If you spend too much time in certain corners of the Napa Valley, you start to believe that in order to make great wine you need to have a Great, capital G, winery. One with a tasting room tricked out in stone and steel, glass and marble. Paneled rooms filled with fine collectibles and walls...
For more than 20 years, on my way to visit family members in Petaluma and points west, I've seen the Keller Estate sign on Lakeville Highway. And for years my impression of the winery, based on nothing more than the look of the sign and its location in the flatlands north of the San Pablo Bay,...
If you set out to visit Jordan Vineyard and Winery expecting it to be like some of the other wineries you've been to, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Jordan doesn't have many of the same things that most wineries offer. Jordan doesn't have crowds. They don't have guests two and three...
I like wineries that understand hospitality, wineries that take a subtle but undeniably professional approach to ensuring the comfort of their guests. I like wineries that offer exceptional wines but don't remind you of how wonderful they are every five seconds. I like wineries where, once your...
The best place to start, it has been said, is at the beginning. If you want to learn about the history of wine in California, the best place to start is at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma. Founded by Agoston Haraszthy in 1857, Buena Vista is the state's first premier winery, and Haraszthy, a...
For tourists who love visiting wineries that have a little bit of everything, spending time at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards has to feel like hitting the proverbial jackpot. Located in the southern Sonoma-Carneros area, across the road from its sister winery, Cline Cellars, Jacuzzi opened the doors...
For years, when friends who were vacationing in California asked me what wineries they should visit, I would send them to Cline Cellars. My experiences at Cline have been consistently positive ones. Despite always being busy, crowded with eager guests, the staff there always found the time to...