Wine Country: Journal Entry
"Napa Valley: Come and get buzzed!"
July 6, 2013
Wine Country Tour
7:30 a.m.
David and I are wide awake and ready for our second day of major exploration in San Francisco. Today we will be taking a guided tour of Sonoma and Napa Valley on board a 13-passenger van. I’m pretty picky about what I drink and really care little for red wine. My husband, on the other hand, will drink anything you put in front of him. So needless to say, I’m excited for the tour but don’t really know how much of the wine I’ll actually drink.
7:45 a.m.
I’m rushing myself to shower and get ready. I’ve picked out a cute little dress for today. I hope that it’s warmer than it has been our first few days in the city.
7:50 a.m.
I’m suggesting to David that we need to get some coffee and breakfast before the van comes to pick us up at the hotel. We’ve been walking to a nearby coffee house every morning for a coffee and a bagel.
7:55 a.m.
Our van driver said they’d be at our hotel sometime between 8:00-9:00. No time for breakfast I guess.
8:00 a.m.
We walk outside and wait alongside the city sidewalk. I’m really hungry.
8:15 a.m.
Still no van. Still hungry.
8:20 a.m.
David realized that he should probably bring a fleece with him; just in case. I tell him to run back inside and quickly grab it. I didn’t want to miss our ride!
8:23 a.m.
He’s back. Still no van. Still hungry.
8:35 a.m.
“I told you we should have set our alarm for earlier.”
8:45 a.m.
Our van is finally here! I show our IDs to the van driver and we climb aboard. I notice that we must have been the last ones to be picked up. We are left to sit in the two single seats. Not next to each other. Oh well.
8:50 a.m.
The van driver welcomes us all aboard. Our first wine stop will be at 10:00 in Sonoma. I’ll be drinking wine at 10 a.m.? Embrace the day, Danielle. Embrace it.
9:30 a.m.
The scenery is breathtaking. It is nice to go over the Golden Gate Bridge for a second time this week. Moving out of the city and into a valley of smaller communities was nice, too. The temperature has steadily increased, which makes me quite happy.
9:55 a.m.
We have arrived at our first stop, The Larsen Family Winery. They are still five minutes from opening so we begin to roam the area. We immediately notice the pen of goats and the roaming dogs. The vineyard was beautiful.
10:00 a.m.
We make our way inside the winery and find a spot at the counter. Tasting menus and glasses are laid out for each guest.
10:05 a.m.
5 wines? I thought we’d taste 2, maybe 3, but not 5! I haven’t even had breakfast.
10:15 a.m
The first few white wines were okay. It wasn’t my Barefoot Moscato that I generally drink, but it was decent.
10:20 a.m.
I guess you had to pay extra if you wanted food with your wine. Drinking wine on an empty stomach: not a great idea.
10:25 a.m.
The red wines were not to my liking. I poured what was left of my glass into David’s. He didn’t seem to mind. But then he also reminded me that he was drinking on an empty stomach.
10:30 a.m.
The tasting is over. I’m feeling a bit giggly.
10:40 a.m.
Our van is leaving in a few minutes. We explore the back of the vineyard. There are picnic tables and lawn games set up. We don’t have time to play. Maybe on our next visit.
10:42 a.m.
We go back to the goat pen. The two little goats are chasing each other around. David pretends he’s the voice of one goat. I play along and voice the other one. We laugh. We cry. I think I’ve had too much wine already.
11:15 a.m.
We’ve arrived at Viansa Winery in Sonoma. It’s much bigger than The Larsen Family Winery and looks more like a small corporation. The place is crowded.
11:20 a.m.
Our group follows a winery worker who takes us to a staged wine cellar. There are wine barrels all around, but you can tell that they are of no real use. We all grab a wine flute and begin our tasting.
11:25 a.m.
The sparkling white wine was very good.
11:30 a.m.
We’ve had two more white wines and two red wines. I’m feeling a bit uneasy. I can’t wait for lunch.
11:40 a.m.
The view from the top of the winery is gorgeous. We sit down at a table outside and start taking random pictures of our wedding rings. We are easily amused apparently. A young woman with a British accent takes our photo in front of the breaktaking landscape. We take her picture as well.
11:50 a.m.
Time to load back in the van and drive to Napa Valley for our scheduled lunch stop. I ordered the only vegetarian option on the menu, pasta primavera with a side salad.
12:00 p.m.
I’m browsing the internet on my phone during the drive. A plane has just made a crash landing at San Francisco International Airport. Wow. I’m speechless.
12:30 p.m.
Our table is already set up when we arrived in Napa. Our group of 12 files into the restaurant.
12:35 p.m.
The Canadian couple in our group is very talkative. I think David is slightly annoyed by this fact. It’s like 21 questions.
12:45 p.m.
Our meals are served. The portions are small, but I’m so happy to have some food in my belly. I immediately feel less queasy.
1:10 p.m.
When we are done eating, we are free to roam the streets until 1:30. The town is very quaint. We walk up and down the street, gazing into the storefronts. What a beautiful, perfect day.
1:30 p.m.
The last stop on the trip is to a large winery, Domaine Chandon. David and I are ready for the final tasting.
2:00 p.m.
My first impression of Domaine Chandon: I think I’ve seen this wine in stores before! The logo is certainly familiar. This is the first place where you may actually be able to purchase their wine at home in Maine.
2:05 p.m.
Our guide for the tasting is an older gentleman with white hair and a white mustache. He passes out wine glasses to each of us and begins with the history of the winery.
2:15 p.m.
We walk through the wine cellar and pass by the facilities where the wine is actually stored and processed. It is really interesting to hear how much time and effort goes into making a simple bottle of wine.
2:25 p.m.
Our last wine is a sparkling white wine. My favorite of the entire day. Apparently, our wine tasting guide works for the postal service during the week and the winery on the weekend. He gets to drink each wine with us. He really sounds like he loves this job.
2:35 p.m.
It’s been a fun day, but I’m ready for more food and a nap.
3:00 p.m.
Our van driver/tour guide expresses how much she hoped we enjoyed our day. And of course, that she relies on our tips because her hourly wage is very low. I’d already noticed the sign posted in the van: Be kind and generously tip your driver.
4:00 p.m.
We finally have made it back to The Westin on Market Street. I pass our driver her tip and we are making our way up to our room. What a day.
Wine Country Tour
7:30 a.m.
David and I are wide awake and ready for our second day of major exploration in San Francisco. Today we will be taking a guided tour of Sonoma and Napa Valley on board a 13-passenger van. I’m pretty picky about what I drink and really care little for red wine. My husband, on the other hand, will drink anything you put in front of him. So needless to say, I’m excited for the tour but don’t really know how much of the wine I’ll actually drink.
7:45 a.m.
I’m rushing myself to shower and get ready. I’ve picked out a cute little dress for today. I hope that it’s warmer than it has been our first few days in the city.
7:50 a.m.
I’m suggesting to David that we need to get some coffee and breakfast before the van comes to pick us up at the hotel. We’ve been walking to a nearby coffee house every morning for a coffee and a bagel.
7:55 a.m.
Our van driver said they’d be at our hotel sometime between 8:00-9:00. No time for breakfast I guess.
8:00 a.m.
We walk outside and wait alongside the city sidewalk. I’m really hungry.
8:15 a.m.
Still no van. Still hungry.
8:20 a.m.
David realized that he should probably bring a fleece with him; just in case. I tell him to run back inside and quickly grab it. I didn’t want to miss our ride!
8:23 a.m.
He’s back. Still no van. Still hungry.
8:35 a.m.
“I told you we should have set our alarm for earlier.”
8:45 a.m.
Our van is finally here! I show our IDs to the van driver and we climb aboard. I notice that we must have been the last ones to be picked up. We are left to sit in the two single seats. Not next to each other. Oh well.
8:50 a.m.
The van driver welcomes us all aboard. Our first wine stop will be at 10:00 in Sonoma. I’ll be drinking wine at 10 a.m.? Embrace the day, Danielle. Embrace it.
9:30 a.m.
The scenery is breathtaking. It is nice to go over the Golden Gate Bridge for a second time this week. Moving out of the city and into a valley of smaller communities was nice, too. The temperature has steadily increased, which makes me quite happy.
9:55 a.m.
We have arrived at our first stop, The Larsen Family Winery. They are still five minutes from opening so we begin to roam the area. We immediately notice the pen of goats and the roaming dogs. The vineyard was beautiful.
10:00 a.m.
We make our way inside the winery and find a spot at the counter. Tasting menus and glasses are laid out for each guest.
10:05 a.m.
5 wines? I thought we’d taste 2, maybe 3, but not 5! I haven’t even had breakfast.
10:15 a.m
The first few white wines were okay. It wasn’t my Barefoot Moscato that I generally drink, but it was decent.
10:20 a.m.
I guess you had to pay extra if you wanted food with your wine. Drinking wine on an empty stomach: not a great idea.
10:25 a.m.
The red wines were not to my liking. I poured what was left of my glass into David’s. He didn’t seem to mind. But then he also reminded me that he was drinking on an empty stomach.
10:30 a.m.
The tasting is over. I’m feeling a bit giggly.
10:40 a.m.
Our van is leaving in a few minutes. We explore the back of the vineyard. There are picnic tables and lawn games set up. We don’t have time to play. Maybe on our next visit.
10:42 a.m.
We go back to the goat pen. The two little goats are chasing each other around. David pretends he’s the voice of one goat. I play along and voice the other one. We laugh. We cry. I think I’ve had too much wine already.
11:15 a.m.
We’ve arrived at Viansa Winery in Sonoma. It’s much bigger than The Larsen Family Winery and looks more like a small corporation. The place is crowded.
11:20 a.m.
Our group follows a winery worker who takes us to a staged wine cellar. There are wine barrels all around, but you can tell that they are of no real use. We all grab a wine flute and begin our tasting.
11:25 a.m.
The sparkling white wine was very good.
11:30 a.m.
We’ve had two more white wines and two red wines. I’m feeling a bit uneasy. I can’t wait for lunch.
11:40 a.m.
The view from the top of the winery is gorgeous. We sit down at a table outside and start taking random pictures of our wedding rings. We are easily amused apparently. A young woman with a British accent takes our photo in front of the breaktaking landscape. We take her picture as well.
11:50 a.m.
Time to load back in the van and drive to Napa Valley for our scheduled lunch stop. I ordered the only vegetarian option on the menu, pasta primavera with a side salad.
12:00 p.m.
I’m browsing the internet on my phone during the drive. A plane has just made a crash landing at San Francisco International Airport. Wow. I’m speechless.
12:30 p.m.
Our table is already set up when we arrived in Napa. Our group of 12 files into the restaurant.
12:35 p.m.
The Canadian couple in our group is very talkative. I think David is slightly annoyed by this fact. It’s like 21 questions.
12:45 p.m.
Our meals are served. The portions are small, but I’m so happy to have some food in my belly. I immediately feel less queasy.
1:10 p.m.
When we are done eating, we are free to roam the streets until 1:30. The town is very quaint. We walk up and down the street, gazing into the storefronts. What a beautiful, perfect day.
1:30 p.m.
The last stop on the trip is to a large winery, Domaine Chandon. David and I are ready for the final tasting.
2:00 p.m.
My first impression of Domaine Chandon: I think I’ve seen this wine in stores before! The logo is certainly familiar. This is the first place where you may actually be able to purchase their wine at home in Maine.
2:05 p.m.
Our guide for the tasting is an older gentleman with white hair and a white mustache. He passes out wine glasses to each of us and begins with the history of the winery.
2:15 p.m.
We walk through the wine cellar and pass by the facilities where the wine is actually stored and processed. It is really interesting to hear how much time and effort goes into making a simple bottle of wine.
2:25 p.m.
Our last wine is a sparkling white wine. My favorite of the entire day. Apparently, our wine tasting guide works for the postal service during the week and the winery on the weekend. He gets to drink each wine with us. He really sounds like he loves this job.
2:35 p.m.
It’s been a fun day, but I’m ready for more food and a nap.
3:00 p.m.
Our van driver/tour guide expresses how much she hoped we enjoyed our day. And of course, that she relies on our tips because her hourly wage is very low. I’d already noticed the sign posted in the van: Be kind and generously tip your driver.
4:00 p.m.
We finally have made it back to The Westin on Market Street. I pass our driver her tip and we are making our way up to our room. What a day.