There's a lot to see while wandering around the square in Healdsburg, California -shops, restaurants, gourmet grocery stores, and not least by any means, wine tasting rooms. So we expected to taste some wine when we ventured into Healdsburg on a drizzly Memorial Day. We left the square with an...
Cyrus Alexander, one of Sonoma County's early settlers in the 1840s, lent his name to a geographical region approximately one hour north of San Francisco -and to Alexander Valley Vineyards, the winery situated on the lands that include Cyrus Alexander's original homestead. The Place: Alexander...
On a mountainside in Colorado, literally in the company of buffalo and antelope, sits the homey, wooden building that houses Rockyspring Winery. The Place: It's a bit of a drive between civilization and Rockyspring Winery -or maybe it just seemed like that to the Texas tourists who set out to...
Visiting The Wines of Colorado is an incredibly unique experience. Even after being prepped by a local, I was in no way prepared for the eclectic atmosphere and variety of food and wine that this combination restaurant and wine tasting extravaganza has to offer. The Place: From the outside, The...
We served Gruet's Brut sparkling wine for the toast at our wedding. It was fabulous -the wine AND the wedding! So, when I learned that Gruet Winery was on the way out of town as we traveled from Santa Fe to Sedona for our honeymoon, we had to stop. The Place: I was surprised to find the winery...
Where the sunlight meets the shadows on the mesa, halfway between Santa Fe and Taos, there you find Black Mesa Winery. Don't pass this one up; it is a must-stop. The wines are excellent, the people are friendly, and the view is fantastic. And if you're lucky, you might get to see some of the...
My best friend decided she was going to move from Texas to D.C., so before she left, we took a girls' trip to New York and Long Island. The New York portion was to see a Billy Joel concert (I'm a huge fan), but Long Island was all about wine tasting. We chose the North Fork, rented a cute,...
Know how to make a Texas girl happy? Take her to Oregon in the middle of the summer, where it's 30 degrees cooler. Drive her down the Oregon Coast, let her stop to take pictures, play in the sand on the beach, and dip her toes into the Pacific Ocean (cold!). Then stop at a winery. At least,...
Family businesses are often passed down from generation to generation. However, in the case of Emerson Vineyards, we find the father embracing the dreams of the son, and both paying homage to their parentage as they pursue the passion of making great wine and sharing it with others. After...
Wineries near Monmouth, Oregon, in the lower Willamette Valley, seem to subscribe to the philosophy that they can make and sell great wine in a very casual, homey atmosphere, without the pretention of the North Willamette (according to them) or some of the larger establishments in Napa or...
Wow, who gets to live there? That's what I said when I first saw the house situated on the grounds of the Cardwell Hill Cellars winery. It's more of an estate, actually. And it's gorgeous, just like the vineyards and the landscape around the Cardwell Hill tasting room. The Place: This is truly...
New Year's Eve was a gorgeous day in Sedona. Doing the tourist thing as part of our honeymoon, of COURSE we went wine tasting. It's what we do! I'm so glad that we can now find a winery just about everywhere we go. There are nearly 70 wineries in Arizona, 11 of which are represented at Art of...