Hartford Family Winery is in the Russian River Valley just outside the town of Forestville. It’s rather an oasis tucked in the vineyards and surrounded by Redwood forests. We visited midweek during a summer hot spell which probably explains why we had the place nearly to ourselves. We’ve been here other times when its been extremely busy. This was a refreshing change! Ruthanne was our … Continue reading Hartford Family Winery
When we find a great restaurant we’re torn between wanting to tell the world and keeping it secret. That’s how we felt when we tried Goldfinch in Sebastopol, California. We’ve dined their twice. Great food, excellent cocktails, a nice wine list, smart wait staff, busy but not loud so you are able to enjoy the conversation at your table. On our second visit, our wait … Continue reading Food & Wine
We were returning from a visit to the coast in Mendocino via route 126 and made a stop at Maggy Hawk in Anderson Valley. Chad Bovée hosted us on one of the tasting room’s beautiful patios. Sadly my iphone ate my photographs of the tasting room so you’ll have to take my word for it that it is quite an attractive place. Maggy Hawk makes … Continue reading Passing through Anderson Valley….
Rhone Rangers is America’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. They hold a number of events throughout the year. We headed to Sonoma for an afternoon wine tasting on the lawn at Cline Family Cellars with 30 Rhone Rangers from Sonoma, Napa, Lodi, El Dorado, Monterey County, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, Oregon, and Texas pouring their wines. We tend to … Continue reading Rhone Rangers Event
We have been following Bedrock Winery’s work to help lower the carbon footprint of the wine industry. We wrote about their boxed rosé this spring (which incidentally we loved down to the last drop!). It was definitely a bold move. This month Morgan Twain-Peterson & Chris Cottrell announced in Bedrock’s newsletter the change they are making in glass bottling. Again a significant move but one … Continue reading The wine bottle………
We have definitely been busy tasting, just not writing about it. So sorry! I’ll attempt to catch up. Since the beginning of June we attended the Summer Open House and Marketplace at Grand Cru Custom Crush as well as a Rhone Rangers event in Sonoma. We visited and tasted at Maggy Hawk, Dry Creek Vineyard, Aperture, Sixteen600, Iron Horse, Gary Farrell, and Hartford Family. We … Continue reading Summer is Cooking!
Plan your wine trip to Sonoma to include some of these fantastic events……… Music Railroad Square Music Festival: After a two-year hiatus, the Railroad Square Music Festival returned last year and is back again June 11 in Santa Rosa, with a lineup of Bay Area artists and family-friendly activities. The diverse lineup of nearly 30 acts includes local talent such as Banda La Congora, Tru … Continue reading Great Events in Sonoma’s Wine Country this Summer…..
Refortified after a relaxing late night around the fire pit we set off for Epoch Estate Wines. Epoch’s wines are from a combination of Paderewski Vineyard, Catapult Vineyard and York Mountain. The tasting room is on the historic York Mountain Winery property. It’s the love of two geologists – Liz and Bill Armstrong who assembled these vineyards and renovated the York Mountain structures to create … Continue reading Trip to Paso Robles – Day 4
This time of year the hills in California’s Central Coast are extraordinarily beautiful. It’s the vibrant greens before the browns of summer that make it so spectacular to witness. We started off the morning at Thacher Winery and Vineyard. It has a massive 100 year old barn, stable, gardens and orchards. When Sherman Thacher and his wife purchased the property in 2004 the ranch had … Continue reading Trip to Paso Robles – Day 3
Just outside of downtown Paso Robles is an industrial area turned into the home for over forty wineries, distilleries and breweries. Park your vehicle and spend the day here. Some tasting rooms in Tin City accommodate walk-ins. We made reservations for all our tastings. Jacob Toft’s tasting room was our first of the day. They’re a small Central Coast producer sourcing from some of the … Continue reading Trip to Paso Robles – Day 2 – Tin City
John's Wine Cellar 