I'm actually not in Sonoma Valley anymore (my blogging is way behind schedule), but just go with it!
On our second-to-last day in San Francisco, we spent the day in the sunshine and among the grapevines in one of northern California's glorious wine regions.
We had the luxury of hiring a driver for the day who knew his way around Sonoma very well. We worked out a schedule a few days before, so we knew exactly where we were going.
Our first stop was Gloria Ferrer Winery.
They make a lot of sparkling wines, and our driver Jason highly recommended that we each get a glass. Sparkling wine at 11:15 in the morning? Yes, please!
Following the recommendations from the staff, we sampled the Brut Rose and Blanc de Blancs.
We were both blown away by the property. It has an elegant vibe but it is also relaxed. For the first time, I saw Al get very excited about the nuptials. An outdoor wedding is exactly what he wants!
We had a meeting at noon with our wedding planner. We sat on the patio overlooking the winery while doing a top-notch wine tasting and discussing details for our celebration.
I realllly didn't want to leave Chateau St Jean, but our wedding planner had to go and Jason had more exciting places to take us.
The next stop, after a quick lunch of sandwiches from a market, was Loxton Wines. Not only was this a good winery, but it's owned by an Australian!
Next, we went to B.R. Cohn. I was pumped about this place, because it's owned by the manager of the Doobie Brothers. Awesome! Jason said that they usually play their music in the tasting room, but they played the Beatles while we were there. I'm still okay with that.
My favorite from the tasting was the dessert wine with chocolate dots on the side. I wish I took a photo of the tasting lists so that I actually knew which wines I was talking about!
I didn't want to leave the sunny Sonoma Valley. As expected, the temperature dropped 20 degrees Fahrenheit and we were covered by clouds as soon as we crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge. What is it with you, San Francisco?
We got dropped off by our hotel, and we swooped by the Cheesecake Factory just to see how long the wait would be. Miraculously, it was only 30 minutes. We had time to run back to our hotel, drop off our wine bottles (yes, we bought wine), change clothes and run back to Cheesecake. My pager started buzzing just as we got back there. Impeccable timing!
We got a seat on the chilly patio. I wasn't excited about it at first, but I eventually enjoyed sitting there with the view and watching the activity over Union Square.
That's all I got from San Francisco! Despite my comments about the cold and overcast weather, I loved every minute of it down to the pain in my calves and bum from climbing the hills. I liked the city a lot, though I think I could happily live in Sonoma Valley! Who doesn't love sunshine and mountains and wine and cheese? At least I get to have my wedding there!