Vacation Day Five

Saturday, June 30, 2012 / Paul / Leave a comment

Today we decided to stay around the town of Calistoga. We started with day with a delicious breakfast at Cafe Sarafornia.

After breakfast we began looking for a place that would ship our wine home. During this trip we had purchased almost two cases of wine. We did not want to have it shipped to us right away because of the heat on the east coast. The wine would sit on a truck and bake before it was delivered to us. We did find a great shipping store in St. Helena that would not only ship the wine but would also keep it in a cool warehouse until October when the temperatures are cool enough for ground shipment. We were very happy to find the place because we did not want to check our wine on the plane. That was done and we were relieved.

After the wine shipping task we did some laundry, filled up the car with gas and looked for a place to vacuum out the car. As you might remember we got a convertible for the trip. At one of the wineries we left the top down under a tree and a bunch of stuff fell from the tree and got in the car. I drove around and around and never did find a place to vacuum out the car. Oh well, they’ll have to take it back in the same shape it is now. On the way back to the hotel we decided to stop at the Castello di Amorosa. It’s a castle and tasting room. The guy who owns it has been building it for 25 years and decided to start a winery there too. We decided to check out the castle and taste the wine. Here’s a few photos from the castle.

After a short nap we went back into town and visited a few tasting rooms. Some wineries that don’t have a tasting room on their property sometimes open tasting rooms in the small towns to get their wines sold and their name out there. We visited a few but none worth really mentioning.

With a little more wine tasting done, it was time for dinner. We went to an Italian place and had pizza for dinner. Of course we had wine with dinner. After dinner we sat in the jacuzzi tube filled with natural spring water. Now it’s time for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in California!

Vacation Day Four

Friday, June 29, 2012 / Paul / Leave a comment

The fourth day of our vacation found us in the wonderful little town of Healdsburg, California. Healdsburg is in Sonoma County. There are many smaller wineries spotted throughout the area. We decided to concentrate our winery visits to this area.

We went to Limerick Lane, Christopher Creek, J, and Rodney Strong. We tasted lots of wine and probably bought too much as well. Here are some pictures from those visits.

When we came home we took a little nap and then went out to dinner. It was a wine filled day and we had a nice time tasting new wines and seeing new things.

Vacation Day Two

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 / Paul / 1 Comment

The second day of our vacation was full of winery visits. That’s why we’re here! I am loving cruising around in the Mustang convertible. The weather is perfect for it.

We started the second day at Robert Sinskey Vineyards. They probably had the best wines of the day. I really enjoyed the sauv blanc and one of their pinot noirs. They have a gorgeous tasting room as well. From there we went to Silver Oak. They were only tasting three wines. And the prices were outrageous. However, we did strike up a great conversation with our tasting associate. He spent time in the DC area and remembered a lot of the area. That was a nice experience.

The rest of the day we didn’t have a plan so we took the advice of the tasting associate at Silver Oak and visited Miner Family Vineyards and ZD Winery. Both had some very nice wines. I connected with the Viognier from Miner Family. It reminded me so much of a Virginia Viognier. They also had some nice pinot noirs to taste. Not that this means anything to you the reader, but I have noticed this trip that the wines we have tasted so far have not been those big oaky wines that California is known for. The white wines have been done in stainless steel which brings out the fruit and makes them bright, clean, and crisp. I like my white wines just like that. And it seems like we’ve tasted a lot of pinot noirs too. I don’t remember tasting so many last trip. Even so, they are very nice wines.

After our last winery, we came back to the hotel, took a nap, took a dip in the hot tub, and then cooked out on the grill. We had grilled chicken that was delicious. And of course we had a nice bottle of wine.

The weather out here is absolutely gorgeous. During the day the sun is out and it gets up to about 85. Then in the evenings as soon as the sun goes down it cools down to the 60’s. There is almost NO humidity either! I am loving the weather. And I must have seen a million stars in the sky last night! I can see why people love living in California.

The down side is the price of everything. Gas is the most expensive out here. It’s around 4 bucks a gallon. And then there are the tasting fees. I don’t remember them being so expensive last time. We’ve paid $20, $25, and as much as $45 just to taste the wines! And if you want to buy the wine double the tasting fees! While I love the weather and visiting wineries, I’d never be able to afford to live out here. I don’t know how people do it.

Anyway, day two was very nice and I’m sure the rest of the time we’re here will be also.

Vacation Day One

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 / Paul / Leave a comment

Today began our summer vacation to California. Security at the airport wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. I was in and out in probably a minute or two. The flight itself was okay too. The take off was fine, the long direct flight to California wasn’t too bad either. I opted for the DirectTV option and watched TV most of the flight. I also played BeJeweled. The landing was a bit scary. I didn’t remember it being so rough the last time we flew.

We had no problem getting the rental car either. However, the guy at the counter talked me into upgrading the car to a 2012 Ford Mustang Convertible. He said it would add $45 to the price. Little did I know he meant $45 A DAY to the price. With the price of gas out here and this new fee, the price of the car is almost twice what my flight was to get out here. I’m not happy about that but it’s too late now.

After getting the car we headed north to wine country. We were able to visit three wineries on the way to the hotel. We visited Sawyer Cellars, Raymond Vineyards, and Twomey Cellars. We enjoyed them all but I thought the best wines were at the first place, Sawyer Cellars.

Overall we had a pretty good first day. We settled in and went out to dinner and are now just relaxing before bed. Long day but well worth it.