Touring the vineyards, part two

What a wonderful sleep in a big, cushy hotel bed! Don't get me wrong - I've been lucky that ALL my sleeps thus far into the trip have be very comfortable and relaxing, but man oh man, there's something to be said about a big, cushy hotel bed! Sonoma Hotel, right on the main square of the quaint little wine country town, proved to be an excellent choice, and both Lesley and I recommend anyone touring this end of the world to stay here - you'll really enjoy the experience. I'm sad WE couldn't take more advantage of the hotel's amenities and offerings, but there was so much WINE to be tasted! After a coffee and pastries in the lobby, a quick stop at Whole Foods for driving snacks, a walk past a few shops we had noted last night, we checked out, packed up the car, and were on our way for another day of adventure!

Our room at the Sonoma Hotel

The Sonoma Hotel

We discovered that the best way to tour around here is to ask everyone 1) Where should I go? and 2)Where's YOUR favorite place to go? Inevitably it's somewhere nearby and probably not somewhere you found when browsing the map and pamphlets, and it's comes recommended. That's how we determine our route for the day, by asking the locals and following their advice.

 

Lavender field at Matanzas

Tasting at Matanzas

Our first stop was Matanzas Creek, where the big allure besides the wine is the fact that there is a lavender field surrounding the property. You can imagine how wonderful it smells, sitting on the terrace outside, sniffing the sir as the plants are warmed by the sun. And before you ask, NO, the lavender does not affect the tasting notes of the wines, as the vines are planted downwind. I asked. The tasting room was full when we arrived, but I think it must've been a morning rish, because with 10 minutes, we had the place to ourselves. The wine taster walked us through their wine flight, tacking on a few of her favorites at the end, and Lesley continued to be surprised by how good the Californian Chardonnays are. We both fell in love with the 2013 Bennett Valley Chardonnay and the location, and would happily come back one day, picnic in hand, to spend an afternoon among the vines.

Our taster suggested we check out Eric Ross next, which was unfortunately closed, but across the street, we visited the Jack London Village, a sort-of shopping pitstop, where we discovered a chocolate shop that does local flavors and delicious truffles AND tastings! We stopped in to try the Champagne ganache and different intensities of chocolate, and we picked out a few truffles to eat on the spot. My favorite was the Elvis, with peanut butter and banana.

 

Wine Country Chocolates' truffles	Terraced vineyards at Benzinger
Cathy tasting wine at Benziger	Home for the wildlife at Benziger

Upon leaving, the chocolatier mentioned we should stop at Benziger, one of the bigger wineries in the region, if for nothing more than to take a look around, as the site itself is beautiful. She was right, Benziger was incredibly beautiful, set in a terraced valley, completely self-sufficient. Here, they practice Biodynamic Farming, which is a practice of nothing coming in, nothing going out. That means no chemicals, yes, but also means they have their own lake as a water reservoir. They've established a diverse ecosystem to take care of pests on the vines by housing bats, birds and owls. They have sheep and cattle to take care of the weeds, which in turn creates the manure required to fertilize the plants. They grow other fruits and vegetables on the land and create compost with the cuttings of plants and vines. It's a great concept. Benziger also produces some great wines, and partner with a vineyard who makes port, so the tasting was quite diverse.

 

Heading down from the mountains

Lunch time!

From Benziger we started making our way to the coast, pausing for lunch in Point Reyes, at the Cowgirl Creamy, a renowned cheese producer around San Francisco. We picked out three delicious Californian-made cheeses, and along with the stuff we picked of this morning, we ate cheese to our heart's content. Then we started making our way back to SF by way of Highway 1, which hugs the coast until you reach Golden Gate Bridge. When I say hugs the coast, I mean the road drops off the side of a cliff and into the Pacific, and you will too if you're not a careful driver. Plus, the posted speed limits seem to be WAY higher that physically possible on these roads. Regardless, Lesley performed excellently on all those curves, and I got some amazing views of the coast and the ocean, crowned by the view of the Golden Gate Bridge opening up through the tunnel as we approached SF.

 

See how the highway curls around the mountains?

Looking up the coast

Our activities for the evening included finishing off all that delicious cheese, taking a much-needed shower to wash away the sand from our stop at Stinson Beach, and building my bed so I could sleep in it. Yup. And sleep came quickly after such a busy and enjoyable 2 days.

 

Crossing Golden Gate Bridge at sunset

Look what Lesley and I built!

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Bio-dynamic gardens at Benzinger	Grapes ripening in the sun
Black Mountain, heading to Point Reyes	A horse running next to the roadway
Cheese ripening at Cowgirl Creamery	Driving Highway 1, along to coast
Stinson Beach	Lesley with her toes in the sand
Beach birds	Toes in the Pacific Ocean
Pipers looking for a snack	Golden Gate Bridge as we emerge from the tunnel

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Archived TravelPod comments:

What an adventurous day ! This looks like a beautiful place to visit... but you really have to be a good driver on those roads ! Especially after the wine tours ;) Glad you are both having such a good time ! From momB, on Sep 12, 2015 at 01:33AM

Wine tasting with Lesley!

Another big breakfast this morning, a last one at the hostel, and I packed all my stuff into my bag and headed out for my pickup, because Lesley was coming to get me so we could drive to Napa Valley for wine! And thus began the adventure of Lesley & Cathy's Great Joyride through the Vineyards, with a little help from the car navigation system.

We headed over the Bay Bridge, which we determined is not a scenic drive heading out of SF, because the Bay Bridge has two level to it, and the bottom level, which is like driving through a tunnel, and NOT over a bridge, is the one heading OUT of the city. We passed miles and miles of dried up hills and valleys turned dry and crispy by the drought, like most of the state.

 

Driving by vineyards

Andretti Winery

We stopped for a refilling break and coffee about halfway, and then again once we reached the town of Napa, visiting the information center for advice on how we should chose which vineyards to visit. The kind volunteer we spoke to directed us to Andretti first, home of racecar driver Mario Andretti, as well as a wealth of other vineyards throughout the valley. We gladly took her advice and headed to our first tasting of the day.

 

Tasting at Andretti

Back corridor to the restaurant

Andretti is a beautiful Tuscan-style villa built to remind Mario Andretti of his home in Italy while he spent time here in California, and it is a smaller, more-familial feeling place in comparison to the larger houses. Lesley and I shared a Tuscan tasting flight of 5 wines and were so charming and lovely to the taster that we got 2 more varieties added to our flight! Nice!

Back in the car, we rehydrated since the thermometer was reading 106 and the wine was taking effect much too quickly, then plugged in our next coordinates and away we went to Mumm Napa for a little bubbly!

 

I think SOMEONE has been watering their garden...

Reserve Rosé

Lesley had read about a really good tour offered by Mumm, including viewing the wine-making process and tastings, so we joined the 3 pm tour and learned the intricacies of making a sparkling wine here in California. Interesting fact: Did you know that to call a wine a Champagne, it has to made of 100% Chardonnay grapes? I was pretty sure it had to be made in the Champagne region, too, but I digress.

 

Driving through the mountains to Sonoma

Nice views if it weren't so hazy

We tried to visit Robert Mondavi, but the tasting room was closed for a private function and the shop was closing up, so we continued along, heading instead to our Hotel in Sonoma by way of the steepest, twistiest road ever. I didn't think we would make all the turns, and there were NO guardrails to keep us from plummeting off the side of the mountain in the valley below...And sadly, all the trees were blocking the amazing views.

 

Lesley with her duck liver mousse

Dessert cheese plate with local port

We reached town safely(phew!) and checked in at the Sonoma Hotel, located right in the heart of the cutesy little town. After dumping our bags, we heading next door to the girl & the fig restaurant for an amazing dinner, with local wine to compliment our meal, local cheeses to finish and a local port to top it all off. After all that and a quiet walk about town, we returned to our room for an early night, and dreams of more wine-tasting tomorrow.

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A coffee break before heading out	Green vineyard surrounded by dead grass
Dried up grapes	It's a hot one out there!
More vineyards - imagine if there wasn't a drought!?	Mumm Napa
Lesley all ready for tasting!	The fermentations tanks
Reserve Brut	Dinner at the girl & the fig
Grilled sardines	Duck confit with spicy spaetzle
Sweet corn gnocchi

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Archived TravelPod comments: 

  

You seem to be having a wonderful time ! Glad to see you and Lesley off on a "girls" adventure ;) Looks like you are finding lots of yummy dishes to savour ! Have fun and keep those blogs coming..... xox From momB, on Sep 10, 2015 at 02:11PM

Nice to see you again Lesley...( gros bizous on the cheeks)
Tell her that.
Nice to see a NON VIOLENT sequel to the Telma & Louise movie. But the drought seem to be wicked out there (see I am hip, I'm hip!). We had a whole week of that weather too. Just to be like you but else where. NO drinking and driving out there. But please taste a white for your mom. Following the great western adventure and enjoying it a lot.
Later From dad, on Sep 10, 2015 at 02:38PM

You are right Cathy about the Champagne.
We did learn this when we travelled to Champagne country a couple of years ago.Has to be made in the Champagne area of France otherwise it is called Sparkling Wine.
Enjoying all your pictures. Beautiful sights !! Enjoy From Aline, on Sep 10, 2015 at 04:51PM

Sunday biking trip (a few days late)

 

 Some of you might be familiar of Mario and my weekly bike trips around Montreal and its surroundings. I felt a little guilty of the fact that I would missing two weeks of biking because of the trip(ok, maybe not really), so when the opportunity for this bike trip, offered by the hostel, presented itself, I decided to go for it. An all-day bike ride over Golden Gate bridge, down into Sausalito, and then a return ferry ride to San Francisco? What could be better? Let's go!

Our bike group heading out

Parked in Crissy Field

We were 19 strong for this particular trip, so you can imagine the mess we made as we rolled, as group, down major roads in business districts! Weaving and darting in between cars, snaking in and out of intersection and the bike lane...It was crazy to watch from my place at the back of the group, and not because I was slow. We were all a little slow! I just felt that SOMEONE had to bring up the rear! I didn't stay there for long, though.

We paused a moment at the Ferry building to listen to some fun facts offered by our guide, Sam, who was on his second guiding stint since arriving in SF. I think we all agreed that he did a great job with the rag-tag team of ruffians he was presented with! Onward we went, past the Embarcadero, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, into Crissy Field where we got some awesome views of the bridge, and our first real taste for climbing it involved. I gotta say, about half of us had to walk out bikes up those hills, but did we ever have a blast riding them back down!

Finally, at the end of a rather long and tedious climb, we crested at the start of the Golden Gate Bridge. What a sight! What an amazing feat of engineering! What a beautiful colour!(I've hear that the colour was mixed specifically for this application alone) It was a little tough biking along the walkway that runs the length of the bridge, but only because of the amount of people walking and biking along with us. It's a popular place.

Golden Gate Bridge

Looking towards Sausalito

Of course, each vista required a photo, and each span of the bridge required another photo, and each new view point of the structure required another photo - well, you get the point. Lots of stopping, lots of photos, but I eventually made it to the other side with the rest of the group, and then we all descended all of the mountains we had painstakingly climbed and rolled into Sausalito.

   

Descending into Sausalito

Our lunch spot, seen from the ferry

Sausalito is a quaint little tourist town across the bay from SF, and is filled with cafes, gourmet food shops, and cutesy clothing and souvenir boutiques. Some of our group went to one of these cafes for lunch, but Wendy and I instead visited the Venice Gourmet Shop and had delicious sandwiches made up for us. We found a spot next to the water and, dangling our legs over the edge of the pier, we ate our lunch and enjoyed a fantastic view of the bay and San Francisco. We also had a rather heated exchange with a large seagull who wanted to share lunch with us.

Crossing back to SF by ferry

Fun bonus of this particular tour was the fact that it included the ferry ride back to SF from Sausalito which meant NO MORE HILLS! We boarded the ferry with a lot of other cyclists, because this seems to be quite the popular circular route to take, and I realized that I had a flat. No problem, once we got to the other side of the water, I pushed my bike to the nearest Blazing Saddles bike shop, where they happily exchanged me a ride in working condition. And they were so good about the whole experience, it was as though getting a flat was totally normal and expected! There were no forms to fill out, no explaining to a judge how I didn't roll over a spike strip or broken glass or any other sharp objects. Just a smile, and a joke, and a new bike. So great.

Wendy and I returned along the Embarcadero the same way we had come, past the Ferry Building and up Market street, walking the final block since the climb was close to 45 degrees(not kidding), dropped off our awesome rides and returned to the hostel. It was 6 pm, and I had to shower, change, figure out the buses and get myself across town to Don's house for my EatWith dinner at 7:30. Yikes. That was the fastest shower I think I've ever taken. I made it out of the hostel and was back on the street at 6:15.

Don, our EatWith chef, opening oysters

So EatWith is a new concept I have discovered, where local chefs offer meals in their homes to complete strangers, offering you a great experience to discover the local cuisine. Chef Don is not a chef, and is incredibly humble about the fact that his Fishmonger's dinner is rated the number one restaurant in SF on Tripadvisor, but believe me when I say it is well deserved. His meal is not pretentious - it is a feast of the bounty of the sea and the local tastes of SF. Don welcomed us into his spacious kitchen, where Allie, his girlfriend, offered a glass of sparkling wine and we tasted delicious oysters on the half shell. Alongside were several toppings to compliment the sweet saltiness of the bivalves, including a duo of mignonettes and a homemade Yuzu granita, done with dashi, mirin, sake, and soya. Fantastic.

We were ushered into the dining room and the 10 of us sat around a large round table, set and decorated to reflect the theme of the meal, and conversation flowed as freely as the wine, perhaps even moreso. One guest from Palo Alto even makes his own wine, and brought a bottle for dinner, a Chardonnay that kicked the legs out from under my bottle of Barefoot Chardonnay. We worked through several course, a slice of the best sourdough in the city, a salad with smoked trout and avocado, one humongous rock shrimp, a creamy, yet light clam chowder with the clams still in their shells, relishing in the simple freshness of each dish, and enjoying the car Don takes in picking his ingredients and showcasing the local producers.

  

Clam chowder

That Dungeness crab is now on my plate

The piece de resistance, a half of a Dungeness crab, had meat so sweet it seemed a shame to leave any still in the shell, so we gained a new level of comfort with each other and cracked open the creatures with our hands. What a tasty mess!

Stuffed, we all made a little extra room for a wonderful ice cream sandwich, homemade Kahlua ice cream on homemade chocolate chip cookies. Then we chatted a little more, of wine and places in Sonoma, the amazing meal, where to travel in SF and beyond, and then Steve and Ally offered me a lift in their Uber taxi, which would be passing by my hostel, so I gladly accepted, and offered them a meal in my kitchen the next time they are in Montreal. Because that's a currency that resounds with fellow foodies - they won't accept money, but will gladly take you up on that offer to share your table.

  

Toronto bro 1, chef Don and bro 1's wife

Steve & Ally

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Sam telling the group all about the Ferry Building	Biking past the Ferry Building
Posing by the bridge	Sam, Wendy and Steph
Biking across	Cables and pillars
Touching the main cable span	Lunch sandwich eaten by the water
Showing off the rock shrimp, still alive	Dungeness crab. Yum.
Nicely set communal dining table	Salad with avocado and smoked trout
Sauteed rock shrimp	Kahlua ice cream chocolate chip cookie sandwich
Other couple and Toronto bro 2	Wine guy, Don's Ally and Hazel

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Archived TravelPod Comments:

I remember the name of the police tv show: The streets of San Francisco with Carl Malden & Michael Douglas (1972-1977). I'm very old!!
Bycicling on the Golden is almost a bucket list thing for people like me. But not for you. Unfortunately I'm not as much of an expert on food and would not appreciate it as much. But I would be good to eat it. It is a lovely city view from every point. We saw Montreal form the river yesterday (bateau mouche). May be we will do the same in San Fran one day.
Continue your journey my young padawan.... From Dad, on Sep 9, 2015 at 04:45PM