Wine Country

One of the greatest benefits of living in the Bay Area is its proximity to wine country. We have access to great wines in San Francisco, Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles and countless other regions. The most frequent email I receive from friends and family is "I'm coming to [insert any wine region in California]. Any recommendations?!"

Looking at a wine map is incredibly overwhelming. Which wineries have good wine, which have picnic areas, how much do they charge to taste, do I need to make reservations? All good questions and all too much for many people. And while most focus their visits on wineries, there is a tremendous amount of other things to do in these locations that can be overlooked by the allure of lounging in a rocking chair with a full glass of wine.

I've started the View from the Vineyard series to provide ideas for great days in different wine regions as a jumping off point for visitors and locals. If you have more specific questions or need recommendations, contact me. I'm happy to share my knowledge and love of wine country with you!

View from the Vineyard

Northern California:
Calistoga - very northern tip of the Napa Valley
Rutherford - central location in the Napa Valley
Alexander Valley - between Healdsburg and Geyserville
Dry Creek Valley - Healdsburg
Anderson Valley - Boonville

Central/Southern California:
Malibu - just north of Los Angeles/Santa  Monica

I post other wine country recommendations on the Happy Hour page. There are also a handful of hikes profiled on the Outdoors page.

Happy tasting!