Wine Tasting

California is a great wine country, especially Northern California, especially San Francisco Bay Area.  Napa Valley wineries are world famous.  Livermore wineries are also very famous.  One plus point for Livermore.  It is only 10 minutes from our home.  I don’t know why people visit from foreign countries wish to visit Napa though Livermore is equally good.

 

Other than Napa and Livermore, there is one more place that is very famous in USA.  That is the wineries in Sonoma County (Just next to Napa).  We have been to Napa and Livermore several times but never been to any winery in Sonoma County.  So we decided to go there last weekend.

 

We started at around 12 noon on Saturday and reached Unti Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley.  We tasted 5 different wines.

 

                                                              Tasting Room - Unti

 

I digress here.

 

When wine tasting became a fashion in USA, it was free.  The big name brand wineries started charging $5 person.  Some even charge $10 or $20 person.  Not so famous, but good, wineries still do not charge and serve free of charge.  But one good thing is, in most of the wineries, if you buy a bottle of wine, they waive the charges. 

 

We were 6 adults.  In Unti, we should have paid $30 for wine tasting.  But we bought a bottle of wine for $23.  They waived the cover charges.

 

Then visited Raymond Burr Vineyards.  Remember the famous actor Raymond Burr.  He owns this Vineyard.  He is a character actor who became famous from acting in Perry Mason and Ironside.  He was never married.  After his death, his domestic partner Robert Benevides (another actor) owns this now.

 

                                                       Tasting Room - Raymond Burr

 

There is no charge here. Still, we bought a bottle here also for $25.

 

Then we went to Francis Ford Coppola’s Winery.  Remember him?  The famous Hollywood Movie Director.  He directed the movie, The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando.  The description of this winery will take a whole post.  Therefore, I will write about this in my next post.

 

After dinner, we stayed in a hotel that night.

 

Next morning, after breakfast, we visited one more winery on our way home.  It is the Alexander Valley Vineyards.  We sampled some wine.  We did not buy anything.  Still, the bartender waived the charges.

 

                                           Tasting Room - Alexander Valley Vineyards

 

Here are some more photos:

 

                                                                   Vineyard - Unti

 

                                                            Vineyard - Raymond Burr

 

Grapes are crushed in this - Alexander Valley Vineyards

 

            Wine Barrels are stored in a cave - Natural cool - Alexander Valley Vineyards

 

                            Stored Barrels in a cave - Capacity: each barrel is 225 liters

 

                                          Green Grapes - Alexander Valley Vineyards

 

                                            Red Grapes - Alexander Valley Vineyards

 

Even if someone do not drink, it just a good way to spend an enjoyable weekend.

 

Stay tuned for our experience in Francis Ford Coppola’s Winery.