Days in the Vineyard

Nora and I have spent the last several days visiting various places in Sonoma County, California.  We are newbies to this endeavor and have had a steep learning curve in acquiring the language to describe our experience.  Our taste buds have been slow to send the messages that we are tasting "passion fruit" or "hints of blackberry" or "essences of oak" or other such descriptors of wine.  We knew what we liked, and we were in no way refined in our tastes.

The last several days have been very educational for us.  We have visited probably 12 wineries in the Healdsburg area and we have been able to identify many of the suggested flavors.  We have been able to distinguish between the various varieties of reds and between the various varieties of whites.  And even the roses (they do make some much more elaborate roses than Beringer White Zinfandel).

The hosts at the various wineries have largely been very knowledgeable and eager to share their perspectives (only one of those we visited were we given the impression that we were wasting their time).  We learned about the various cultivated areas in this general area -- Dry Creek, Russian River, Alexander Valley, Willamette Valley, Chalk Hill, Rock Pile, and the advantages of hillside vines as opposed to those in bottom lands.

We had originally planned to lodge in Napa, but on my arrival out here 10 days ago, I heard more and more about the Sonoma/Healdsburg area.  I changed our reservations so, when Nora arrived on Monday, we took up residence at the Hampton Inn in Windsor, five miles down the road from Healdsburg.

We listened to the locals who freely offered advice as to where to go and what to see.  That resulted in our initial visit to the Simi Winery just north of town.  An older gentleman led us on a 45-minute tour of the winery and introduced us to the methods they use to make their large volumes of widely-commercially-available wines.  It was very educational.

Probably the smartest thing we did was to book an escorted tour, which we took on Wednesday.  We used Terrific Tours, which we highly recommend.  The guide and driver, Ryan, led us to visit six Sonoma-area wineries.  Each was different from the other, and only one was less-than-hospitable.  We came back to the room and took a four hour nap!

I am not an expert, but I have come to know and appreciate the wide varieties and tastes that are available, even from a wine that is from the same varietal of grape, but grown in a different area (or perhaps blended with another varietal). There can be remarkable differences.

I have also come to appreciate white wines more than I have before.  I appreciate, too, the simplicity with which they are made.

All of this gives me a sense of intimidation, because on December 25 I will open the first bottle of wine that I have made at home -- a Malbec.  Later -- around the first of February -- I will open the first bottle of Pinot Noir I have made.  I have a suspicion that they will be a little less remarkable than I would have considered them before this visit.

Nora and I have purchased several bottles which will be home with us.  If I continue to be intrigued with this subject, I will post more reflections on various winery visits and the thoughts on consuming those wines.