Visiting a new winery is a thrill that never gets old! We were very excited to see that a winery had opened across the street from the Rock Wall Wines tasting room in Alameda. With great anticipation, we had our first tasting experience at the Building 43 Winery.
Memorial Day weekend is full of promise and excitement. Add to that excitement the extra thrill of a wine club pickup, and you have the recipe for a great weekend. Properly enthused, we set off for the Rock Wall Wine Company to kick off summer.
The coming of summer heralds many good things. Not the least of these good things is the latest crop of summer wine club parties! One of the best of the crop this summer was the club release party at Darcie Kent Vineyards.
The year is full of milestone events: New Year’s Eve, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the Livermore Valley, there is an additional annual event that signals that the summer wine season is in full swing. Called Taste Our Terroir, area winemakers and chefs come together to celebrate everything that makes the Livermore Valley special. We can’t wait!
Let’s be honest! Wine clubs are primarily judged by the quality of their wine release parties. Sure, the discounts and tasting amenities are fine, but what separates the best from the rest is the party. Different wineries approach this challenge different ways, but it is the best way to understand each winery’s approach to making their best fans happy. Eagle Ridge Vineyard builds their release parties around quality: quality wine, quality food and quality fun!
Villa Vallecito Vineyards is an excellent example of a successful transition from farming to winemaking. Sure, the grapes are great, but the wine? That’s where the artistry comes in!
Wineries and their tasting rooms vary widely. That is part of the joy of wine tasting; experiencing the range and diversity of styles and approaches. The picturesque town of Murphys is a microcosm of this diversity. The new Vina Moda tasting room aims at the high end, and delivers a rich and refined sensory experience.
Are you twisted? That is the challenge question at a popular winery in Murphys. If you are adequately twisted, a visit to Twisted Oak Winery is definitely the thing to do!
Main Street in Murphys is a celebration of wine tasting! It seems that every doorway leads to either a restaurant or a tasting room. Add in the stagecoach-era Murphys Hotel, and you have pretty much everything you need for a great outing. One “can’t miss” stop along the wine stroll is the Hatcher Winery.
A new winery from a winemaker with an extensive reputations earned at previous wineries. Cozy tasting room right in the middle of Murphys. A penchant for wines made from lesser-known varietals. Sometimes, it all seems too good to be true! Without question, it was time to visit Gossamer Cellars and find out for ourselves.
Mineral Wines built a reputation for fine wines and fun tasting experiences, with a lovely outdoor tasting area beside a lake, with views and wild animals to spare. This worked well for years, but recently Mineral Wines made a dramatic transition. Their new tasting room is in the middle of Main Street in Murphys. We were very excited to have our first tasting experience in the new venue.