Touring Wine Country

Although perhaps bad timing given my pregnant state, Jimmy and I took a trip to San Francisco and Napa with my parents and four of their best friends, Scott and Brenda Ferris and Peter and Brenda Drottar in November. Despite the fact that I was the designated driver all week it was a great time!!

Mom, Dad, Jimmy and I left Tampa on Thursday, November 8 for San Francisco. We took an early morning flight thinking that we would get into San Fran and still have most of the day to play around. Unfortunately we underestimated the long plane flights (with no food) and the San Francisco airport which takes forever when you are renting a car. By the time we made it to our hotel Dad and I were so grumpy from lack of food that I am amazed Mom and Jimmy could put up with us. We quickly headed out to find food and ate at a little place on the Wharf called Pompei's Grotto. We then went to see the Sea Lions at Pier 39 and just wandered around until it was time for the complimenary wine hour at our hotel. After Dad and Jimmy had a few glasses of wine, I am sad to say that we went up to our room and I think we were all fast asleep by 8:00 San Fran time.

Our Hotel in San Fran - The Argonaut (the nautical theme was perfect for Dad)

The Sea Lions at Pier 39 (they were so loud and amusing to watch)

On Friday morning we got up, ate breakfast at a cute little restaurant in our hotel called the Blue Mermaid, and headed to the pier to board a ferry for Alcatrez Island. It was such an awesome experience to be able to see such a piece of history. We spent several hours touring the island and the cell block. The views looking back at the city were amazing.

Alcatrez Island

The Cell Block

Mom, Dad and Jimmy with the city in the background

Looking back at the city skyline

That afternoon we did some shopping, visited the temporary location of the Maritime Museum and hit up the Ghiradelli chocolate store at Ghiradelli Square. That night we met up with a friend from high school, Matt Spuller, who lives in San Fran and we all had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Cioppinos where Matt had eaten before.

On Saturday morning Pete and Brenda joined the group and after eating breakfast at Boudins, we piled into the mini-van (quite the sight with six of us and all of our luggage) and we headed for Napa. On the way we made Dad drive the van down the steepest and curviest street I have ever been on (Lombard Street), we stopped to see the Golden Gate Bridge and also made a stop at Muir Woods to see the redwoods. It was a rainy day so all of the sightseeing was a little less thrilling but amazing none the less.

After eating lunch at a little pizzeria, we arrived at the house that we had rented in Glen Ellen. The house was more than we ever could have imagined, four bedrooms, four baths at the top of the mountain. The drive up to the place was a little scary but the view was worth it. That night we sent the boys to the grocery store and just ate in and relaxed.

The Living Room looking out on the back porch

The view from the house

On Sunday we got up and headed to the Benzinger Family Winery in Sonoma. The tour for this winery is given on a tram pulled by a tractor and it was amazing to see the whole process of wine making, in particular the underground caves in which a lot of the wineries store their wine barrels. From there we went into downtown Sonoma and ate lunch at the Swiss Hotel. After that it was time for more wine tasting and so we headed to Domaine Chandon and Buena Vista Carneros. Buena Vista was an awesome old school winery with a lot of history and a beautiful setting. At that point the wine drinkers had decided they had enough to drink for the day and we headed back to the house where we met up with Scott and Brenda who arrived that evening.

The Tram

The Benzinger Vineyards

On Monday I had set up a private tour for us at Hess Collection so we headed back down the twisty road. The eight of us piled into a mini-van made for six adults and these arrangements served as comic relief for the group all week long. At Hess we toured the facilities and got to taste wines in the barrel room. Mom and I checked out the private art collection while the wine drinkers did some further tasting in the tasting room. From there we stopped and ate lunch at the Napa Valley Grille before heading for another private tasting at Stags Leap. The tasting at Stags Leap was according to the drinkers very good but noone went home with a bottle as the prices ranged from $100-$200 a bottle. From there we went on to taste at Clos du Val and Pine Ridge. Mom and I shopped the gift shops and then wandered the grounds as the wineries in the Stags Leap District are gorgeous.

Jimmy and I at Hess

The gates at Pine Ridge

One of the vines at Pine Ridge

On Tuesday we headed north to Healdsburg where we intended to visit Chateau Soverain (one of Dad and Jimmy's favorite wines). We discovered that the winery had been sold to Francis Coppola so we had to go in search of the new location for Chateau Soverain in downtown Healdsburg. Again while the wine drinkers drank, Mom and I wandered the little shops. We then headed back to Coppola's Rosso and Bianco as the winery was amazing and we sat out on the terrace and had lunch overlooking the vineyards. I think if we could have we all would have stayed in that spot all week long. After lunch we headed for a private tour and tasting at Silver Oak that Pete and Brenda had set up for us. I always wondered if expensive wines really do taste that much better but after seeing the difference in the process at Silver Oak vs. some of the other wineries I see why they charge more. From there we headed to the west and took a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway. We got out at a lookout point and climbed down to the beach so that we could all put our feet into the Pacific Ocean (it was pretty cold :o)). We then ate dinner at the Tides Wharf & Restaurant where we could see seals playing in the water.

The old Chateau Soverain - the new Coppola

Eating lunch on the terrace

The Pacific Coast

Scott putting his feet in the Pacific Ocean

On Wednesday we headed to St. Helena and visited Robert Mondavi, Franciscan and Louig M. Martini. At Franciscan Mom and I got a tour of the facilities and they were gorgeous - if only we were important enough to be invited to some of the functions in the dining rooms they have for private events. We then ate lunch at Greystone and the food was delicious. From there we went for another private tour and tasting at Merryvale where one of the owners himself took us around the facilities.

The Mondavi Vineyard

The wine snobs at Mondavi

Franciscan

The tasting glasses at Louis M. Martini

On Thursday we headed to Calistoga and searched high and low for the Schramsberg vineyards (which due to a one lane road heading up the mountain were not easy to find). However we are glad that we persisted as this winery tour was I think everyones favorite of the week. Schramsberg only makes sparkling wines and stores them individually in bottles in miles and miles of caves handdug by chineses laborers back in the early 1900's. Our tour guide at this winery was hilarious (he is a comedian in San Fran on the weekends). Everyone is now hooked on Schramsberg. We tehn went to the Hydro Grill in Calistoga for lunch followed by dessert at the Calistoga Creamery and Bakery. We then went to watch one of the Old Faithful Geyser's erupt (a long wait but pretty cool once you saw it). Afterwards we headed to Sterling Vineyards and took the arial tram up the mountain to the winery.

The frog is Schramsberg's symbol

The caves at Schramsberg

The Old Faithful

Sterling Vineyards

The tram at Sterling

On Friday we headed to Cakebread for a tour and tasting based on the recommendation of Matt Spuller. Everyone enjoyed this tour and the wines they tasted. From there Mom and I took off in a separate car (we just could not watch any more tastings) and headed to downtown Napa, one for some shopping and two to find a shipping place to mail home all of the bottles of wine that had been purchased throughout the week. We ate lunch at the Napa General Store and then shopped to our little hearts content. While we were shopping the rest of the gang visited Franciscan again (Dad and Jimmy do love that wine), Jessup and Silverado. We then all met back up at the house for our last night together for it was time to head home the next morning.

Cakebread

After that trip Jimmy and Dad have officially become wine snobs and we are all planning our next trip out to wine country (preferably at a time when I am not pregnant :o)).