Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting Tour - wine education
On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley.
The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13,000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café.
After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma’s main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family’s involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.
Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was downright giggly. Michelle stopped at a lookout point overlooking the northern terminus of the bridge which provided us with an excellent view, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.
At the end of our excursion, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne, and after recovering for a bit, we took the 22 bus and went for a nice dinner to Tangerine SF, a beautiful restaurant that features Pan Asian cuisine, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco. After a great filling dinner and a long conversation with the owners Steve and Sean we walked all the way back to our hotel on Fillmore Street, a pleasant 45 minute walk through beautiful Victorian neighbourhoods.
Duration : 0:2:30
Vine Hill Inn, Sebastopol California Wine Country B & B
The Vine Hill Inn is an award-winning, beautifully remodeled 1897 Victorian farmhouse located in west Sonoma County, California. Nestled between vineyards and apple orchards in rural Sebastopol, we are just one hour northwest of San Francisco. Our location is ideal for wine touring, exploring the Russian River, or enjoying ocean beaches.
Duration : 0:1:42
Iron and Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth
http://www.mb01.com/lnk.asp?o=1087&c=918273&a=27446
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Band: Iron and Wine
Song: Flightless Bird, American Mouth
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-enjoy the music
Duration : 0:4:4
i found this somewhere what do you think?
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS MEXICAN
His first name was Jesus.
He was bilingual.
He was always being harassed by the authorities.
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS BLACK
He called everybody "brother."
He liked Gospel.
He couldn't get a fair trial.
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS JEWISH
He went into his father's business.
He lived at home until he was 33.
He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure he was God.
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS ITALIAN
He talked with his hands.
He had wine with every meal.
He worked in the building trades.
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS A CALIFORNIAN
He never cut his hair.
He walked around barefoot.
He started a new religion.
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS IRISH
He never got married.
He was always telling stories.
He loved green pastures.
And now the MOST compelling proofs:
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS A WOMAN
He managed to feed a crowd, at a moments notice, when there was no food.
He kept trying to get the message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it.
Even when he was dead, he had to get up because there was more work for him to do.
haha lol
lmao
very funny
Does anyone know how much wine you can bring into California from France duty-free?
I have been told you can bring up to five cases into the State of California only, due to the very open wine importation laws. I think it's a reciprocal thing - French people can bring the same amout back to their country. Does anyone have first-hand experience? Need to know by Weds., May 3. Thanks.
A case is 12 bottles of 750ml each.
2 cases
don't know of what size bottle? 12- 1L?
5 cases is interstate
Why is non South African wine so expensive in South Africa?
An every day drinking french wine or an american wine will cost you nearly £100 whereas a similar calibre South African equivalent will cost £4 in a bottle store.
It can't be the shipment costs alone because in England we get wine from Australia which is quite far and yet it costs about £4.
Import taxes and transportation fees. In the U.S. we will pay $140.00 for a bottle of wine you can get for $15.00 in Italy. The other reason is supply. Vineyards ship a limited quantity of wines to other countries and sell the bulk domestically. That 4 pound bottle of domestic wine may have up to 50,000 cases made in South Africa where the 100 pound bottle may only have 1,000 cases available.
even god enjoys a good laugh….star if funny….xx?
There were 3 good arguments that Jesus could have been Black:
1. He called everyone "brother"
2. He liked Gospel
3. He couldn't get a fair trial.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Fathers business.
2. He lived at home until he was 33.
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his mother was sure he was God.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus could have been Italian:
1. He talked with his hands.
2. He had wine with every meal.
3. He used olive oil.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus could have been a Californian:
1. He never cut his hair.
2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.
But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus could have been Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.
But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus could have been a woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it..
3. And even when he was dead, He had to get up because there was more work to do.
I loved it…clean jokes about religion are extremely rare…plus I think this may not even be a joke at all but a good theory.
I think she was a Jewish black woman with Irish/Italian ancestors and she lived those lost years in California.
Does Conundrum, California White Wine change from year to year?
The grapes listed on the site never seem to change.
No. It is a cuvee. It is vinted for a particular flavor.
Vintages will change the flavor slightly but they are always aiming for the same taste. The grapes should rarely, if ever change.
american wine magazine called lost and something….?
All "Wine Magazines" have something to do with Wine or Vineyards in their titles. If you're looking for a "Flagged" article then I would start here: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Home/
Type "Lost" in the site search and articles will come up dateing back 10 years (Lost in Time, Lost Paradise, etc.) Good Luck
The Bordeaux-California wine connection
President & COO of Cakebread Cellars, Bruce Cakebread discusses the increasing exchange of ideas in the world wine industry, notably between California and France, and his own tour of the Bordeaux vineyard
Duration : 0:1:43