April 26, 2022 By Sarah Doyle Sonoma Magazine
Little Saint in Healdsburg, which opened Friday, features an international bounty of wines from 13 countries — including Greece, Croatia, Lebanon, France and South Africa. The 300-bottle list also has an impressive selection of exceptional wines made in Sonoma County.
For Wine Director Alexandria Sarovich, who joined Little Saint’s sister restaurant, Single Thread, as a sommelier three years ago, creating the wine program at the highly anticipated new restaurant was an exercise in curiosity and intuition. With a strong focus on sustainably produced wines and those made by women and people of color, the wines at Little Saint’s restaurant, bar and wine shop illustrate Sarovich’s interest in supporting winemakers from underrepresented communities.
“When choosing a wine, we choose what feels right,” she said. “I hadn’t tasted many BIPOC wines prior to starting this program, but that’s what I’m most curious about. It just feels right to look at these wines with an open mind.”
Located in the 10,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by SHED Modern Grange, Little Saint is a restaurant, cafe, wine shop and event space from Single Thread’s Kyle and Katina Connaughton, philanthropist Jeff Ubben, animal activist Laurie Ubben and designer Ken Fulk.
Approximately 80% of the wines available in the restaurant will be sold in the wine shop, with the remaining 20% reserved for restaurant guests only. Local winemakers will offer complimentary wine tastings to the public every other Tuesday, beginning with Tom Darling of Darling Wines on May 3.
On other days, guests can drop by the tasting area and buy a white, red or skin-contact wine by the glass from a list that is updated weekly.
“I want people to feel like they can come in on a regular basis and enjoy an affordable glass or bottle of wine, whether it’s a $13 bottle of cava or $40 bottle of nebbiolo,” Sarovich said. “I don’t want the space to feel like it’s reserved just for special occasions because of the price.”
In the future, Little Saint expects to host wine release parties, wine dinners and other special events.