After spending our first day and a half days in Sonoma County, we ventured into what they call Dry Creek Valley which is known for their rich red wines. This spoke to me since I consider myself mainly a red wine drinker.
The drive to Dry Creek Valley was not very exciting… mainly highway (at least the route we took). But soon you could see the grapevines showing up… row, after row, after row. It seemed endless everywhere we went. You could smell the sweet grapes in the air. The fruit flies were out during our trip due to the fact that all the grapes had just been harvested in September and all that remained were the left over grapes which called out to these fruit bugs. I loved the smell mixed with the crisp mountain air.
We visited yet another five or six wineries in this area as well. As I mentioned before, my husband was on a mission to try as many different wineries as possible. I would say we accomplished quite a goal of 24 wineries in 3.5 days.
Some of our favorites included:
1.) Clos du Bois – I LOVED this place. All of the wines were amazing. The tasting room employee was spectacular (one of the best we experienced). I learned so much about the wine making process from him and so much about the area and how depending on which part of Wine Country you were in, depicted the flavors, the type, and the work that went into creating the wines. I loved every minute of it.
2.) Ferrari-Carano – This place was spectacular. Oh my goodness. Beautiful gardens, breath-taking background, intricate architectural design, and wonderful (expensive) wines. We were blown away with the massive amount of detail put into this place. In our top three wineries as far as scenery. It would be a wonderful place for a wedding but found out that they do not allow weddings there because the owner’s wife wanted to keep the place in pristine condition. I don’t blame her one bit!
3.) Francis Ford-Coppola – Given the fact that Eric is a big movie-goer we had to visit this one. It was a huge winery and very beautiful to say the least. We ate lunch here and the food was amazing. You could tell it was all made fresh. I also loved that everything on the menu had a story behind it. It made the whole experience very personal. The wines were good but luckily most are found in your local wine stores so we refrained from purchasing and taking up space in the already packed suitcase.
We also visited Trentadue, and Dry Creek Vineyards. All were very good. Trentadue had a wonderful chocolate port that we ended up bringing home with us.
Yet another gorgeous day in Wine Country. After venturing out for wine all day we ate in downtown Sonoma a El Dorado Kitchen where we discovered truffle oil and how amazing it can be on fries or homemade chips. To die for.
We finally ended up at a local beer joint called “Proof’d” (or something) since Eric was having a beer withdrawal. We met some interesting people there and enjoyed laughs with locals.
I loved how everyone was so friendly every where we went. Everyone had a story to tell you or a recommendation. We even befriended an older couple at the hotel who gave us their stories and even some coupons they didn’t use on their stay. It felt like home… minus the fact that Bailey was a Grandma and Grandpa’s instead of with us!
Final wine trip adventure is to Napa Valley. Then we concluded our trip in San Francisco where we stayed with Eric’s cousin who was the best tour guide ever! More to come yet again!!
The Modern Ballantyne Wife 