Autumn leaves tell us that the year is drawing to a close and like everyone else, I wonder where it's gone. Fall is my favorite season in just about any part of the country. It's when the weather is gorgeous and the views even more so. It's the best time to travel to so many places--New England, . . .
A rooster crowed as I stepped out the door into the cool morning. Everything around me was green, including the mountain beyond the trees that framed the property. A large thermos of coffee was waiting in the lobby of the charming Sonoma B&B and I wanted a cup. Two, even. Locals who have been . . .
There's only one reason why to visit wine country in fall, and that's "harvest." Grapes hang full and heavy on the vines in the fall, waiting patiently in their lush beauty for the buzz and hubbub of the harvest. They're just beautiful. And grape harvest? It's exciting, it's fun and it's romantic. . . .
Spring in wine country has none of the bustle of the fall harvest. Vines are budding--sighting of first buds is called bud-break-- and winemakers are busy with the many tasks required to help make a successful vintage. Including ensuring proper irrigation in a drought. But the vineyards, themselves, . . .
Spring. It's sprung, at least this week and at least in the San Francisco Bay area and on the Monterey peninsula. And in Sonoma. Here's what I found on my street: Down in Big Sur, the succulents are plump and green: Some are even flowering: Flowers in the wooden box at the Big Sur River . . .
Summer has inched its way into our lives and very soon, grapes will again be hanging heavy on the vines in beautiful Sonoma. I blogged about my first visit to wine country in the middle-1980s, but since that time I've been there often. Napa's been way touristy for years, so my "go to" places are . . .
A post in which I visit and pass judgment on a few wine tasting rooms, review Zazu restaurant and buy stuff.... revealing the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Sonoma wine country. It's spring in the wine country (even though it's felt more like summer, with temps in the mid- 80s). What better . . .
