Napa Valley and Sonoma County

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  While in California, quench you thirst as the Californians do!  California, especially Napa Valley and Sonoma County, is famous for high quality wines.  Less known is the plentitude of high quality microbreweries in the Sunshine State.  Bilbo being a lover of microbrews and I a lover of wine, we set out on a weekend mission to find out what this world-class area had to offer.

  

Friday began with a surprise roadside stop at Bear Republic Brewing Company in Healdsburg, CA.  Bilbo had his customary sampler while I enjoyed some artichoke dip and Diet Coke…living large!  Bilbo hadn’t been expecting to enjoy the beer here as much as he did.  His favorites were Racer X, Black Racer, and Racer 5.

 

 

 

We tucked in early in Healdsburg so that we could me an early arrival in Napa Valley the next day!

 

By 9 am we were driving through lush rolling hills covered in cows and vineyards.  It was like a music montage scene from a romantic comedy! 

 

 

 

The highlight of our trip to Napa was a 4 hour tour and tasting at Hendry Ranch Winery.  If you ever go to Napa, go to Hendry Ranch!  You will not be disappointed.  Not only is the vineyard gorgeous and the wine amazing, but the tour itself is time very well spent.  George Hendry, the owner of the ranch and leader of the tour, explains the layout of a vineyard, the process of making wines, the differences between wines, and the factors affecting flavor.  George grew up on Hendry Ranch and learned his craft from his father, so he is a life-long wine maker and expert. 

 

 

 

After a walk along the rows of grapes, we went inside of the winery.  Here is a chute where the wine is sent from the press to the vat below for fermentation. 

Here we are in the wine cellar, where that yummy grape juice is reaching perfection.

 

The final and most anxiously awaited part of the tour was the tasting.  George led us through a selection of 11 different wines, giving tasting and pairing suggestions as he went. 

 

At one point he had us eat an oil coated cracker to experience how fat affects the tannins in dry reds.

 

If you are wondering how one avoids drunkenness during such an experience it is all in the dredge cup.  You simply sip your wine and either pour out the excess or swish and spit it out.  I chose option number one, but Bilbo did some swishing.  Either way, our cups almost runneth over at the end. 

 

Every single one of the wines we tasted surpassed any wine we’ve had before.  Our favorites were the Pinot Noir and the Oak Aged Chardonnay…but we came home with an assortment of 6 bottles.  And when those run out, Hendry Ranch ships anywhere in the US!  Woo hoo!

 

 

 

Our next stop was Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa.  Bilbo was super stoked to try this place is ranked in the top ten microbreweries in the world.  It was on a cute downtown street with a vintage 60’s look. 

 

 

 

We took in the atmosphere and Bilbo took in a glass of Pliny the Younger, which ended up being his favorite beer there, as we waited on the porch.

 

 

Once inside, Bilbo ordered his sampler and we chose a nice pizza for our dinner.

 

 

We took a nice stroll in downtown Santa Rosa before beginning the drive to Petaluma and Lagunitas Brewing Company.  Bilbo had a smaller sampler platter here, while I sipped some local organic coffee and ate peanuts.  Yum.  Bilbo loved the beer, but the atmosphere was a bit too busy for us and we decided to call it a night.  But not before we stopped in the gift shop for a magnet and a funny poster.

 

 

 

The next morning found us back in Healdsburg, where we stopped for a Sonoma County wine tasting at La Crema.  The experience here was a bit different from Hendry Ranch because visitors stop in at the tasting room.  I was still able to sample 10 different wines, mostly Pinots and Chardonnays because that is La Crema’s specialty; however, my favorite was the Syrah.  Once again, the wine was phenomenal and we left with a selection for home.

 

 

And that was our trip to Napa Valley and Sonoma County.  If you are interested in trying any of the wines I mentioned you can order from the wineries’ websites.  If you want to try any of the beers you can order a plane ticket to California on the airline’s website.  Next time, we’ll tell you about our very first snowshoeing expedition.  Spoiler alert: it was amazing!