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A Quick Day Tour of Sonoma/Napa Valley

Written by admin on March 14, 2010 – 3:04 am -

Last Saturday, we went on a one day tour for Azusa’s company to Sonoma/Napa Valley. We went to 3 wineries: Madonna Estate, V. Sattui Winery, and Sutter Home Winery.

Our driver spoke so much on the way there giving us a bit of a headache. It went something like this:

“So, how many kinds of grapes are there?…Anyone?…Come on, where are my wine guys?…10,000 kinds. And at what temperature do you drink your reds- Oh look to your right. See those homes down there. They go easily for about $10-15 mil. My old high school classmate, Dana Carvey, lives there. You know, “Wayne’s World”, “Saturday Night Live”, Agassi lives there- Look to your left! There’s an oak tree. Ok, so, what temperature for the reds? Room temperature? Which room? Living room, bathroom, kitchen? Red wines should be drunk at 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and most rooms are about 71 degrees. So, we need to chill it first. Red wines - decanter first, then in the fridge for 15 minutes. White wines - 30 minutes in fridge…..”

Well, at least I learned something from the guy.

Our first destination was Sonoma’s historic plaza, where the Bear Flag Revolt took place in 1846. This was where the first Bear Flag was raised and soon adapted to become the Flag of California.

The original bear flag

At Sonoma Plaza, there were a few historical buildings dating back to the 1800’s. They were well kept and it was great to see the way things were back then. Lots of history at this small town square!

From the town square, we headed to our first winery, Madonna Estates, where we saw their barrel room and were given some free tastings.

Afterwards, we headed to a place called, V. Sattui Winery. The sun was out and it was perfect for some BBQ lunch on their lawn.

Our last stop was at Sutter Home Winery, world famous for its White Zinfindel. Interestingly enough, we liked their $10 bottle of muscat wine more than any other wines we tasted that day. They also had a beautiful garden for everyone to enjoy.

More Sonoma/Napa Valley pictures >>HERE<<!

Tags: Napa, Sonoma, Wineries
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A Family Visit From Japan (Day 3)

Written by admin on September 28, 2009 – 12:09 am -

Go back to…

Day 1: Nob Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, Boat Tour to Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz

Day 2: Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, CA, Dinner at Zen Peninsula

Continue on to…

Day 3:

Napa Valley, CA - Opus One Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

Our main plan for today was to spend the day in Napa Valley and check out some wineries. We stopped at a great place for lunch called, “Mustard’s Grill” in Yountville, CA, right before heading in to Napa Valley.

As you can see, we had a pretty enjoyable lunch!

Our first stop was Opus One Winery. We took some pictures out front but didn’t stay long since it was probably in the 90’s outside. Also, we didn’t see much of the inside since all tours were for reservations only, which was not our intent.

Nearby was Robert Mondavi Winery, where we were able to do a tasting of some of their wines.

Our final stop was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. This was a great place with a nice comfortable feel inside and outside.

Everyone soon had enough wine tasting for the day and was ready for some shopping so we stopped at the Napa Valley Outlet nearby before heading back home. We finished off the day with a Thai dinner in San Francisco at Osha Thai.