It's harvest time in Napa and Sonoma, and a lot of grapes have already been plucked from the vines and sent to be crushed, eventually to make their way to your lips anywhere from a year to three years from now as 2009 vintages. In the Dry Creek Valley of northern Sonoma County, last week's super-hot weather has helped move things along and next weekend's Healdsburg Crush Festival is sure to be fun for those who can spring for the $60 tickets.

But for anyone wanting to try some excellent, small-production wines at fairly decent prices, we'd gladly point you to Quivira (pronounced KEE-VEE-ra), on West Dry Creek Road, not far from the Dry Creek Road exit on 101 in Healdsburg. The Quivira Estate was named after the Spanish legend of Quivira Regnum, a mythical kingdom of gold to the north of Mexico. The modern Quivira winery was founded in 1987 and since 2005 they've been producing certified bio-dynamic wines at their solar-powered winery, including Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.