Sonoma Valley!

Hellllooooo from Sonoma Valley! 

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.

It's a west coast winery with a Spanish twist and has the best olives I have ever had in my life. No match.

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. 

Al and I both agreed that the Blanc de Blancs was the better of the two. The rose was not sweet at all, which was not what I expected. Al is not a big sparkling wine person, so I ended up finishing both glasses. I could have had many more of the Blanc de Blancs. 

We sat outside on the beautiful terrace while sipping our wines. They gave us olives and almonds to munch on. They told me that they used three different kinds of olives and mixed them together to get spectacular Spanish flavors. I loved them so much that they gave me a cup-full to eat in the car. I wanted to buy a jar to take home, but they only sell them separately. Bummer. 

It was a perfect morning!

Next, we went to Chateau St Jean, which was the most important stop of the day. That's where we are getting married next year!

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. 

At one point during the tasting, we got our photo op with a huge ass wine bottle on the steps of the Chateau. 

This is where we are getting MARRIED! I can't believe it. 

The winery gave us a list of the wines we were going to taste beforehand, and we had the opportunity to take notes on our favorites. I liked all of them, so I'm glad that my dad will make all of the executive decisions on which ones we will use. As expected, we can only use Chateau St Jean wines during the reception. 

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!

Aussie Pride. 

I also enjoyed the winery dog, Leroy. 

We had a great time tasting there and chatting to other friendly people. The owner was unfortunately on vacation, but Jason said that he would try to make sure that he's in town when all of the Aussies come next year!

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!

Jason then took us to another room where we were able to sample olive oils and vinegar. Yum! I was in heaven. 

Jason then showed us the area where they have concerts. What a fun winery. 

Al was very excited over the collection of old cars. 

Beautiful winery.

Our last stop was Nicholson Ranch, but I guess my ol' silly self forgot to take photos. They have a waterfall that runs down the hills that we were excited about seeing, but then we learned that it only runs in the winter. Like most of the wineries, it's still a very picturesque property with fantastic wine. I recommend it if you go to Sonoma. I wish I had pictures, but take a look at the website!

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. 

I was still in a drinking mood, so I ordered a blueberry mojito. It did not disappoint. 

Cheesecake just introduced a brand new "Skinnylicous" menu that day, which is a healthier alternative to their other meal option on their monstrous menu. I found chicken tacos on there, so I got them. They were very yum. 

It came with Mexican rice on the side. No complaints there either. 

We split a Snickers Cheesecake. I planned on adding a photo of that, but when I scroll through my photos on the computer from the trip, they go from Mexican rice to puppies. I guess I forgot that photo as well. 

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!