This week's tablehopper: rollin' on the river. (free)

A weekend in Forestville kicked off summer with a float down the Russian River on a party raft, followed by alfresco brunch and snack boards on a sunny deck. A wine tasting at Porter-Bass Winery near Guerneville included learning the history of the land and the vines under an old walnut tree. The next day in Healdsburg featured The Vintners Plaza Grand Tasting during the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, with many sparkling selections and notable nonalcoholic options such as single-origin sparkling teas, verjus-based elderflower and yuzu sparkling, and other bubbles. Food highlights included otoro handrolls with uni and caviar, mortadella meatballs, wagyu brisket smoked over red wine barrel staves and almond wood, rigatoni, and chicken parm ravioli. The finale was an aloha affogato with coconut gelato, pineapple, salted coconut rum caramel, macadamia crumble, and a Kona espresso martini shot.

"I got to float down the Russian River on my friends' party raft that comfortably fit four of us, we enjoyed alfresco brunch and epic snack boards on my friends' sunny deck, and had a dreamy wine tasting under an old walnut tree at Porter-Bass Winery (just outside of downtown Guerneville) while learning the history of the land and the vines."

"Saturday was a total blast: we headed into Healdsburg for The Vintners Plaza Grand Tasting during the annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience. I stuck with bubbles for most of the day (I know, shocking), and had fun trying some N/A selections (the single-origin sparkling teas from were a standout, as well as the verjus-based elderflower and yuzu sparkling from )."

"The food was extra-tasty this year: we noshed on decadent o'toro handrolls with uni and caviar from Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (and now I really want to go there!), wood-roasted mortadella meatballs from Stella Kenwood, incredible Westholme wagyu brisket smoked over red wine barrel staves and almond wood from in Sebastopol, The Pasta Queen's Devil's Kiss rigatoni, and chicken Parm ravioli with roasted garlic tomato butter, three-cheese fonduta, and chicken skin crumble from chef Joe Sasto and Ian Tecklin's (I need the entire line in my freezer)."

"The mind-blowing finale at the end of the day was the aloha affogato from chef Lee Ann Wong of Koko Head Cafe (in Honolulu, Tokyo, and Osaka) with local Mariapilar coconut gelato, sweet Maui Gold pineapple, salted coconut rum caramel, macadamia coconut crumble, topped with a Kona espresso martini shot. I knowwwww! It was unbelievably delicious."

Read at tablehopper