Dining, Wine and Good Times!

Diagnosis: Approximately fifteen new grey hairs tangled into my brunette locks.

Remedy: A weekend trip to the San Francisco Bay Area and California wine country.

Results: Ahhhh, perfection.

Okay, so I’m not a doctor, but knowing myself well enough I knew that after North Dakota's bitter cold winter and several weekend work trips to my second home in the urban jungle, it was time to get away. Turn off my blackberry, tune out my e-mails, and forget about the swollen flooding river raging through my hometown.

I am by no means a wine connoisseur, but over the past few years I’ve developed an interest for the loveable liquid and my own personal collection has grown from whatever bottle I felt like buying for the weekend [usually something light, sweet and cheap] to upwards of 20 varieties from all over the country and world.  My type A personality and need for organization meets my newfound love for wine with, a-ha, my favorite clients newest release: The Moleskine Passion Wine Notebook. And this is where my journey begins.

Prior to departure, I joined a local wine club. Each week I sampled a red and a white, then enjoyed a glass of whichever wine suited me best.  New to wine tastings, I wanted to be sure I documented the experience and, in order to build my own ‘cellar’, be sure I knew what I liked.  With a few weeks left before our trip, we dug up information and recommendations on anything you could ever want to do in California wine country and thought we had our schedule set, until we arrived at Avia Hotel  in the heart of the historic district in Napa.

The hotel itself was beautiful with rustic elegance and a modern flair. Naturally my BDE intuition set in and I had to ask who did the lighting fixtures [nobody I’d heard of, but they were incredible none the less].  Each afternoon a local message therapist is set up in the lobby to give messages while a wine tasting takes place in the restaurant before dinner. Both of which are complimentary, making them all the more enjoyable. However, it isn’t the hotels décor or great amenities that make a stay there so memorable, it’s the staff. Our first night there we met with Maria, a concierge of the hotel, who completely threw out all of our previous plans and set up a truly amazing weekend, personalized just for us.

Our first stop: Cole’s Chop House . I rarely indulge in red meat, but when you are dining in a restaurant in which Bon Appetit claims that “the steak and other stellar meat entrees have marbling worthy of a Renaissance chapel”, you throw caution to the wind. The petite filet mignon paired with a nice bottle of local cabernet sauvignon was exactly what I needed to kick off the Napa escape.

Day two in Napa began with a run along the Napa River followed by a room service breakfast on the patio overlooking the down town shops. We were then picked up in a gorgeous white Mercedes to begin our private Holme Grown Tour of the Valley. Our guide was incredible, giving us the ins and outs of the area and taking us to four wineries/ vineyards that are off the beaten path. Most of which, you have to know about to even be able to find. We appreciated the more intimate, ‘in the know’ experience of meeting with the actual owners of these smaller vineyards and hearing their stories as well as tasting wines that cannot be found anywhere else!

Judd's Hill Vineyard

Our first stop was Judd’s Hill where we sampled an array of wines from Rose’ to Sirah and, my personal favorite and a Gold Medal Winner of the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Loving every wine I’d tasted, naturally I joined the wine club so now, 4 times a year, I can enjoy the same experience! We didn’t partake in the hands on winemaking aspect that Judd’s Hill offers, but had we more time I definitely would have been game! Maybe next year?

For lunch we picnicked at the Robinson Family Vineyards overlooking the vines and chatting with second generation owner Tom Jinks [son in law to the late Norman Robinson] about the vineyards history and the winemaking process. This Jinks/ Robinsons truly define the meaning of a family owned and operated vineyard. I can appreciate a good hard working family business, especially when the wine tasting is so great! I ended up purchasing a bottle of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2006 ‘Great Legs’ Syrah. 

We also stopped at a quaint cabin for a tasting at Failla Wines where I managed to rack my count up to 5 purchases that day. Our fourth and final stop was at White Rock Vineyards, the first organic vineyard in the Valley. After touring the grounds and the spectacular caves, we enjoyed several varieties and learned about the wine making process. This tour was by far the most informative I’d been on, I felt like I was one step closer to being a wine connoisseur or, at the very least, having a better understanding of why I love reds so much!

That evening we enjoyed dinner and jazz at the local Uva Trattoria Italiana restaurant then called it an early night as our next morning was going to be early one.

At 7:00 am we headed out on my favorite adventure of this trip, the Balloons Above the Valley hot air balloon ride.  Launching at sun rise and soaring over the breath taking  valley for a little over an hour was one of the most magical experiences of my life. To top it off, we finished with a champagne breakfast on the Napa River.  Well worth the early morning, I’d recommend it to anyone!

Having a love for all things champagne, I knew it was important to stop at Domaine Carneros [at the recommendation of Ms. Beth Dickstein herself!] and sample both the sparkling wines as well as the grand tasting, which included tastings of both champagne and pinot noir. Aside from excellent tastings and parings, the setting is sophisticated and elegant providing a picturesque ending to our Napa experience.

Champagne, anyone?

The drive back to the Bay Area is just as beautiful as the Valley. Stopping off at Muir Woods to take in the sites of the 350 year old redwood trees was most definitely a highlight of the trip. Another trip highlight was touring the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier turned museum where my grandfather served during his time in the Navy.  And last, but not least, watching the sunset on the over the Pacific Ocean while dining at Crab Landing in Half Moon Bay.

This weekend get a way was just what the doctor ordered.  Although…I still have to invest in a trip to the salon to blend out the grey hair! 

--Kim Krueger