.m. Reservations appreciated; walk-ins always welcome. Closed December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1.
Known For
Small lots of many varieties, some fermented and aged in terracotta amphorae
Founded
1997 (at Timber Crest Farms since 2006)
Good to Know
Groups of up to 6. Seated tastings are outdoors under a shade structure; standing tastings are at the bar. Wine club members taste free.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:45 a.m. from a Healdsburg hotel such as Hotel Healdsburg or Hotel Trio.
10:45 · Pickup at Hotel Healdsburg or Hotel Trio
Hotel Healdsburg, on the town plaza, and Hotel Trio, on Dry Creek Road on the north side of town, are each about 15 minutes from Amphora at Timber Crest Farms, so we collect you at 10:45 for the first tasting at 11. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
11:00 · Amphora Winery
A seated tasting under the shade structure, about an hour ($25).
12:10 · Talty Winery
About 10 minutes away. Michael Talty's one-wine winery: Zinfandel only, from the six-acre William Talty Estate vineyard he bought in 1997 and named for his father, with dry-farmed, head-trained vines nearly 60 years old. The Just Zin tasting of current single-vineyard Zinfandels and barrel samples, poured by the owner/winemaker or assistant winemaker, is $25 and usually about an hour. By appointment, Thursday to Monday.
1:20 · Lunch at Diavola
About 10 minutes away. Chef Dino Bugica's restaurant in a historic building on Geyserville Avenue, with Neapolitan-style pizza from a wood-burning oven, handmade pasta and house-cured salumi; the menu changes every day. Lunch is served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:45 · Michel-Schlumberger
About 25 minutes away. A Spanish mission-style estate with a bell tower and a grand courtyard on Wine Creek Road, where Jean-Jacques Michel planted the first vines in 1979; the 100-acre estate grows more than 15 varieties on benchland above Wine Creek. The Estate Tasting is $40, and from March to October the Estate Tour & Tasting, a private tour of the production facility and grounds with panoramic views of the valley, is $75. Reservations required, daily 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; family- and dog-friendly.
3:45 · Back to your hotel
Back in Healdsburg by 4:10 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Amphora's first tasting is at 11, so this day starts at 10:45 and ends around 4:10. It works Thursday to Monday, when Talty receives guests.
About $90 to $125 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Amphora Winery?
Reservations are appreciated, and walk-ins are always welcome. Tastings run every half hour from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Amphora Winery?
$25 per person, as of September 2026. Wine club members taste free.
What is an amphora?
A clay vessel used since ancient times to ferment, store and ship wine. Amphora Winery uses eight Italian terracotta amphorae, 750 to 1,000 liters each, for some of its wines.
Who makes the wine at Amphora?
Rick Hutchinson, the owner and winemaker, who founded the winery in 1997.
How many people can taste together at Amphora?
Up to 6 guests per group.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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