"Drink" For Thought For First Time Wine Country Visitors
As I sit on the deck of my house sipping a glass of zin (red...not white of course!) I survey the transformation that is taking place all around me. In much of the country it is still cold, snowy and gray, but in Santa Rosa it is bright and green. The breeze has lost its chill most days and tiny buds are starting to poke out from the limbs of trees. Some have even already started to bloom. Daffodils and tulips greet me. The apple and cherry trees all have blossoms. Spring has arrived in the Sonoma Valley and I am lucky enough to be able to see it all unfold.
On any given day there is plenty to see and do and the arrival of spring is great motivation to get out of doors to experience it all.
While wine tasting is a year round activity here, there's just something spectacular about doing it in the spring...perhaps it's the combination of seeing the beginnings of this year's bounty while tasting the result of the bounty of years past. Whatever the reason, wine tasting is an enjoyable experience.
Driving through the countryside to get to a winery is filled with breathtaking landscapes that are sure to inspire your inner artist. All the vines are so neatly planted making regular stitch-like patterning across the rolling hills. The sweeping backdrop of the mountains makes for dramatic picture taking opportunities at every bend in the road. Out-buildings and barns dot the scenery adding to the quaint pastural ambiance with the occasional herd of sheep, cows or even llamas.
There a many different strategies you can take when choosing your wine tasting itinerary. Here are some options for helping you choose your course:
- The Random-Choice Approach- No matter which direction you drive while in the Sonoma Valley you are bound to come across a winery. It can be a lot of fun to choose wineries randomly...to simply wander into a tasting room. My husband and I have found quite a few little gems this way, like Sunce, a smaller winery with a beautiful hand-carved wooden tasting-bar and doors from Romania, serving a wide variety of reds. All you need is a map of the area so you don't get lost on the back roads.
- The Planned Approach- Like most businesses today, many wineries have a presence on the internet. Choose a few of your favorite wineries and do a Google search to see if they have a web site. Then using a service like Google Maps, map out your tour. If you are driving yourself, as opposed to hiring a car, it is a good idea to limit your winery visits to three a day or choose a designated driver. It is very easy to get tipsy quickly when wine tasting.
- Hire-A-Car-For-The-Day Approach- Lots of people love this option. You can hire a limo or whatever type of car you want from a service like Beau Wine Tours. Visit all the wineries you want without having to worry about a DUI. This is a great option for group outings like bachelorette parties as well as a romantic experience for two.
- Take A Wine Train Tour- The Napa Wine Train is a great way to see a lot of the beautiful countryside while being served a succulent meal paired with local wines. The tour only goes through the Napa Valley, so if you are interested in Sonoma Valley wineries, this is not the option for you.
Some Other General Information For The First Time Visitor:
- Most wineries charge a fee for tasting. Prices generally vary from $5 to $10 per person and include a taste of 3 to 7 wines. The cost of the tasting will be applied to any purchase you make in the tasting room at most places.
- It is also common for wineries to have two tasting menus to choose from: a "Classic" and a "Reserve". The "Classic" menu will include the winery's flagship wine (the blend that the winery is best known for) as well as other popular or standard vintages that you can probably find at your local wine merchant. The "Reserve" menu will have more complex, pricey or otherwise special blends made with fruit from very specific vineyards, small production wines, often called "Club Wines", or wines that are only available for purchase in the winery tasting room. "Reserve" tastings are usually more expensive than "Classic" tastings by a couple dollars.
- Most wineries have Wine Clubs that you can join, depending on the liquor laws in your home state. Wine club members have Club Wines, that are otherwise only available in the tasting room, shipped directly to their home on a regular basis. Members also usually receive a discount on additional purchases of wine and other products sold in the tasting room as well as receive special invitations to member-only tasting and pairing events.
- Most winery tasting rooms have gift shops selling wine accessories, serving pieces, t-shirts, hats, cookbooks, work by local artists, etc...
- While children are permitted to accompany parents in tasting rooms, I encourage you to really think about this before doing it. A few places have toys to occupy your child, but most don't. A tasting will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour at each winery, and that's a long time to expect your child to behave and not be bored. Your screaming child will put a damper on not only your tasting adventure but that of others as well. This is really not a family activity unless you are taking the Wine Train.
- It is fun to keep a wine journal when going out tasting. You don't need to be an aficianado to do this. Any notebook will do, but you can buy specially organized ones specifically for wine tasting. Keeping a journal will help you to remember which wines you liked best so you can recognize them in your local store in the future.
- Most wineries are open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM. Call ahead or check out the winery's web site to be sure.
- Don't forget to eat. Pack a picnic and enjoy it on the grounds of a winery. Most places have space designated for picnics. There are also many fabulous little restaurants, delis and markets between wineries for you to get a bite and soak up some of the wine in your tummy.
- No dress code is required. Californians are the kings and queens of casual. Feel free to wine taste in jeans, a tank-top and flip-flops if you like.
Enjoy tasting! Enjoy Wine Country!
