The events organized by the Wine Road, I find enjoyable because they are organized well with access to maps of the wineries participating, delicious recipes & a full program of who is serving what so you can plan your days. If days seem too much there is always a Sunday only option! With over 100 participating wineries, this event has something for everyone. I’m starting to wrap up my holiday shopping & this is a great time to stock up on wines for the holidays as most wineries have great sales going on for the weekend. The event this year is Saturday & Sunday November 7 – 8 from 11am – 4 pm both days.

Now, to the point of why I wanted to write this post! When I first decided to learn about the wines that are local to me, I couldn’t think of a better way to explore. At the time of the 1st event I attended, my husband did not enjoy wine & we had been looking for things to do in this county we called home as we both originally came from busier areas. This event was perfect for me because every lady knows the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So while I swirled the weekend away, my husband enjoyed foods I hadn’t made him yet. The tasting plan for the 1st year was to find the recipes that would make my husband swoon (including the chocolate goods) & then whittle the list down to wineries I wanted to try the most. My husband kept getting complimented on how kind he was to carry my wine & drive me around while not drinking…so the ego boosts to him allowed me more time to swirl & sip. I let him tell everyone he was my DD so he didn’t have to explain to wine lovers why he didn’t enjoy there juice.

The following year I was well bitten by the wine bug, as it appealed to my love of science & nature all wrapped up into bottles of tasty elixir. My in-laws loved that I enjoyed wine, so they helped fuel the passion. The 2nd year it was time to indulge my curiosities by focusing my tasting on a varietal quest. I wanted to try new kinds of grapes & see how they differed from what I had been exposed too at that point. This way of tasting is actually something I still do to this day anywhere. Love to find the odd duck on a wine list!

My next few years I focused on AVA days, also known as growing regions, so I could discover what each area did special & the unique flavors. A few of the well- known growing regions on the list are; Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley & Alexander Valley. I first fell in love with Zinfandel in Dry Creek Valley & Pinot Noir in Russian River Valley. I enjoyed wine before, but I was now in love with these bottled adventures! My tastes have changed a few times & vintage can change the flavors, but that only makes it more interesting to launch into these events sometimes to taste places I’ve already been.

As years moved on my tasting plan has been focused on wineries participating in the event that are usually open by appointment only or new wineries that just opened. After living in Sonoma County for over 10 years I’ve made a few friends that are in the wine business & get to live their passion daily. With that being said, I’ve done tasting plans that included seeing my friends participating wineries & support them in their passion projects. Nothing feels better that spending my hard earned dollar to support a friends dream!

Hopefully, my adventures shed light on ways to map out your day. No matter what tasting plan you map out you’ll have a fun filled weekend of laughter & hopefully meet some great people while tasting their passion in a glass. Cheers to a safe & adventurous weekend!

By the way, I have my husband’s palate down now & he can no longer say he doesn’t like wine. Now he can say he enjoys whiskey & wine! Ha!

As the holiday season launches with the festivities of All Hallows Eve I began thinking what wines I’d like to play a game of treats, no tricks with (wine tricks can be rather distasteful…pun intended). I also began thinking of the enjoyment of wrapping up a day releasing my brain to the debauchery of movies & a nice glass of wine. I decided for this season I’ll keep it California…the years to follow will most than likely find me roving around on the prowl for the adventures of far away lands. The following is the fusing of those ideas & hopefully inspiration for you to sip on for Halloween evening.

My 1st wine has that classy murder mystery quality that heeds to the royal heart suspended in the whispered gossip of who-done-it. I love everything to start with sparkles in my world! Iron Horse Vineyards will have you desiring to dig into the earth for clues to it’s mysterious beauty they call Brut Rose. The lingered love affair within it’s skins leave a vivid bright red sight that saunters over to flavors of tart cherries, raspberries & dried rose petals from a fiendish tryst. As you indulge in the joy of your lovers hunt, fresh venison tenderloin drizzled in berry sauce with creamy potatoes, you will be enveloped by the evenings allure. As my mind lingers to Thomas Crown Affair (1999)  I can’t stop thinking the perfect pairing is Nora Roberts, Montana Sky (2007). Whichever angle you desire, romance is in the air.

You can visit Iron Horse Vineyards at 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472 or order online.

My 2nd wine pick is for the Zinfandel lover at heart. Nothing like a red wine laced with femme fatale sweetness. Alexander Valley Vineyards has been producing the seductress they call Sin Zin since 1978. This is a wine most everyone will enjoy in their swirl down adventures. A joyful haunted house of fun will have you basking in spiced plum, rich black cherry with the gun fired entanglement of black pepper. Delve into this with a sherry & mushroom lamb stew that you don’t have to be silent about. As this wine has a more versatile appeal the movie should also appeal to the masses. For those with children, you could wind down with Maleficent (2014). However, I feel like this is a perfect match for any of the Underworld movies. Though the lead roll is not portrayed as the bad girl, there is a lot of vampire & werewolf love that can be enjoyed by a range of viewers.

You can visit Alexander Valley Vineyards at 8644 Highway 128, Healdsburg, CA 95448 or order online.

My 3rd sipper is from 1 of my favorite dog friendly, local to me, wineries. Get your hunting predator instincts on the run with a heart racing red. Mutt Lynch Winery released a new guardian of Hades, Hellhound. The Hellhound wine will have your soul release from you upon it’s howl into the smoky mists of blackberry, leather & tobacco. A bold blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel & Petite Sirah, this wine will open up your carnivore spirit. Ravage through a well executed burger or coffee crusted steak while you prepare for family friendly Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010). There is an indie movie called Hellhounds (2009) should you want that adventure, but I would probably keep that kid free.

You can visit Mutt Lynch Winery at 9050 Windsor Road, Windsor, CA 95492 or order online.

The 4th & final wine I thought of is of the sparkling persuasion. After all, I can fall entranced by a cauldron of red bubbly.  Mumm Napa has a rich & curious juice they call Cuvee M Red that will raise an eyebrow. As the excitement of bubbles tingle in your glass it will intrigue your eye first with it’s dark ruby color, then waft with red plum & hints of sweet tobacco. This unique sparkler, which is a blend of Pinot Noir & Syrah, is not for the faint of heart. So if your thinking of BBQ flavors the movie should have an incendiary quality to match so I’d stick to old fashion Halloween (1978). Should that be too frightening you can calm it to a more thriller, less horror movie, Hostage (2005).

You can visit Mumm Napa at 8445 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, CA 95473 or order online.

My hopes are that there is a wine for everyone in this list. Cheers to a Halloween evening hopefully without the tricks!

So, of all good things Rodney Strong…(I have an affair with the Sauvignon Blanc for sure), they do it again with the Terrace experience. I enjoyed a beautiful summer moment with friends while exciting all my taste buds! The low down…it’s a Friday – Sunday, 11 am – 4 pm kinda summer party. Wine Flights with local goods that look like this…

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That is what summer heaven looks like to me. The beautiful views of vineyards, green grass with corn hole (for those that can’t just sit still because sun brings playful spirits) & a bounty of seats to relax in while gaining a blissful summer memory. After a visit this will become a new summer retreat to stow away too! All good things in wine country lead me back to the love of food & wine. With a new chef on deck this year, Mat Petersen, you will love how the wine style is accentuated by the delicious foods. My favorite quote after meeting Mat, “I dropped the pen for the knife” as he refers to leaving the reporting life to join the chef life. After tasting his style on a plate…I think Mat’s food is a bite of good news.

I enjoyed wood fired pizza made of a dreamy menagerie of ingredients like potato & wild mushroom with fontina, as well as, pear & prosciutto with manchego. I enjoy wood fired pizza all year long, but there is something about relaxing in the sun with a great glass of wine that makes a warm, crisp pizza with fresh ingredients really sing to my soul.

However, the one thing I was fully enamored with in the food department, was leek fritters with scallion yogurt. This may go down as one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (I’ve enjoyed a lot of memorable best bites, but this is ranking in the a wish I had some more category). It was like crispy fair food went upscale with some sass. This is one of those dishes that I could enjoy all summer long with bountiful glasses of Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc. The crisp citrus swirls of this wine marry with stone fruit to enhance the flavors of the leeks & yogurt balanced by the crispy shell.

I am a rose fan around the globe, varietal & season, yet most people enjoy it the most during summer. I have a handful of go to pink glasses, but I love discovering more! There are two beautiful expressions available at Rodney Strong as if to say, there is a rose for anyone. The Rose of Pinot was a classic, or classy, example with hints of rosewater & cherries. However, those that know me best, understand it is the unique glass that become a memory for later that I fall in love with. That being said, I was taken with the Rose of Malbec. It was playfully fun with swirls of watermelon & strawberry that I could enjoy as a glass alone or with a beautiful spread of local charcuterie.

As harvest is in the air, whispering the grand finally of summer is abreast while the welcome of falls color changed cool mornings, I’m reminded I love that Sonoma County is blessed with great seasonal expressions. If I were you, I would not let this summer end with out enjoying some time at Rodney Strong Vineyards on there terrace.

Cheers!

I’ve been working on a project for awhile and my current phase is collecting wine quotes. The interview questions I have listed are simple…the bottom line though is finding out what people love about their wine experience overall. Which led me to consider…if I could sum up my love of wine, what would it look like.

What I love about wine is the appeal to my quest for adventure. A bottle withholds the discovery of lands, the fickleness of the weathers shim, the cloy miracles of natures gifts & the touch of a winemaker choices (which can actually give you a peek into their personality).

As the bottles silken streams flow into a glass you are transported to where you were upon discovery, whom you were with in conversation, your present being (mood or ‘tude) in the moment, the initial intrigue of the glass & the catalog of information woven to become memories.

In full  utopian circular evolution you find yourself with a moment of peaceful solitude with a later glass of the same treasure. Whether, by fireplace or patio, you breath in the peacefulness of the time & as you raise glass to lips your transported. Whisked to the portal of the past memories of this vines gift that glimmer upon the synapses of your brains bliss. Now the initial rambunctious discovery becomes a moment of still gratitude for the moments gifted & your sip concludes with a gentle thank you for all the liquid of the vine has given over space & time. In finish you smile toward the heavens & toast…”Until we meet again.”

May you enjoy many glasses that lead to new adventures & later transport you. Cheers!