Destination: staying put at KOA Cloverdale/Healdsburg to visit three northern Sonoma Valley Wineries
On this day, we planned a full day of tastings since we were were staying another night at the pleasant KOA.
We stopped at Big Joe's Market beforehand, to pick up a steak for the evening's dinner. The fabulous market was a laid-back, wine country version of Whole Foods-On-Steroids, with wine at the end of many grocery aisles and charcuterie at every turn. Our first visit to this amazing grocer was so rushed that we forgot the charcoal needed to cook the steak. We planned to return after our final wine tasting.
After consulting with Van, I made reservations to visit Simi, Preston Farm Winery and Trione Vineyards. I found each place to have their own unique and attractive features.
Simi Winery, was my favorite for ambiance and decor. We were seated at a patio table surrounded by wrought iron work that was curled like the tendrils of grapevines. The wines were good, but we realized that were close to the limit of TCB storage. Any wines for future purchase would need to be "memorable" to make the cut for purchase.
The road to Preston Farm Winery followed along Dry Creek through vast vineyards and dirt roads.
Quinnbo was able to join us for this visit. We entered to a farmyard with rustic barn board buildings, aged outdoor picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Disappointment followed when the sommelier could not find our reservation. After some sleuthing, he did find us, for tomorrow! I thought, "Shirl, perhaps you have reached your wine tasting limit after this blunder?"
Saturday was their busiest day, but we had previously paid for our tasting. The very accommodating sommalier offered to seat us in the back area by the boccee court. We had two choices, to do an abbreviated tasting without the accompanying narration, or he could bring us two glasses of wine to enjoy. We decided to bring home a bottle of their Zinfandell, as we watched the sommelier dance between the many parties he was juggling. We appreciated that he made it work for us, and did not turn us away like Francis Ford Coppola Winery did on the day before.
I did regret my scheduling mistake as the Zinfandell was so good. I suspected their other wines would have been equally pleasing. This is exactly why we decided to head back south - Van was interested in learning from the smaller, lesser known vintners.
Our third and final tasting was Trione Vineyard, located right off the 101 in Geyersville, CA. The most interesting part of this visit was seeing a bride and bridesmaids riding around in a golf cart drinking wine while waiting for the wedding to begin. The wine was tasty but not "memorable" enough!
As we drove back to the KOA after picking up the charcoal from Big Joe's, Van commented how he was looking forward to enjoying the Zinfandell purchased at Preston Farm. At that moment, I knew a return visit to Sonoma and Napa must involve a driver so Van could enjoy the tastings fully.
The evening dinner was superb. We had a yummy steak along with brocolli and potatoes roasted in olive oil from Preston Farm. We cooked them in foil packets, a technique I learned at summer camp. With our appetites satisfied and our adventures for the day complete, we had no trouble falling asleep in the cozy confines of TCB. Another great day!
