Wine Tasting in the Vineyard

 

A couple weekends ago our friends M and J took us out for a wine tasting at a lovely winery where they are members. We got a table right at the vineyard under a huge tree and thankfully there was a sunshade as well which came in handy when it started to sprinkle during the afternoon. The sky constantly changed from blue to grey and back. But it was warm and we enjoyed being out in this lovely setting, despite the occasional shower.

The view to the other side was just as lovely with a majestic willow, vineyards and the gently rolling forested hills.

M had prepared some charcuterie, cheeses, spreads and bread for us to share. It was perfect.

Of course there was wine! It's been more than 20 years since we had visited the winery the last time - during our early days in Sonoma County - and we were quite happy to see that the winery hasn't changed very much. Unlike many other wineries in the area it doesn't have all the fancy-shmancy that seems to be so popular with wine tourists. Instead, it offered excellent wines.

These wine glasses, bottle and mason jars for the water is my ticket for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday.

Fall was definitely arriving in the vineyard - the leaves started to turn. This is one of the Pinot Noir vineyards where the leaves eventually will turn to a stunning red.

We spent several hours at the winery, tasting, eating, talking, laughing. I always treasure time spent with good friends and if you get home with a case of delicious wine - even better!

T is for Tasting Wine

 

Last week I had to skip Elizabeth's T-party because it was so busy. This was not what I thought my life would look like after quitting my high school library job in the summer. I had dreamed of quiet afternoons spent in the garden tending to my plants or reading piles of books. There was this fantasy that I could take long hikes in the breath taking nature around us. And, of course, that I could write many many blogposts.

The reality looks quite different - I've been very busy with the German School since I had added another class that I was teaching in the evenings. That came to a close last week, but the regular class work still needs to be done (and I simply love teaching) and I also find myself planning which additional classes I could offer in the spring semester. The shop has been very busy, and since my bestseller (warm socks) is made to order I'm knitting every day. However, it does feel good that my items are wanted by people and I'm proud to offer good customer service.

But last weekend, the Geek and I finally went for some wine tasting again. We live in the midst of wine country and could choose to go to a different winery every weekend. However, we opted to go to one of our favorite ones where we are also members in the wine club. This winery doesn't have its own vineyards, but purchases the grapes instead and then make their own wine. Most of their wine is delicious. Lisa, one of the owners, is also a great and experimental cook and she always has food to pair the wine with (or vice versa) on the weekends. This time we got a six-course food pairing.

This was only for starters - afterwards I forgot to take pictures of the other food. Most of her food she cooks with one of their wines and she already inspired me a lot in the kitchen. She is one of those people that you like right from the start - I remember meeting her for the first time several years ago and she was so warm and welcoming. She is someone who laughs a lot and is full of energy. This welcoming feeling and warmth is something that defines this winery - they treat you like family.

It was such a lovely late autumn day, sunny and warm. We were sitting on the patio, having such a good time. It was relaxing and peaceful - and their selection of champagne sure helped as well!

You might notice that they use fabric napkins as well as real silverware and china serving plates. The plates and bowls were all made from compostable material - nothing went to waste here. Another reason why I like this winery and happily support them.

The last course was dessert - and they served Lisa's signature bownies - crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside and a saltted caramel sauce on top.

I'm so glad that I am able to participate in Elizabeth's T Tuesday this week. Thank you for hosting it, Elizabeth! To those of you who are in the US I wish you a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. There is so much we can be grateful for.

Wine and Waves

It is tradition in our family that on Mother's Day I decide how we will spend the day. We often went to Mendocino, walking the streets of this beautiful coastal town and hiking out on the headlands. But this year I wanted something different. A wine-making friend of ours had told us about a winery in Anderson Valley that makes great Gewürztraminer. This is one of my favorite white wines, but I have seldom found a really good one in the States (the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, by the way, makes excellent Gewürztraminer). I wanted to try this, but since Anderson Valley is a bit to drive to we waited until this special occasion.

Mother's Day was beautiful with warm temperatures and sunny skies. We stopped on the way for breakfast to have some "foundation" before tasting wine. The drive up Anderson Valley is beautiful especially right now when everything is still rather green, but we already saw - with weariness - the first dry spots.

Coming from Sonoma County we were prepared to pay a tasting fee (that is always waived when you buy a bottle) and were pleasantly surprised when we didn't have to pay but got our first tastings right away. I have to say, the Gewürztraminer was delicious and reminded me of the Alsatian ones (which are my favorites). They also had some very decent Riesling (another favorite) including a Late Harvest one which is not my thing at all (way too sweet). These wines have the flavor of home for me.

The winery is beautifully located in the rolling hills among the vineyards. There is ample space to sit outside, have a picnic, drink a bottle of their wine and just enjoy the scenery.

We didn't spent too much time here, though, but bought a few bottles and then went on toward the ocean. I love the Pacific and I especially love driving along our Highway 1 that hugs the rugged coast with repeatedly stunning views of the ocean and the cliffs.

It was a typical Northern California day at the coast - some sun, lots of wind - and of course fog. The marine layer seems to be omnipresent here.

We stopped several times just to enjoy the view, listen to the waves crashing onto the shore and watching the birds and insects humming around the cow parsnip and the purple thistles.

The lighthouse at Point Arena is halfway down the highway - a place where we always stop. This is the tallest lighthouse on the coast and - you always wanted to know this - sitting on a piece of land of the Continental US that is the closest to the Hawai'ian islands.

This is also the location where the infamous San Andreas Fault dips into the ocean.

The coastline is rough here - no soft sandy beaches. The wind has no mercy. Some trees don't make it, but are still beautiful.

Others just find a different way to survive.

A German-American-Turkish Weekend

Imagine our surprise when a few weeks ago we received a message from Hubertus, a cousin of the Geek. He was wondering whether we could see each other when he and his girlfriend were spending some time in California. The last time we had seen him was in the late 1990s when he was 13 or 14 years old and living with his parents on a horse ranch in the northeast of Germany. Now he is a pilot with Turkish Airlines and lives in Istanbul. His girlfriend Burçin is Turkish and works as a flight attendant for the same airline.

It turned out that the weekend they wanted to come and see us was the long Presidents Day weekend - the same weekend that Kaefer had planned to spend with us. What a wonderful coincidence!

We had a full house last weekend - and we had an absolutely wonderful time. Yes, it was cold and rainy, bu that didn't keep us from having fun and showing them a tiny little bit of our beautiful county.

So on Saturday, despite the occasional rain and overall gray skies we took them out to the coast. It was windy and chilly, but the ocean is breath taking no matter what the weather is like.

There was a lot of foam on the beach that the wind quickly blew all over.

Kaefer was the center of the attraction - isn't it funny how we're all taking pictures of her being goofy?

And did I mention that it was a very windy day?

Further up the coast to the north on famous California State Highway 1 we visited Fort Ross. From 1812 to 1841 Fort Ross was a thriving Russian-American Company settlement. This commercial company chartered by Russia's tsarist government controlled all Russian exploration, trade and settlement in the North Pacific, and established permanent settlements in Alaska and California. Fort Ross was the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of the North American continent, and was established as an agricultural base to supply Alaska.

Only one building is a true original building; all other buildings have new parts and have been restored. However, the entire place gives a good idea what it must have been like "back in the day".

I loved all the little details we saw - barrels and big bundles of - what? Food supplies?

This old Russian bell was gorgeous and it had a very melodious, rich and deep sound.

We were able to go into every building, look around, look out and look back.

There was a real fire in the big oven. The storeroom was full with stuff - a feast for the eyes.

Look at those windows! I loved the view outside, but I also liked to see what was inside and on the windowsills. I would love to have one of those bottles, especially the teal one.

Beside the windows the doors were fascinating, too. What do you think?

After all this touring we had become hungry. We went down to Bodega Bay where we treated ourselves to a nice seafood dinner in The Tides Wharf - I had clam strips and fries and it was delicious.

On Sunday it was raining and we couldn't do any decent sightseeing. So, what can you do in Sonoma County on a rainy Sunday when you have family or friends over? Wine tasting, of course.

I love the Dry Creek Valley, so this is where we took Hubertus and Burçin. The valley has the size and approximate shape of Manhattan, but instead of skyscrapers and crowded streets it has country roads leading through vineyards and passing wineries with more or less nice tasting rooms. The tasting always costs money, but you can taste some truly delicious wines.

We first went to Quivira Winery which has excellent wines and a rather plain tasting room with the only decoration of these old vines high up on the wall.

Then on to Dry Creek Vineyard which makes my favorite Zinfandel and we ended our tour at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. This winery has developed in a center of fun for the entire family especially in the warmer seasons since it has a big pool, lots of entertainment for the kids, an excellent restaurant, shops - and, of course, wine. Many of the bottles have artful labels which you can also buy as big posters.

We actually didn't want to taste the wine here - we were hungry and wanted something to eat. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, but waiting in a place like this doesn't get boring.

(The top picture was actually taken in the Dry Creek Vineyard tasting room)

I was so happy that Kaefer and Burçin got along so well. They had a lot of fun together and it didn't matter at all that there were 10 years age difference between them.

The food in the restaurant was excellent - I had a Moroccan dish which still makes my mouth water just thinking of it - and so was the wine. We rounded the meal out with chocolate mousse, espresso and cappuccino.

When we finally left it was dark, still raining, but the lights outside were beautiful.

Hubertus and Burçin left the next morning and Kaefer left in the early afternoon. Suddenly it became very quiet in our home again with just the Geek and I. The weekend felt like a mini vacation that provided us with lots of beautiful memories.