Day 5: Wine Country

Stayed the night in Ukiah with Adrienne at her pink apartment which used to be a candy shop.

Then it was on to the Wine Garage in Calistoga where all the wine is $25 or less. Tasted some Cabernets, have to say I am not a big fan. The drive from 101 to Calistoga and down into Napa is stunning, but all my pictures suck because the turnouts are not in scenic positions. And I was kind of feeling a time crunch because most tasting rooms close between 4-5.


Stopped in Oakville, which is midway through the stretch of wall to wall vineyards. This place was just a wine making facility rather than a full fledged vineyard. They process the grapes for tons of smaller local growers and chose ten to feature each day so you get to try lots of stuff you wouldn't find anywhere else. The tasting was really steep, $5 per one ounce pour! But I got to try a $110 Cabernet (It tasted a lot like the $25 dollar ones I had earlier but I don't really like reds, remember?). My favorite was the $16 Elizabeth Rose Sauvignon Blanc which I got a bottle of for this weekend.
Had lunch just next door at the Oakville Grocery, which was like a tiny Elephant's Deli. I don't know if this was a giant homemade Oreo or a Whoopie Pie but what I do know is that it was delicious.
Finished up wine country in Petaluma at Cline vineyard 10 minutes before they closed, so only time for a couple tastes (which were free!). The wines were also very affordable. I loved the Viognier but the woman working there was slammed and adamant about closing at 6 on the dot so there wasn't really time for me to buy (which is probably for the best, I'm out of room in my cooler). The grounds were nice, lots of water features, gardens, a Califonia Mission Museum, and a pair of Andean miniature donkeys. Yes, a donkey version of a pony.

Tomorrow: Golden Gate park, some aimless wandering in San Francisco, maybe the Legion of Honor or a sunset harbor cruise.