Day 16 - Wine Road Food & Wine Fest (Day 2)

California or Bust…

Day 16 – Food & Wine Fest (Day 2)

Sunday, November 6^th, 2011

Beautiful, cool foggy morning on the Russian River and we were looking forward to another day with family at Day Two of the wine fest.  We let the dogs run and play to release some energy because they would have to stay in the RV for the day.  For those of you who ask… “Do the dogs like the RV?”… We have to think so, it’s their home away from home.  They have their toy bin, dog food box, mutt matts, and a routine.  Brigit and Riley are very comfortable and happy that they have the day to rest… at home they would generally sleep all day.

At about 10am, we left to fill the rental car with gas and then drove to our Brother’s condo in Windsor where we started the morning off with wine, cheese and crackers and planned our winery stops for the day.  Again much of that decision was based on the food pairings. 

Our first stop was at Mueller.  Ritchie & Liz had picked up their Festival tickets at this winery on Saturday and loved the Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Creamy Polenta & Pinot Noir Reduction.  It was a good starting point for Sunday too… it was near the condo and had nice wine and food… let’s go!  

The air was brisk but we had sunny, clear skies… we all piled in the mini-van with wine glass in hand.  The Mueller winemaker was pouring his wines and explaining his process of making sauvignon blanc which we all enjoyed very much… he allows the yeast to stay in the wine a little longer which softens the taste and neutralizes the acidity.  He also explained how they make their Pinot Noir Reduction recipe… they let it simmer down to almost a syrup over a two day period… it was worth the time!



Mueller Wine Barrels





Writing our names on the wine glasses.



Then on to Windsor Oaks on Chalk Hill AVA (American Viticulture Area) where we were greeted by Julie, the Winemaker and enjoyed Lobster Chardonnay Bisque with Meyer Lemon Oil.  Next stop Rodney Strong… it is a larger production vineyard with major distribution all over the country.  However, we sampled a reserve cabernet that only had limited cases produced and would normally be saved for their wine club members and events like this.  Just down the road on Old Redwood Hwy. was Acorn Winery… a smaller winery with very nice Zinfandels and Syrahs.  It was nestled on the hillside and had some neat cool old farm equipment… complete with maybe a 1960 Lamborghini tractor.  The Lamb Shanks braised in cherry & guajillo chile sauce with mashed acorn squash was amazing with the Acorn Heritage Vines Zin.



All I want for Christmas...




The Wine Tasters at Rodney Strong



Large production in Oak




Thomas Jefferson was a smart man!



Large production in Stainless



Lamborghini at Acorn Winery




Hillside near Acorn Winery




1950's Chevy Flatbed Wine Truck

 




Ready for some barrel tasting?

 

Our next stop was to Healdsburg Square, where several of the even smaller wineries share a tasting room.  Here we enjoyed wines from Hart’s Desire, Holdredge, J. Keverson, Skewi’s, Sapphire Hill, Hudson Street, and Bluenose Wines.  Wow… yes, a tasting overload!!!  It was now difficult to discern the really great wines from the great wines.



We're going in!!!!




Tasting overload



On to Alexander Valley AVA… this is the second to the warmest valley and has a western exposure…  it is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma.  Even at late afternoon, the sun was still strong, high and bright.  We went to Medlock Ames, a winery by day and cute bar by night.  Then on to White Oak, a beautiful Tuscan inspired winery with palm laden landscape.  A fun band was playing which brought some great energy to the wine tasting where we enjoyed Autumn Rock Shrimp Corn Chowder paired with a Russian River Valley Chardonnay.  It was 3:30 and our last stop was the Hanna Winery.  What a beautiful place to finish… complete with a rainbow over the rising moon!



Medlock Ames Winery




A dedication to Melissa, the Greek Bee Goddess




Tuscan style at White Oak Winery





White Oak tasting room



Beautiful landscape at White Oak





Colleen at our last stop... Hannah Winery





The view from the Hannah Winery deck





The end of our Wine Road Fest...



The wine glass is finally empty...



Our Sonoma visit is about to come to an end.  We went back to James & Colleen’s condo, shared and downloaded pictures and it was time to give hugs and say good bye to the family.  Ritchie and Liz were headed back to Victoria BC via US1 on Monday and James and Colleen would be going back to Utah on Tuesday.   Drew and Cora’s KeyZRV adventures continue in Paso Robles!