Whether it’s the sassy mouth feel from the hint of brandy added in the dosage or the bubbly warmth on a brisk evening, this sparkling wine is perfection in the years cool points.

This is over-sized sweater in stilettos on a chaise lounge in front of a crackling fireplace sexy!

Sparkling wine is the convergence of sunshine & starlight in every glass.

Cheers!

With this exciting Wine Road event creeping up in a few days I thought it would only be kind to shed light on some things that are not allowed & some things that we can all do to make this event fun for everyone. It’s not always about you…or me (I may have made a few mistakes early on).

Ladies & gents, this is not the day to adorn yourself with the extra strong perfumes & colognes. Wine tasting is largely based in the perfect moment the aroma hits your nose before you sip. With that being said, a whiff of what may be lovely to one person just may not be so enjoyable to another. It would be a disservice for a fragrant individual to judge a wine based on what they spritzed upon themselves in the morning or what their neighbor dabbed on earlier. Think light, natural, or no added scents so that you can indulge in the aromas of the day. The food & wine scents should be in abundance in order to keep your nose happy.

This event has many wineries involved so if you’re in a large group please be mindful of the wineries that indicate no groups of 8 or more (or limos). The wineries may not have the staff to cover so many people at once. Ideally the staff should be able to educate those with a thirst for knowledge & also provide great service while executing sales needs. If they are spread too thin be patient & polite. Ultimately there will be crowds, but following the rules should help things run smoother for all involved. Full buses of 24 passengers or more are simply not allowed & could be turned away. Save that large party for a planned intimate outing with a few wineries. That would be a much more pleasurable time for your group anyway…that VIP vibe party.

Bar crowding…hmmm. This is a great time to remember to be courteous to yourself & others. If you are involved in a great conversation & learning, feel free to just slightly move over. However, if you just want to get a splash in your glass to discuss with friends, this would be a great time to step aside to find an area to visit. Be mindful of the tasting order so when you return for another taste you can assist with what you are on.

Those wrist bands you get at check in…don’t lose them as you’ll need to where it both days. If you are the lucky designated driver enjoy the amazing food available & hopefully wineries will have other libations for you to enjoy. If your party likes a wine it may be perfect to purchase & bring home for you to enjoy later. Please be a safe driver for your party & others on the road by not drinking if you are the designated driver! Thank you for all you do!!!

This is not a pet friendly or a kid friendly event. Think of it as an adult play day. What a great time to learn more about wineries without the worry of policing your children or pets! Maybe set up a great play date for the kiddos for a few hours or let the teens hang with their friends for a few hours. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so with that said the pets will also be excited to see you after a day away.

The event starts at 11, but should promptly end at 4pm. Needless to say, post 4 pm wine pours are probably not going to happen. After a full day of tasting this is a great time to make any last minute purchases to add to your collection. What a great time for some holiday shopping too! Enjoy a great weekend of food & wine paired for your enjoyment.

Cheers!

Rich aromas of sugar laden raisins or robustly ripe prunes.

Luscious mouth feel without being syrupy.

Velveteen royalty.

Flavors of svelte dark fruit with toying hints of cherry amongst fig & prunes.

As a girl that styles more savory than sweet, I was unsure of this glass.

I was pleased to find that it is a linger in front of a fireplace sipper.

Enjoy!

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!