Dry Creek Valley AVA The Dry Creek Valley in north Sonoma County is 16 miles long and at its widest point 2 miles. From the wine country town of Healdsburg, two beautiful backroads follow the Dry Creek Valley to its end at Lake Sonoma. Dry Creek Road is the main route along the Dry Creek … Read more
Wine Travelers in December Why wine travelers love December and January in wine country – Top ten reasons December and January has a unique wine country beauty The solitude Quiet roads and byways No waiting in the tasting room Peaceful walks The wild mustard The bare vines The blooming cover crops among the vines The freshness of the air … Read more
Ballentine Vineyards Voted as one of Napa Valley’s top “Boutique Wineries,” Ballentine Vineyards is a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare of the fancy tasting rooms in the Napa Valley. Ballentine Vineyards founding date is 1906. The vineyard and winery are family-run, now by the fourth generation. The winery is low key and … Read more
Padrón Peppers in Wine Country are “Hot” When we say Padrón peppers are hot in wine country we do not mean hot spicy, we mean very popular. Simply take a gander at any of the Napa Valley restaurant gardens and you’ll see them growing abundantly. Check the menu at any Napa Valley restaurant and you … Read more
Olive oil fun at Pasolivo What a very nice activity to mix in with wine tasting in Paso Robles. We spent an entire hour having olive oil fun at Pasolivo. Pasolivo is an olive oil factory located on Vineyard Drive, a lovely wine county backroad. Pasolivo is open daily and is great fun for the … Read more
Central Coast wine country The Central Coast wine country stretches from Monterey County through the Santa Barbara area. Some even consider Ventura as part of the Central Coast wine country. The vineyard acreage is huge, and many of the grapes are shipped to other wine regions of California. The most famous regions of the Central … Read more
Where does the tourist go in Napa Valley? Quick tips on avoiding the tourist crowds in the Napa Valley Spring is almost here. You would not know this by the high 70-degree temperatures in the Napa Valley these past February and March weeks. The tourist is back in full force in the Napa Valley. Tourism … Read more
Stryker Sonoma Winery in the Alexander Valley What a beautiful setting, especially when the Fall colors show in the vineyards, for the Stryker Sonoma Winery in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County. The tasting room is spacious with full window views of the vineyards on three sides of the tasting room. The picnic area is … Read more