Wine Country Weekend

March 23-24: Wine & Rainbows

To wrap up my birthday month, Mr. E and I took a short trip up to Napa and Sonoma for a couple of special tastings. Our appointment on Saturday afternoon for a terroir tasting at Nickel & Nickel was our first visit to this winery, and we had a wonderful experience with our host, Joe. The tasting included six single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with a lovely Sauvignon Blanc to start off. Small bites accompanied the wine, and they thoughtfully created different plates for Mr. E and me since I don't eat pig or cow.

Our tasting was hosted in the old house on the estate grounds, in the very comfortable living room with a working fireplace. Luckily, I wasn't too cold by the mid afternoon, so we didn't need to ask Joe to build a fire for us! We had such a positive experience thanks to Joe's hospitality and the amazing wines that we decided to join the wine club and were able to bring home with us the March selection plus a few additional bottles based on our tasting.

The weather on Saturday was stormy, very Midwestern-ish, with periods of rain and sun and looming clouds. This interplay of the elements gave us several brilliant rainbows, including a ground rainbow (which we've never seen before) and a double rainbow. Amazing!

We stayed at the Home2 Suites in Petaluma, which turned out to be a very nice all-suites hotel with a few local restaurants within easy walking distance for a takeout dinner from a sports bar (Mr. E) and a sushi spot (me). 

The hotel pool was heated sufficiently for me to do a short workout on Sunday morning, despite the rather chilly wake-up temperatures, and the breakfast buffet was quite extensive, including mixed fresh berries, oatmeal, sausage & egg biscuits, cheese & egg mini-omelets, toast, and two waffle-making stations. I particularly appreciated the offerings of real dishes, glassware, and silverware, so since many hotels now only provide disposable items both in the rooms and for any meals.

After a quick walk across the street to Starbucks to grab "second coffee," we relaxed and read in our room, enjoying the sunlight and the late check-out. Then we headed to our afternoon appointment at J Vineyards & Winery for the Spring pick-up party. We haven't been to one of these member events for quite some time, since we usually have our wine shipped to us, and we were a little concerned when we arrived and saw the long line of people waiting to get in.

Luckily, once they started admitting people, the line moved quickly. Since all areas of the winery were open just for this event, people were able to spread out among the indoor and outdoor areas, so it didn't feel as crowded as we expected given the length of the entry line. We claimed a perching spot at an outdoor table on the terrace and enjoyed several tastings of the Spring shipment wines (which we didn't actually receive in our pick-up, since we always customize our shipment in advance) along with some tasty small bites, both savoury and sweet. We chatted with a few other members throughout the event as folks joined us at the high-top small round table and then wrapped up the day by getting our wine to bring home. 

Our wine fridges are a bit more full now! (nothing wrong with that...)

We definitely had a lovely and unhurried weekend, and we look forward to taking advantage of our new membership at Nickel & Nickel to attend some of their events and to explore their sister winery, Far Niente, since wine club members get benefits at both spots.