The Hook & Ladder Winery has been on our “must taste” list for several years, but a series of events have conspired to keep us away. We recently braved the savage (for California) rains to visit their tasting room. Not even pouring rain could dampen our enthusiasm!
We love visiting small wineries! Sometimes these small wineries come with big reputations. That was certainly the case when we visited Carol Shelton’s winery. She is widely regarded as the most awarded winemaker in the United States. A few tastes later we understood.
Sometimes the name says it all: vineyards, restaurant and farm. Located in the Russian River area, this remarkable winery is simply called Russian River Vineyards, Restaurant and Farm. Our Taste Route 116 tour took us to RRV and all the elements came together beautifully!
Exploring new wineries is one of our great joys. A full day of visiting previously undiscovered wineries was before us on this gorgeous autumn day in the Russian River area. We were “Tasting Route 116” and our next stop was Graton Ridge Cellars!
Wine Club Appreciation Weekend in the Russian River area was in full swing! Thirteen wineries along Route 116 had banded together to extend Club Member benefits to any member of a participating winery. What a great idea! We picked up our commemorative glasses at Belletto Vineyards and were ready to experience something new. First on our list? Taft Street Winery!
We love wine clubs! If time, money and bottle storage were unlimited, we would be club members at hundreds of wineries. Unfortunately, none of these precious attributes are without bounds, so we try to limit ourselves to a mere 6-8 wine clubs at a time. Imagine our joy to discover that a forward-thinking group of wineries in the Russian River area had a (temporary) cure for our problem: Wine Club Appreciation Weekend!
Wine club parties range from fun to fantastic! We measure our interest in joining each wine club primarily based on the reputation of their club parties. This strategy paid off handsomely in our most recent club party at Balletto Vineyards. Great setting, delicious food, fantastic wine, wonderful live band, the list of superlatives goes on […]
Wine club pickups are a lot of fun. There’s the excitement of receiving the very latest wine releases coupled with the rush of buying wine at a substantial discount. Korbel Champagne Cellars makes the most of both emotions. Here’s how our first club pickup in decades went down! A few months ago, we rejoined the […]
As we drove up to the ornate metal gates that guarded the entrance to the winery, it was only natural to feel like something special was about to happen. That was certainly the feeling as we approached the A Rafanelli Winery for a private tasting. I must remember to hold the glass with my pinkie […]
Remember the phrase, “Good things come in small packages”? Never was that more true than at the Porter Creek Vineyards and Winery. A big player in the bio-dynamic agriculture business and a producer of really big wines, this tiny winery plays way above its weight. Midway into our day of wine tasting tour with Cliff […]
Nestled on a hillside, surrounded by beautiful landscaping and dozens of butterflies, lies Rochioli Vineyards and Winery. Amazing views, comfortable indoor and outdoor tasting spaces, wonderful wines – what more could you want on a warm, sunny day? It was a warm and comfy day, and we were in an excellent mood. We had a […]