We headed out of Santa Barbara the next day to Los Olivos and Los Alamos to taste at Andrew Murray and Casa Dumetz. After talking with Noah from the Wine Merchant, we added the Holus Bolus tasting room to our trip. Our first stop was at Andrew Murray Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country. Tastings are held at the winery in a stunning location … Continue reading Day Trip from Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara California not only has a stunning coastal location, beautiful Mediterranean style architecture, amazing restaurants and shopping – it also has its share of wineries! More than 280 wineries are located among the seven AVAs in Santa Barbara County. We made a road trip to Santa Barbara to relax for a few days and explore a few of those wineries and tasting rooms. We … Continue reading Santa Barbara Trip
East of Sacramento and west of Lake Tahoe has become one of our favorite winery haunts. It’s the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. It’s a region that began growing grapes in the gold rush days of 1849 but has more recently begun flourishing into a major wine region of California. We visited a small portion of the region for the third time in October. Over … Continue reading Into the Foothills
This post is a follow up to the previous post – Esther Mobley’s San Francisco Chronicle column – Septemer 6, 2023. Because you were unable to open the link to the 25 Sonoma wineries, I’ve posted them here. You can also read more about many of these in other posts on the blog. The best 25 Sonoma County wineries that don’t require reservations Continue reading Walk in Wineries in Sonoma
As you plan your wine adventures, this column could be helpful……. 3 tips for navigating Wine Country without a reservation Here’s wine reporter Jess Lander: We published an article on 25 Sonoma County wineries that don’t require a reservation on Wednesday, a counterpart to our June list of walk-in-friendly Napa Valley wineries. These articles represent a major pendulum swing in Wine Country toward a reservation-only system. … Continue reading Esther Mobley’s San Francisco Chronicle column this week…….
This could quite possibly have been my favorite Sunday activity of all time – Iron Horse Vineyard’s Magnum Wine Tasting. Iron Horse Vineyards is high in the hills between Forestville and Graton, California. They offer a number of tasting opportunities and the added benefit of a spectacular view of Green Valley. You can read more about the winery in our previous post. The magnum tasting … Continue reading Exceptionally Fun Bubbly
On one of the hottest days this summer we visited Gary Farrell Vineyard & Winery. It’s located in one of the coolest regions in Sonoma’s wine country but we were experiencing a heat wave. The temperature was hitting 100 degrees. Tasting outdoors was not going to be an option. Their facility sits well above the river off Westside Road and on a normal day you’d … Continue reading Russian River Valley Winery
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….
John's Wine Cellar 