Cheers to you all!
Following the conference in San Francisco, some colleagues and I rented a car and spent a couple of days in the gloriousness that is Sonoma County famous for its tasting of the vino. On our way to Sonoma we had a couple of quick stop offs and lots of singing to the Eagles, first stop was at the very famous golden gate bridge which provided us with a postcard picture of the fog rolling from the hills, over the bridge and the expansive San Francisco bay.
Our second stop en route was a wander through Muir Woods which showcases magnificent Redwood trees, one of the tallest species in the world averaging a height of 379ft! This picture gives an idea of the scale nicely as these are the very bottom of these beasts!
The Redwoods are not only very tall but very old; the tallest have been around for over 1,000 years. Muir Woods was stunning; a very real Fern Gully, I was expecting Crysta the little pixie to emerge from each turn of this beautiful peaceful forest as we meandered along.
THE PLACE
The Redwoods are not only very tall but very old; the tallest have been around for over 1,000 years. Muir Woods was stunning; a very real Fern Gully, I was expecting Crysta the little pixie to emerge from each turn of this beautiful peaceful forest as we meandered along.
THE PLACE
Sonoma is located on the northern coast of California and plays home to over 250 wineries. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and as we cruised through the area I could have looked out of the car window at the fields and vineyards getting bathed in sunshine all day long. So much green…..of the medicinal kind too!
THE CRIB
We rented a beautiful all American house situated right next to the Russian River that flows through the Sonoma valley and quenches the thirst of all those grapes. The house was beautifully decorated and came complete with a fully equipped kitchen, deck overlooking the river, hot tub, kayaks and a huge bbq http://www.russianriverrentals.com/beachhouse.html Pimpin!
THE FOOD
I have 2 words - Bison burgers.
Probably the most delicious burgers in the world. I bought the Bison minced meat, mixed with some egg yolk, red onion and special ‘sonoma bbq sauce’ from a very nice American chap at the deli then barbequed so that they were still pink in the middle. Yup that’s right – wipe your drool.
THE BOOZE
After a lovely morning Kayak along the river we organized ourselves and set about going to visit the vineyards. We visited 5 wineries in one afternoon so unfortunately my memory is only accurate enough to report on the first couple!
Francis Ford Coppla’s vineyard was close by so we headed off for our first taste of Sonoma wine. The vineyard was the most commercial equipped with pool and hotel onsite however it was really fun to view lots of the film memorabilia and the wine wasnt half bad if a tad expensive. I came away with a delicious Cabernet Sauvingnon that was my favorite from the tasting menu and also has an awesome picture by the production designer of The Godfather (Dean Tavoularis) on the front.
Francis Ford Coppla’s vineyard was close by so we headed off for our first taste of Sonoma wine. The vineyard was the most commercial equipped with pool and hotel onsite however it was really fun to view lots of the film memorabilia and the wine wasnt half bad if a tad expensive. I came away with a delicious Cabernet Sauvingnon that was my favorite from the tasting menu and also has an awesome picture by the production designer of The Godfather (Dean Tavoularis) on the front.
Next was Foppiano Vineyards, a quaint family run vineyard, it is one of Sonoma’s oldest as it was founded in 1896 and interestingly survived prohibition by selling home wine making kits. This was my favorites tasting menu of the day as each wine was delicious. They were also the only vineyard that included a rose on the tasting menu – the '2010 Estate Rose'. As Rose is my favourite type of wine and it happened to be so tasty I ended up buying a bottle or maybe two…..if you have time the owners will also teach you a little about the wine by taking you for a tour around their beautiful vineyard, and when it looks like this there really is no excuse not to!
TIPS
1. Get started with your wine tasting early as many of the vineyards close between 4-5pm
2. If you are like me plagued with hayfever then take some anthi-histamines with you – the pollen is all over the shop – sneezing into your wine glass is bad etiquette you know
3. Take a jumper to Muir Woods, under all those trees it can get a little chilly.
As we had only 2 days in Sonoma I feel as though this tasting trip was literally just that – a taster! Cruising round Sonoma in the sun slightly tipsy was absolute bliss, I think I’ll need another trip to satisfy my thirst.
V xx
p.s. had to share this picture of us tasting at the final vineyard.....merry merry happiness all round!
p.s. had to share this picture of us tasting at the final vineyard.....merry merry happiness all round!
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