Sierra Foothills Winter Our traveling wine country motto: “Any time of the year is the best time to visit the wine country.” This could not be more true than with the Sierra Foothills wine country in the winter. The photo above is so inviting. On a clear and crisp day, the Sierra Foothill wine country shines … Read more
We traveled this year to several wonderful wine country regions of California. We made visits to Mendocino, Sonoma, the Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and the Sierra Foothills. We took one trip abroad, to the amazing wine country of Burgundy and the Loire Valley. I took several thousands of photos both with my Canon … Read more
A visit to the Louis M. Martini winery is a visit to Napa Valley’s past. The winery was founded on Highway 29 in St. Helena in 1933. The winery has always been a special place for us, because it was one of the first we visited in the Napa Valley many moons ago. Back in … Read more
The Quintessa Experience Quintessa is a landmark on the Silverado Trail and I have driven by many times. Each time I’d driven past Quintessa, I wondered if I would ever taste and tour there. It’s one of Napa Valley’s most expensive wineries for visiting and purchasing wine, and totally out of my pocketbook range. But lo … Read more
Concrete fermenting egg revisited We spotted these concrete fermenting eggs in the cellars of the Quintessa Winery in the Rutherford AVA of the Napa Valley. This is not the first time we have seen these fermenting and aging cement eggs in California wineries. We have seen them at the Andis Winery in the Sierra Foothills and the … Read more
Lunch at Angele in Napa We stopped in at Angele in Napa for lunch on Monday of this week. Angele Restaurant and Bar is a very fun and popular French-style bistro in downtown Napa. No earthquake damage here, thank goodness. There were four of us, and we each ordered something different: The Croque Monsieur, Seafood … Read more
Why Judd’s Hill Winery is a good place to start your wine tour in the Napa Valley Judd’s Hill winery in the Napa Valley is a very good place to start exploring the Napa Valley. Many tourists miss this winery because it is very near the start of the Silverado Trail at the southern end … Read more
The Napa Valley needs water! California needs water! This is a welcome sight in the Napa Valley wine country. Recent rains have dumped several inches of water on Napa Valley vineyards and elsewhere in California. Some of this vital rainwater is captured and directed into wells for use later in the vineyard growing season. Later this … Read more
Meet Tobin James Back in August on the Wine Bloggers pre-conference trip, Janelle and I met winery owner and winemaker Tobin James out at the Dusi Ranch where he buys many of his grapes for his label, Tobin James Cellars. We would like you to meet Tobin James because he is a character and lover of … Read more
Mendocino and wine romantics This is how to combine wine, wine country and romance into a getaway weekend. We call it “Mendocino and Wine Romantics.” Mendocino at this time of year is a true getaway. No crowds and a lot of solitude are included in this wine country adventure. The photo above is of Point Cabrillo … Read more