This weeks Sights and Bites takes us across the country to Sonoma and Napa in the great state of California. As a brand new married couple, Mr. C and I wined and dined our way through a week of honeymoon-wine-country relaxation. It is so incredible how different the California landscape is compared to the New England area. I'm usually not the type to sit back and enjoy a car ride - driving for me is just the means to getting to a destination. However,on the West Coast, the views were just so intriguing that I didn't mind hoping in the car time and time again for our adventures.
To get our barrings in our hometown for the next week, we kicked off the trip with a Platypus Wine Tour of Sonoma. Our guide, Alison, picked us up at our hotel around 10:30 in the morning. We were the first group to be picked up, so we sat back as she drove around to a few other hotels to gather the rest of the soon-to-be-sommeliers (wine-speak for "knows his/her stuff about the deliciousness that is grapes+barrels+time). Alison, a local who calls trivia at the local watering hole every Wednesday, made sure to tell us the highlights of her town as we made our way through the area. It was a perfect way to not only enjoy driving-free wine tasting, but to also get plenty of good ideas for restaurants and events to explore later in the week.
Our stops for the day included smaller, lesser known wineries that allowed us to often times meet the actual winery owners and truly feel their passion for making special wines. We experienced Loxton Cellars, Canihan Family Cellars, Nicholson Ranch, and Larson Family Winery. As we were with a special tour group, almost all of the wineries waived the tasting fees, especially if we bought a bottle to leave with at the end of the visit. This was a good thing as most tasting fees in California are more than I typically spend on a bottle of wine in general, let alone just a few sips.
Later that evening, feeling like we had a good grasp on our local digs, we ventured into downtown Sonoma and found a cute local place for dinner. The Girl and The Fig was our choice and I am so glad that it was because it will stand out in my mind as one of the most delicious meals of my life! After a brief wait, we were seated out on the back patio and our very gracious waiter came with water, shared the specials, and brought over bread and oil. In California, even though the days are very warm, the temperatures drop to teeth-chattering levels pretty fast at night, so I was so happy to see that the restaurant had tall heat lamps throughout the back patio to keep guests comfortable as they ate. We of course had to order something with figs due to the name of the restaurant, so we shared an arugula salad with goat cheese, pancetta, figs, pecans, and port vinaigrette. Mr. C also tried something new when he ordered a bourbon & bacon. I was quite skeptical about the drink but did eventually take a little sip. The maple-syrup laced drink wasn't bad and certainly was different, but not something that I would personally order. Given the chill in the evening air, I ordered the soup of the day (a potato and local veggie puree) and it was phenomenal! I have never have such a fresh tasting soup with such a silky consistency.
The next day, we decided to dedicate some time to the more well-known area of wine-country and we took the 20 minute or so drive over to Napa. We started at the Oxbow Public Market where we grabbed coffee and pastries and strolled through the stalls of arts, crafts, infused olive oils, wine wares, and more. Our first wine stop was the Robert Mondavi winery as that is a name that we both recognized and we wanted to see how the experience would contrast to the smaller, family-owned wineries we had visited the day before. Well, contrast doesn't feel like a strong enough word - the palatial building was spectacular, but we found any kind of welcoming atmosphere to be completely lacking. I felt as though our wine tasting was holding up the employee who was pouring for us and that stepping on the grounds or taking pictures was just looked down on. Not a great way to kick off Napa, huh? Luckily, V. Sattui came to the rescue!
We parked the car, took in the beautiful grounds, and walked around the busy marketplace of the winery before settling in for a picnic lunch. Not every winery allows guests to sprawl out on their lawn, but V. Sattui was more than welcoming. We laid out our blanket, uncorked our wine, and dove into our spread of grapes, berries, fresh bread from the Oxbow Market, cheddar cheese, and garlic artichoke spread. Once had enjoyed our meal beneath the shade of a knotty, twisted tree, we decided it would be time for some wine tasting! We both sampled about 8 wines which ranged from dry, crisp whites, to full-bodied berry reds, to tawny ports that warmed you up at least 10 degrees with every sip.
At first, trying to decide what to do in Sonoma and Napa felt overwhelming due to the sheer number of wineries and great restaurants in addition to the "need to see" recommendations from everyone I spoke to before we left. Once we realized that there was not one perfect wine country experience, we were able to relax, take in what we could, and leave some great options for a future return trip. So, with that said, Mr. C and I both highly recommend wine country for a trip that will delight the senses from the amazing sights of the vine-covered hills, to the oaky taste of local wines, and to the tantalizing smells of the meals that will energize you for your adventures.
Until next time, travel on...
Maggie
