Of wine and food and friends- among other things
As promised, the more detailed update about jagienka, bad_influence and my weekend up in Napa- that turned into something of a tour of California.
Saturday-
We headed out around 10 am and, after dropping off the kitties, were on the road for real by around 10:45 am-- which turned out well as I think we missed most of the morning traffic of people heading out of town for the long weekend. So we made good time out of the city and then it was settling in for the long, straight shot up the 5, where we were driving through the 'middle of no and where' as Mal once put it, what I consider (with what I suppose is city-girl arrogance) the no-mans-land of farm country CA. Passed a whole lot of cows and even more desert, although I do like the rolling hills. Stopped off for lunch at an IHOP along the way and then it was on the road again. Got to Napa (or to Fairfield, more exactly, a little ways outside of Napa) by around 6-ish.
Went for a swim and then a soak in the hot tub- and I realized it was the first time I'd been swimming since I got Lasik done. (You're supposed to avoid swimming for a year afterwards- well, it's been 2 years so I'm definitely safe.) It occurred to me (yet again) just how nice it is to be able to see without having to worry about glasses. I'd gotten used to swimming blind, in a sense, and sometimes that was even literally as I usually shut my eyes in water before. (Colleen and Clare will tell you amusing stories caused by that from our almost-midnight swim in Orlando when we were down there for NCSC-- and can I just say that being able to swim in an outdoors pool at night in early January- and not freeze to death- is just something very wrong...) But at any rate, it was lovely; I'd forgotten how much I love floating on my back in water.
Then, it was off to dinner at the Blue Frog Grog & Grille, recommended by Kori's dad (and props to him for the rec) for some beer samples and good food. It was also the scene of the first of several fandom moments in seeing the car with a license plate of 'HGWZXPS' and naturally, we all read that as the Hogwarts Express. (I got a picture of it, because I'm a geek like that, so expect pictures soon!)
Sunday- Drink up, me hearties, yo ho! The day where we spent basically the entire day drinking wine-- drinking problem, us? Never. ;-)
Took the Napa Wine Shuttle (which I'd highly recommend as it spares you from having to worry about a designated driver, which is definitely a good thing after a day of wine tasting) and went to 6 different wineries, tasted about 25 different wines over the course of the day and ended up buying 15 bottles between the 3 of us (and no, it's not all for us- see, we're not alcoholics!) ;-)
The wineries, in brief:
Hagafen Winery: A small little family-run vineyard, very quaint and good wine, overall. The highlight was a very yummy Reisling which I definitely enjoyed (tried it twice) and ended up buying- first purchase of the day. Delightfully sweet. Other than that, also tried a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2005 Chardonnay (also quite good) and a 2005 Vin Gris Rose- made from Pinot Noir- and also sweet and light. Was tempted but decided on only getting the Reisling.
Alpha Omega Winery- a new winery that just opened and had wines only for tasting that aren't on sale yet. A gorgeous view of the mountains with a fountain and everything, picture-perfect spot. The wines were good too, a Sauvignon Blanc which I think I liked the best of the wines we tried there, a Chardonnay, a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon which had a dark chocolate aftertaste and was a little spicy too, and finally a Proprietary Red, which was too dry for my taste but I think red wine fans would really like it.
Third stop (and lunch) was V. Sattui Vineyards. They had a gourmet deli (yummy!) and so lunch consisted of baguette with pate, brie and ham and blueberries for dessert (very very good lunch...). The wines- a nice variety, I thought. This was the biggest vineyard we went to. Started with a Chardonnay and then had their 2005 Dry Reisling, which (because it was dry) I wasn't the biggest fan of. Then the 2005 Off-Dry Reisling (again, I wasn't the biggest fan of it). Then the 2005 Gamay Rouge which was basically a strawberry jolly rancher. Very very yummy... That was the wine that had me getting weak-kneed (and no, it wasn't only because by that time, I was well on my way to being decidedly tipsy.) ;-P But even better than that was the 2005 Muscat dessert wine... Mmmmmmmm.... THAT was sooooo good and sooooo sweet, I just about died. I definitely fell in love. Last was the Angellica- Muscat mixed with Brandy. Also very good and very tempting but refrained (though now that I think about it, I'm tempted to go online and order... maybe when I get out to Boston to toast my new apartment with...) ;-) I should also note that it's quite possible my love of the Angellica was partly based on the fact that I was, by that time, quite thoroughly tipsy and so predisposed to be very pleased with just about everything. Had hit that 'ooh, everything's all fun and happy!' stage- much to jagienka and bad_influence's amusement. (I'm a lightweight; my mission in life when we're drinking is to amuse them, what can I say?) ;-P
Fourth stop- Raymond Vineyards, which we all skipped, me mostly because I definitely needed a break from the alcohol, although after the leisurely lunch, I was mostly recovered and sobered again.
Andretti Winery- of Mario Andretti fame. Absolutely gorgeous building and scenery- again, pictures to come! Tried several wines, which were basically all good but nothing that leaped out at me. The best part was eating the Chardonnay grapes straight off the vine.
Last and definitely not least- Domaine Chandon for bubbly! Kori tried the Prestige Cuvee, Jess the Reserve and I stuck to the basic Classic Collection. The Classic collection was, sadly, under-appreciated because we were trying the Prestige and Reserve too, although on its own, it would still have been good. No big surprise but the most expensive sparkling wines (from the Prestige and the Reserve) were the best. I would have enjoyed the bubbly more if I hadn't (again) reached the thoroughly-tipsy point and I think my palate was a bit dead. But still, it was champagne (unofficially) and it was good... Ended up buying 3 bottles between the 3 of us. Was amused thinking of what Bill would say about the champagnes.
Headed to Copia for dinner to show our Smithie pride and eat at Julia's Kitchen only to find it was closed for a wedding so we wandered and went to the Bounty Hunter instead. Good appetizers- I love goat's cheese. ;-)
And last comment for the day but it's amazing how tiring a day of wine-tasting is. (It doesn't help that alcohol makes me sleepy.) But all in all, an excellent day. :-)
Sunday- The more detailed update for Sunday will come with the picture post- it'll be better that way. In short, Muir Woods, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Park and then the scenic drive along the PCH before cutting across to the 5 using the 152. Hit traffic so it took more than an hour to drive about 10 miles which sucked but then it was smooth sailing down the 5. Finally made it home at 1 am, thoroughly tired but in that 'we had a great time' sort of way.
*huggles and much love to jagienka and bad_influence*
Oh and before I forget, the most amusing fandom moment on the drive back- passing a Jayne Ave and it's the same exit for the Pleasant Valley State Prison, which was very amusingly appropriate. Want to know whether Joss drove along the 5 and saw it and got the idea for Jayne... It could have happened!
Sent out 3 more cover letters/resumes today- of jobs I'd really, really love. *crosses fingers and prays hard*
Saturday-
We headed out around 10 am and, after dropping off the kitties, were on the road for real by around 10:45 am-- which turned out well as I think we missed most of the morning traffic of people heading out of town for the long weekend. So we made good time out of the city and then it was settling in for the long, straight shot up the 5, where we were driving through the 'middle of no and where' as Mal once put it, what I consider (with what I suppose is city-girl arrogance) the no-mans-land of farm country CA. Passed a whole lot of cows and even more desert, although I do like the rolling hills. Stopped off for lunch at an IHOP along the way and then it was on the road again. Got to Napa (or to Fairfield, more exactly, a little ways outside of Napa) by around 6-ish.
Went for a swim and then a soak in the hot tub- and I realized it was the first time I'd been swimming since I got Lasik done. (You're supposed to avoid swimming for a year afterwards- well, it's been 2 years so I'm definitely safe.) It occurred to me (yet again) just how nice it is to be able to see without having to worry about glasses. I'd gotten used to swimming blind, in a sense, and sometimes that was even literally as I usually shut my eyes in water before. (Colleen and Clare will tell you amusing stories caused by that from our almost-midnight swim in Orlando when we were down there for NCSC-- and can I just say that being able to swim in an outdoors pool at night in early January- and not freeze to death- is just something very wrong...) But at any rate, it was lovely; I'd forgotten how much I love floating on my back in water.
Then, it was off to dinner at the Blue Frog Grog & Grille, recommended by Kori's dad (and props to him for the rec) for some beer samples and good food. It was also the scene of the first of several fandom moments in seeing the car with a license plate of 'HGWZXPS' and naturally, we all read that as the Hogwarts Express. (I got a picture of it, because I'm a geek like that, so expect pictures soon!)
Sunday- Drink up, me hearties, yo ho! The day where we spent basically the entire day drinking wine-- drinking problem, us? Never. ;-)
Took the Napa Wine Shuttle (which I'd highly recommend as it spares you from having to worry about a designated driver, which is definitely a good thing after a day of wine tasting) and went to 6 different wineries, tasted about 25 different wines over the course of the day and ended up buying 15 bottles between the 3 of us (and no, it's not all for us- see, we're not alcoholics!) ;-)
The wineries, in brief:
Hagafen Winery: A small little family-run vineyard, very quaint and good wine, overall. The highlight was a very yummy Reisling which I definitely enjoyed (tried it twice) and ended up buying- first purchase of the day. Delightfully sweet. Other than that, also tried a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2005 Chardonnay (also quite good) and a 2005 Vin Gris Rose- made from Pinot Noir- and also sweet and light. Was tempted but decided on only getting the Reisling.
Alpha Omega Winery- a new winery that just opened and had wines only for tasting that aren't on sale yet. A gorgeous view of the mountains with a fountain and everything, picture-perfect spot. The wines were good too, a Sauvignon Blanc which I think I liked the best of the wines we tried there, a Chardonnay, a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon which had a dark chocolate aftertaste and was a little spicy too, and finally a Proprietary Red, which was too dry for my taste but I think red wine fans would really like it.
Third stop (and lunch) was V. Sattui Vineyards. They had a gourmet deli (yummy!) and so lunch consisted of baguette with pate, brie and ham and blueberries for dessert (very very good lunch...). The wines- a nice variety, I thought. This was the biggest vineyard we went to. Started with a Chardonnay and then had their 2005 Dry Reisling, which (because it was dry) I wasn't the biggest fan of. Then the 2005 Off-Dry Reisling (again, I wasn't the biggest fan of it). Then the 2005 Gamay Rouge which was basically a strawberry jolly rancher. Very very yummy... That was the wine that had me getting weak-kneed (and no, it wasn't only because by that time, I was well on my way to being decidedly tipsy.) ;-P But even better than that was the 2005 Muscat dessert wine... Mmmmmmmm.... THAT was sooooo good and sooooo sweet, I just about died. I definitely fell in love. Last was the Angellica- Muscat mixed with Brandy. Also very good and very tempting but refrained (though now that I think about it, I'm tempted to go online and order... maybe when I get out to Boston to toast my new apartment with...) ;-) I should also note that it's quite possible my love of the Angellica was partly based on the fact that I was, by that time, quite thoroughly tipsy and so predisposed to be very pleased with just about everything. Had hit that 'ooh, everything's all fun and happy!' stage- much to jagienka and bad_influence's amusement. (I'm a lightweight; my mission in life when we're drinking is to amuse them, what can I say?) ;-P
Fourth stop- Raymond Vineyards, which we all skipped, me mostly because I definitely needed a break from the alcohol, although after the leisurely lunch, I was mostly recovered and sobered again.
Andretti Winery- of Mario Andretti fame. Absolutely gorgeous building and scenery- again, pictures to come! Tried several wines, which were basically all good but nothing that leaped out at me. The best part was eating the Chardonnay grapes straight off the vine.
Last and definitely not least- Domaine Chandon for bubbly! Kori tried the Prestige Cuvee, Jess the Reserve and I stuck to the basic Classic Collection. The Classic collection was, sadly, under-appreciated because we were trying the Prestige and Reserve too, although on its own, it would still have been good. No big surprise but the most expensive sparkling wines (from the Prestige and the Reserve) were the best. I would have enjoyed the bubbly more if I hadn't (again) reached the thoroughly-tipsy point and I think my palate was a bit dead. But still, it was champagne (unofficially) and it was good... Ended up buying 3 bottles between the 3 of us. Was amused thinking of what Bill would say about the champagnes.
Headed to Copia for dinner to show our Smithie pride and eat at Julia's Kitchen only to find it was closed for a wedding so we wandered and went to the Bounty Hunter instead. Good appetizers- I love goat's cheese. ;-)
And last comment for the day but it's amazing how tiring a day of wine-tasting is. (It doesn't help that alcohol makes me sleepy.) But all in all, an excellent day. :-)
Sunday- The more detailed update for Sunday will come with the picture post- it'll be better that way. In short, Muir Woods, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Park and then the scenic drive along the PCH before cutting across to the 5 using the 152. Hit traffic so it took more than an hour to drive about 10 miles which sucked but then it was smooth sailing down the 5. Finally made it home at 1 am, thoroughly tired but in that 'we had a great time' sort of way.
*huggles and much love to jagienka and bad_influence*
Oh and before I forget, the most amusing fandom moment on the drive back- passing a Jayne Ave and it's the same exit for the Pleasant Valley State Prison, which was very amusingly appropriate. Want to know whether Joss drove along the 5 and saw it and got the idea for Jayne... It could have happened!
Sent out 3 more cover letters/resumes today- of jobs I'd really, really love. *crosses fingers and prays hard*