Dining in Yountville – Order a Pizza at Ciccio
In our Wine Country Photo of the Day, we feature one of Napa Valley’s favorite dinner spots, Ciccio in Yountville. Yountville has many upscale restaurants, perhaps more restaurants per capita than any other wine country town. Read more about Yountville restaurants and what people do in Yountville. Check out this Yountville Quick Tips video.
Vineyards in the Oakville AVA in the Napa Valley
One of the most spectacular times to view vineyards in the Napa Valley is at dusk. When the set begins to set over the Mayacamus Mountains, the vineyards change dramatically. The filtered light and shadows bring amazing colors and changes to the vines. Read more about traveling to the Napa Valley.
In the outdoor kitchen of Posada Salentein in Mendoza, Argentina
Now is the time to plan a trip to Argentina and visit the great wine country of Mendoza. We stayed in the wine lodge, Posada Salentein, run by Bodega Salentein. At this location, the wine traveler can visit many nearby excellent Bodegas. Read more about Posada Salentein
The beautiful vineyards in this photo are owned by the St. Francis Winery. The winery and tasting room are located on Highway 12 in Sonoma Valley. These vineyards are located at the northeastern end of the Russian River Valley near Healdsburg. I shot this photo at the Christopher Creek Winery on Limerick Lane. To see this vineyard view go behind the Christopher Creek tasting room and hike up the hill.
Buy a print of this photo. See also the Old Redwood Wine Trail to find Christopher Creek.
Rioja Vineyards
Now is the time to visit vineyards in the Rioja wine region of Spain. Visit bodegas, Spanish villages, enjoy Tapas, and much more. See Story
Vineyards in Champagne near the town of Le Breuil
Now is the time to visit vineyards in Champagne, producers of the wine, and it’s spectacular towns. See story
Vineyards in Alsace
Now is the time to visit vineyards in Alsace and it’s spectacular towns and wineries. See story
Beautiful vineyards views at the Thomas Fogarty Winery
Hiking and wine country go hand in hand. Get in a lovely and invigorating hike and finish your day with a taste of wine and some healthy foods. The Peninsula Open Space offers many hikes along Highway 35 in the area of Palo Alto. Last Thursday we hiked a four-mile trail in Coal Creek Preserve. It is a tranquil hike with some fantastic views to the east and the San Francisco Bay. I rate the hike an 86 using the same scale as we do to rate wine. To get to Coal Creek, we headed south on Highway 85 from Highway 92 in San Mateo. After passing the Thomas Fogarty Winery, we looked carefully for Crazy Pete’s Road to the left. That’s where you can park and find the trail head. They are many other excellent hikes nearby. One of our favorites is the Windy Hill Preserve. With the hike accomplished it is time to head to the Thomas Fogarty Winery. The views are spectacular at the winery and of course the wines always delicious. Our favorite, especially on a warm summer day is the Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer from the Monterey area. It is particularly refreshing following a hike.
Coal Creek Preserve trailhead
Highway 128 traveling to the Pacific Ocean. These Redwood Trees are located in the Navarro State Park.
Where there are Coastal Redwoods in California, there is wine country. The Coastal Redwoods depend upon the fog bank that forms along the Pacific Coast from the Monterey area to the Northern border of California. Fog equals cool climate temperatures. These temperatures are ideal for growing Pinot Noir. The above photo was shot on Highway 128 just outside the town of Philo in the Anderson Valley. The Anderson Valley is one of the great growing areas for Pinot Noir. In Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley AVA is also well known for great Pinot Noir as is the Sonoma Coast. Redwoods thrive in this area. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, there are beautiful forests of Redwoods. Santa Cruz Pinot Noir wines are exquisite. Finally, Monterey County boasts great Pinot Noir and great Redwoods. Take a walk in a Redwood forest and later enjoy some fine Pinot Noir wines. Life cannot get much better!
The Bocce courts at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville
May is the perfect weather month, and that’s why we have declared May as Bocce Month in wine country. Bocce is a fun, competitive game that can easily be enjoyed by family and friends, the young and the old. You don’t need to be a great athlete to play this game at a fun level. If you can toss a ball underhand, you can be quite good at the game of Bocce. Bocce at wineries has become immensely popular in recent years. Many wineries in California have one or more Bocce courts on their estates. What can be more fun than to toss the ball and sit back with a glass of wine in hand and boast about your Bocce prowess? Each May we gather a group of our friends and head to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville. The winery is just north of the wine country town of Healdsburg, off Highway 101. Francis Ford Coppola has four professional style Bocce Courts. We spend the entire day playing Bocce and break for lunch on the Coppola terrace. We have a catered lunch from the winery’s Rustic Cafe. We crown a champion at the end of the day and then head off to an excellent dinner of wine and food. It is a time to brag about your plays of the day and poke fun at others who played badly. Get yourself and others to a wine country Bocce court and give this traditional Italian game a go.
