Winter Wineland Weekend - Sunday Part 2

I know it/s been a little long for me to get to the final entry from my Wineland weekend, but when things get busy, some things just have to be set aside for when the time presents itself to get things finished. With that said, if you haven't read the first 3 pieces to this story, please check the archives and check them out so you get the full, complete story of my experience.

Mustang Convertible

After leaving the Kachina Vineyards, we headed back out the long road and headed north. We didn't have to go too far either. The next stop on the agenda for the day was at Papapietro Perry Wineries tasting room. When we pulled into the location to find that there were several tasting rooms in the same place. Well that just made things a lot easier for everyone. More to taste! We spent a good amount of time here. I was able to relax for a bit and shoot more photos of some interesting things inside and outside the buildings. Kokomo was another winery that was on the agenda and it just so happened to be at this location. It was nice to have so many in 1 place, but since I really wasn't tasting, I got a little bored.

Papapietro

Kokomo

We finally left and were on to the next stop. We drove about 4 miles up the road to Ferrari-Carano Vineyards. We pulled into the parking lot and I knew that this place was going to be a nice stop. We walked into the Barrel room and once again I just had to start taking pictures. I was relaxed and really enjoyed myself. I just wish that I had had more time to spend checking the surroundings out. We stayed for about 20-30 minutes and then headed onto the last stop.

Ferrari-Carano

The last stop was another nice estate. We completed the day, and the weekend at Sbragia Family Vineyards. The view from the parking lot was awesome. Then we went up the stairs to the tasting room. I walked outside onto the patio deck and the view was even more spectacular. The view of the dam to the North, and the view of the valley to the South. And since this was the final stop of the weekend, we stayed a little longer and enjoyed the view. It was a nice way to end the adventure through the valley. Some awesome scenery, some beautiful estates, and some good pleasant fun. Next year I plan to actually actually be tasting the wine.

Looking South from Sbragia Family Vineyards

Winter Wineland Weekend - Saturday Part 1

We started out our morning on the way to our first wine stop. We left Rio Nido around 10:30 AM so that we could be at our first winery by 11:00 AM. The weekend was planned by a good friend who also was in for the event of what the 9 wineries were for each day. We stopped in first at Merriam Vineyards and met up with the group. We did our check ins and everyone started with their tasting. Since I wasn't drinking, I was only able to try the food that had been prepared for the visitors. Chef Mike Watson had prepared a delicious braised pork with red eye gravy and grits cake to be paired with the wines. For the first thing to taste food wise for the weekend, I was just loving it. It really was quite delicious. I even made sure to let the chef know I loved it. After about 20 minutes or so, it was time to head out to the next stop. I would have posted a shot of the winery, but I didn't take my camera out. Not sure why either.

We took off and went through the main part of town of Healdsburg. It was a very cool old town too. I'll have to make sure to go back and spend more time checking it out. We got to our next stop at Simi Winery. This place was very nice. The pasta that was prepared was phenomenal. This place was Sonoma County History. It sits across the street from the old train depot. This is another place I will definitely have to come back to spend more time checking out. Once again, I left the camera in the car. What the heck was I thinking? Oh Well! I just spent my time checking the place out anyways and getting to know some in the group that I had not met yet. Once again after about 20 minutes or so, it was off to the next winery.

We hit the Alexander Valley region and pulled into Soda Rock Winery. Immediately my wife tells me to pull out the camera and get some photos. The main building was the original Alexander Valley General Store and Post Office. We walked in the door and I was just loving this old place that had been restored to a beautiful tasting room. It was simple, but very extravagant. I tried to get some interior shots, but since I don't have a wide-angle lens, I wasn't able to capture the beauty I wanted to. But I also needed to figure out some of the features again on the camera since I haven't been able to use it for some time. But I did manage to get a cool shot by mistake. So Here it is. 

Soda Rock Winery - Mistake Shot

As usual, it was a rush and we had to leave to get to the next stop, Hanna Winery. Once again I was enjoying another great place. This tasting room sits on a nice area overlooking the valley. It was beautiful! So I took a few more shots and had some good fun.

Here are a few more of my shots.

Looking up the hill - Hanna Winery

Vine Wires - Hanna Winery

If you would like to see more of my photos from the weekend, please click  - Winter Wineland Photos