Our friends, Scott and Liann, live in Washington. They went in with another family to bid on an auction for a week in Sonoma. They won, and invited us to join them for an overnight getaway.
They boys stayed with Eric and Crystal, and DH and I met up with them in the town if Windsor, early afternoon. There were a total of four couples, plus one college student…
We spent the first day wine tasting at four different properties…
Property one…Francis Ford Coppola Winery! This is an amazing property that contains a pool, cafe, restaurant, and museum. (You can rent a cabaine for $125 for the day. It contains a shower and changing place for the pool and gives you full day access to the pool.) The museum contains the desk used in the Godfather, as well as the Hudson car, and mock ships used in his niece’s (Sofia Coppola) film, Marie Antoinette.
The tasting was delightful; our hostess was awesome.
Next stop…Fritz Winery. We were told to go there because they have a neat underground tour. Unfortunately, the tours are only on weekends. So, we were in a lackluster tasting room. On a bright note, though, we all enjoyed their chardonnay and bought a couple bottles for dinner that night, and their exterior grounds were lovely.
Upon purchasing the bottles, the attendant apologized for not having any bags. Scott jokingly suggested she give us another bottle for not having a bag. The lady declined. Chup (pictured below), spotting an opportunity, asked if we could have some of the squash that was in a farmer’s basket for sale. The lady agreed, and Chup walked away with some lovely squash that she grilled with tri tip for us that night, (along with corn and pesto butter…). She totally spoiled us!
me and hubby…
On to spot three…
Stop three was the Sbragia Family Vineyard. This stop had an incredible view!
Diane and Liann…
The tasting room…
David and Liann, taking a break…
The incredible views from their patio…
Last stop…Chateau Diana. A sweet property, surrounded by sunflowers. Nice, casual tasting room. A great end to a great wine trail…
Private tasting room…
A tasting table with a view…
Upon return to the Worldmark Timeshare Condo, we swam a little, sat in the hot tub a little, ate a lot, tubbed some more, then listened to David and Scott play guitar.
After a good night sleep, Liann and I went for a run, then after a great breakfast made by Diane and Scott, we headed for Korbel winery. They have a free tour that we went on.
We learned about the early years of founder Francis Korbel. In the early to mid 1800’s, (I do not recall the year), while in Prague, he participated in some sort of demonstration/riot. A gun was shot and someone was killed. He was holding the only visible gun and was arrested, sentenced for 17 years. After two years in prison, his mom paid him a visit. Wearing civilian clothes under her own clothes, Francis changed into them and walked out of the prison. He worked for a while making cigar boxes, then headed for America.
Heading for Korbel…
This is the tower they make their brandy in. It is reminiscent of the tower that Francis was in when he was incarcerated…
