Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley is not Tuscany or the Provence, and doesn't thrive to be, but it is certainly a worthy alternative for those who crave some Southern European flair every once in a while. Bonus, it is fairly close to our home, and in the same time zone.
There was an abundance of country lanes connecting the wineries (some big names and many small unknown to us), and we had to admit: This is definitely Vespa territory.
With temperatures in the twenties (70F) we rolled down the windows, wishing we had at least a convertible.
It was harvest time, and big trucks were racing between the vineyards and factory. We stayed out of their way by continuing to use the tiniest roads we could find on the map, and were rewarded with ever so beautiful vistas.
The grapes are ripe, and waiting to be harvested. By the way, they tasted delicious.
Especially this stretch of road with the old moss covered stone wall reminded us of Southern France. There was no sound except for the chirp of the crickets.
Needless to say that this won't be our last visit. There are so many little roads to explore (and wines to taste) that one could easily spend a week in the area to discover (or to get drunk...).
Speaking of... (discovering!). We visited
Chateau Montelena, a winery that had a story to tell which was worth making a movie of. Actually, the movie does already exist:
Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman.
The tale is said to be based on a true story where a Californian wine for the first time won a blind tasting contest in Paris back in the 70's when French wines were regarded as the world's best wines, and Europe would turn up their nose at American products. California wines earned a lot more attention since, and today many regarded and excellent wines are being produced in the area.
We watched harvesters sorting out the grapes. They didn't notice us and were busy with what they were doing.
Where is the romantic flair of wine cellars? Not oak but metal seems to determine the storage facility for wines.
I rather prefer the barrels. They look so much more picturesque than metal bins.
Alas, this is the last entry of our journey. The touristic part is over, but we had the pleasure to stay another two nights with our friends
Guido and Andrea at their house, to catch up, enjoy their garden, admire their ever growing motorcycle fleet and relax (for a change).
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
**chuckles**....Several years ago I worked for a winery in Ohio and traveled about the state of PA trying some wines. That was not on the back of a bike however. I did however recently find a winery well out on a ride here in Florida. http://www.fiorelliwinery.com/ Excellent!
ReplyDeleteOf all the pictures, I liked the last one best. Shots that provide the viewer's eye with symmetry lines always get my vote.....but what about pictures of the "ever growing motorcycle fleet"?
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Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
I have seen Bottle Shock, I thought it was an excellent movie. It is neat you got to see the actual winery and then relax for a few days.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your awesome adventures Sonja. You were able to see so many beautiful places on your trip and with all the pictures, we got to see them too.
Sonja:
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking us on the wonderful tour and for the exquisite photos. The only (slight) downside is that there are so many wonderful places in the world to visit, it's a job to figure where to go next!!
@Robert Wilson: It is amazing in which parts of the world vineyards can be found. Before I came to Canada, I wasn't aware that there is even wines cultivated in this 'ice box'. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete@Charlie6: Dom, our friends are private people. I am going to leave it up do Guido, when he is ready to share what he has to say about his 'fleet'.
@Trobairitz: Thanks, for following all the way, Brandy.
@Geoff James: So true, so many places, so little time. I still have to explore the whole of the Asian Pacific area. Thank you for tagging along.
Sonja Your pictures always give me the itch to travel, I want to experience more on my bike and drag my camera everywhere now.
ReplyDeleteI saw bottle shock and loved Alan Rickman in the lead role. I think BC wines get the same treatment as California wines in the snob factor. We have some very remarkable wines in this part of the world.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip
@Dar: I have just returned from the Okanagan Valley and had the chance to taste some of the lovely wines that grow here. Glad you enjoy my snippets from our road-trip, and I am happy to hear that it has sparked some wanderlust.
ReplyDeleteLoved the last picture. Wood is good. I can never settle with metal.
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