California Wineries

The following is culled from the experiences of several members of the East Bay chapter. Napa Valley Wineries I’d head for Napa, grab a map to the wineries, a few water bottles, and start tasting. I’d work my way up to V.Sattui winery, pictured above, with their deli adjacent to the winery (the wine is just okay, but the deli is great. It sells plastic utensils and napkins, and they have picnic tables, or you can spread a blanket on the grass). Or you can have your picnic at Rutherford Hill Winery, which has a less crowded, hillside picnic area. The only wines you can consume on Rutherford property are Rutherford wines, but you can buy them right there. Rutherford also has one of the most extensive wine-aging cave systems in America, which you can tour while you’re there. I’d spend the afternoon doing more tasting, then have dinner at one of the smaller restaurants in the area (or see if I could have dinner at the bar at Mustards, I’ve actually done this). Then head back to Sacramento, and sleep well. Sonoma Valley Wine Country I’d head over to the Sonoma Valley wine country and have lunch at the Kenwood Restaurant. This restaurant uses fresh produce, some from their garden, and has a nice variety of entrees. If you’re lucky they might even have venison, but I’ve always had an excellent meal, no matter what I chose. They also have local wines by the glass. Sonoma Valley is not as crowded as the Napa Valley and has some very fine wineries. My favorites are Chateau St. Jean and St. Francis, both of which have lovely gardens as well as wonderful wines. The merlots in both wineries are quite good. A winery whose wines are a great value is Benzinger just outside Glen Ellen, up the hill on the way to Jack London State Park. If you want to walk off the delicious lunch you had at the Kenwood Restaurant, drive up to the park and walk down to Wolf House, the charred remains of London’s mansion. I would start with St. Francis (the furthest up the valley toward Santa Rosa), and then work my way back down the valley to Chateau St Jean.. I’d then have a late lunch at Kenwood and visit Benzinger. Finally, I’d stroll down to Wolf House. It would be a lovely, relaxing day. Carneros Region Spanning both Napa and Sonoma counties is the Carneros region, which includes 21 wineries. The flashiest and possibly best known is Domaine Carneros, founded by Champagne Taittinger, the great Champagne house of France. The huge winery, a reproduction of a French chateau, has become a familiar Carneros landmark on Highway 121. It produces sparkling wines and an outstanding Pinto Noir, Famous Gate. For tasting, visitors can choose from a menu of sparkling wines and Pinot Noir selections. On a beautiful day, the terrace outside the tasting room is the place to be. With a glass of fine sparkling wine and a remarkable view, life can’t get much better. Another notable Caneros winery is Schug Carneros Estate Winery. Winemaker Walter Schug draws on his long experience in the production of fine wines in both Germany and as founding winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in California. He was born in Germany, where his father was the winemaker on one of the country’s top Pinot Noir estates. Convinced that the Carneros region could produce a world class Pinot, he founded his own winery to focus on the wine that had always been close to his heart. Schug produces a variety of white wines and other reds as well, available for tasting at the winery. Livermore Valley Wine Country Livermore Valley has over 40 wineries and more than 5,000 acres of vineyards growing many California and a few Italian and Spanish varietals. Boutique wineries have recently opened up alongside the historic properties that helped create the California industry. Probably the best-known winery in the Livermore Valley is Wente Vineyards, shown here, the country’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery. Today, the winery maintains its role in California winegrowing under ownership and management by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. The winery draws from approximately 3,000 acres of estate vineyards to create a variety of fine wines. Wente features wines for tasting, an award-winning restaurant that is open for lunch and dinner, and grounds and a patio where you can bring a picnic lunch. At Murrieta’s Well winery, you can see the well where legend has it that Joaquin Murrieta, the Gold Rush era figure often called the Robin Hood of El Dorado, came to drink the water. The winery on the hillside adjacent to the well dates from 1883. The old stone winery building is a gorgeous example of early California architecture. Murrieta’s specializes in blended wines with names like The Whip and The Spur. Their wines are available for tasting at the winery.