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Post by evelynr on Mar 24, 2022 14:43:03 GMT
DH & I are planning our first post-covid vacation for July in San Francisco. We want to tour 1 or 2 wineries in Sonoma (or Napa). We are NOT sophisticated wine drinkers - but we want a nice experience that doesn't cost too much. Does any one have any recommendations for which one or two we could visit?
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305 
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Post by kibblesandbits on Mar 24, 2022 14:49:07 GMT
We really enjoyed our afternoon at Frog's Leap and St. Supery.
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Post by disneypal on Mar 24, 2022 14:51:46 GMT
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Post by auntkelly on Mar 24, 2022 15:03:17 GMT
I visited my friend in Healdsburg last spring. Her husband has a wine touring company. They took us to visit six wineries in all. If I could only choose two to revisit, I would go to Silver Oak and Red Car. Silver Oak has beautiful vineyards and a wine tasting room just outside Healdsburg. (Don't confuse it w/ their Napa location). Red Car's wine tasting room is located in Sebastopol. We just visited their wine tasting room, but I think you can tour the vineyards as well. Be sure to make reservations in advance.
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Post by ~summer~ on Mar 24, 2022 15:36:04 GMT
Domaine Carneros would be worthy - gorgeous chateau with views of the vineyards.
Buena Vista is also lovely - beautiful old buildings and gardens. You will feel like you are in France!
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Post by mom on Mar 24, 2022 15:42:16 GMT
We loved going to Napa. Here’s a list of our favorites.
Caldwell - hands down my favorite. We had a private tasting and every detail was on point. Side note: the owner goes by John ‘Fu$$& Caldwell and the language was fitting with that. White was my favorite with champagne second. Their master cooper did our tasting and he was so knowledgeable and let us ask all the questions. The tasting room is underground - like in the side of a hill - so it was colder inside.
Chase - small and intimate. Perfect for a few people, max. The tasting take place in a little farmhouse that’s been redone. The vines are literally right outside the tasting room…and some of the vines are really old. Learned lots of history here.
Larkmead- Dhs favorite. Got to tour the vines, as well as where they make and bottle the wine. Get the Firebelle - a great bottle of red and DHs favorite.
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
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Post by kibblesandbits on Mar 24, 2022 16:13:50 GMT
We loved going to Napa. Here’s a list of our favorites. Caldwell - hands down my favorite. We had a private tasting and every detail was on point. Side note: the owner goes by John ‘Fu$$& Caldwell and the language was fitting with that. White was my favorite with champagne second. Their master cooper did our tasting and he was so knowledgeable and let us ask all the questions. The tasting room is underground - like in the side of a hill - so it was colder inside. Chase - small and intimate. Perfect for a few people, max. The tasting take place in a little farmhouse that’s been redone. The vines are literally right outside the tasting room…and some of the vines are really old. Learned lots of history here. Larkmead- Dhs favorite. Got to tour the vines, as well as where they make and bottle the wine. Get the Firebelle - a great bottle of red and DHs favorite. I should have added Chase to my list - we loved it there. |
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lavawalker1
Full Member
Posts: 454
Jul 9, 2021 21:41:57 GMT
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Post by lavawalker1 on Mar 24, 2022 16:35:09 GMT
I’ll say first off I’m not much into wine, but I love the wine country - so beautiful! One of our favorite things to do when we have family visiting, is to tour this castle and wine taste. They have a chocolate tasting too, or at least they used to. It’s a beautiful 13th century Tuscan castle in Calistoga. castellodiamorosa.com/ |
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Post by buddysmom on Mar 24, 2022 19:22:43 GMT
We did Napa/Sonoma for several days last September. Did the Napa Platypus wine tour. We had done it a few years prior and it's always good. They pick out 3-4 wineries that are not the major ones but because it's a group (8-10 people) you get really good service, lots of attention, good pours, etc.
One of the places had horses and we had our photos taken with them. I don't remember the name but it was really cool.
One I would not recommend is Chateau Montelena--the one that Bottle Shock is based on.
It seemed very "corporate" not personal, not nice and their gift shop was full of overpriced DVD movies of Bottle Shock that I watched free online.
Oh and last year we had to make reservations ahead of time for most of them; I'm not sure if that is still the same now but you might want to check it out if there are specific ones you want to see.
And one more thing lol--if you are thinking of buying/shipping them home and if you are flying Southwest--get one of those shipping suitcases on Amazon. Since you get free bags on SW, we bought 8-10 bottles (don't remember how much they hold) and then just had them checked like luggage on Southwest with no extra charge. None were broken and SW put fragile stickers on it.
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Post by mom on Mar 24, 2022 19:58:54 GMT
We loved going to Napa. Here’s a list of our favorites. Caldwell - hands down my favorite. We had a private tasting and every detail was on point. Side note: the owner goes by John ‘Fu$$& Caldwell and the language was fitting with that. White was my favorite with champagne second. Their master cooper did our tasting and he was so knowledgeable and let us ask all the questions. The tasting room is underground - like in the side of a hill - so it was colder inside. Chase - small and intimate. Perfect for a few people, max. The tasting take place in a little farmhouse that’s been redone. The vines are literally right outside the tasting room…and some of the vines are really old. Learned lots of history here. Larkmead- Dhs favorite. Got to tour the vines, as well as where they make and bottle the wine. Get the Firebelle - a great bottle of red and DHs favorite. I should have added Chase to my list - we loved it there. Wasn't it just so nice? We spent a whole afternoon there with some friends and would have no problem going back again. I think its a hidden gem for sure. |
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Post by peatlejuice on Mar 25, 2022 0:35:15 GMT
My husband and I try to go to Napa every year (it was our honeymoon destination). Our current favorites are Peju and Rutherford Ranch, near Napa.
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Post by imkat on Mar 25, 2022 2:08:48 GMT
If you like champagne, I would visit Schramsberg. They have a fun tour of their champagne caves, and we liked the tastings.
The other champagne place that we visited was Chandon. It was very crowded and the service was not very good.
One winery that we really enjoyed was Honig -- small and charming.
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Post by jill225 on Mar 26, 2022 22:15:20 GMT
I enjoyed Vi Sattui. It has a relaxed vibe. Wine tastings weren’t outrageously priced and the wine was also reasonable. They have a deli, for lack of a better word. They sell cheese, meats, crackers etc. you can then enjoy it all in their picnic area. Now, that was back in 2018. Not sure if things have changed. You’ll have a great time now matter where you end up, beautiful area.
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Post by onelasttime on Mar 26, 2022 23:07:00 GMT
Greetings from Sonoma County. I have not been to a winery for years but may I make a suggestion. May I suggest you pick an area of wineries that surround a city like the Town of Sonoma or Healdsburg. Google wineries in the Alexander Valley (Healdsburg) and Sonoma Valley (Town of Sonoma). And pick or one or two wineries close to your town of choice to visit. The reason I suggest you google is because some wineries require a reservation and some offer just wine tasting and some offer food pairing with the wines. So it’s a matter of what you want to do and how much you want to pay for the experience. If you chose just wine tasting and want a meal afterwards, both Healdsburg and the Town of Sonoma have some nice restaurants. Plus both have cute little shops in their Town Squares. Healdsburg is easier to get to IMO because Hwy 101 runs right through it. You cross the Golden Gate Bridge stay on the freeway and head north until you hit Healdsburg. Here is a selection/information of Alexander Valley Wineries. link |
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Post by onelasttime on Apr 1, 2022 14:34:52 GMT
I’m not sure if you have made your decision what to see in Sonoma County but this just popped up. It’s three day trips to Sonoma County. It does include stops at some wineries. Sonoma Magazine - link |
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