This last week, Jeff and I celebrated our 1st anniversary together by traveling up the coast to the wine country! We drove through Napa, making a pit stop at one winery, then headed up through to Healdsburg, a quaint town where we stopped to grab a bite to eat. This is a place that I would definitely recommend staying. We then proceeded to Santa Rosa and stayed at the Hilton there. The next morning we had a 6 hour wine tour planned, that we were both really looking forward to. Word to the wise: If you plan on enjoying a 6 hour wine tour, make sure to bring and ample amount of water!!
On our tour, we went through the Dry Creek, Alexander and Russian River Valleys, known mostly for Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs, although we tasted a lot of great Chardonnay, as well. If you like red wine, this is a great place to go. The drive is way more scenic than it is through the Napa or Sonoma Valleys, as it is more spread out. There are so many great wineries and also hidden jewels. We stopped at one winery called Bella Vineyards and Wine caves. Check out the pictures! Because of its beauty, we decided that this would be a great place to picnic and have lunch. Another word to the wise: Be careful about what you plan to pack for lunch as there are many hungry yellow jackets just waiting to dine with you! Probably about 5-10 minutes into our romantic picnic, both Jeff and I were swarmed with too many bees to count. I was not a happy camper and had to stand up for the rest of my lunch...even though the bees were persistent and continued to follow my food. So much for an enjoyable picnic! Oh well.
At about the 5th vineyard we visited, we were a little tired of tasting wine. They began to taste the same. Our palates were tiring out, as were we. However, we stuck it through for 3 more wineries. Had it not been for all of the water and the wine dumping bowls (good for dumping or spitting out the wine you are tasting) I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. We ended up going back to the hotel and crashing until 7 or 8!
The next day we headed down to Monterey, which I think was one of Jeff's favorite parts of the trip. So I will let him share! We had a wonderful time and I would highly encourage those of you who enjoy a glass of wine or two, to drive through the northern Sonoma Valleys.
This last week, Jeff and I celebrated our 1st anniversary together by traveling up the coast to the wine country! We drove through Napa, making a pit stop at one winery, then headed up through to Healdsburg, a quaint town where we stopped to grab a bite to eat. This is a place that I would definitely recommend staying. We then proceeded to Santa Rosa and stayed at the Hilton there. The next morning we had a 6 hour wine tour planned, that we were both really looking forward to. Word to the wise: If you plan on enjoying a 6 hour wine tour, make sure to bring and ample amount of water!!
On our tour, we went through the Dry Creek, Alexander and Russian River Valleys, known mostly for Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs, although we tasted a lot of great Chardonnay, as well. If you like red wine, this is a great place to go. The drive is way more scenic than it is through the Napa or Sonoma Valleys, as it is more spread out. There are so many great wineries and also hidden jewels. We stopped at one winery called Bella Vineyards and Wine caves. Check out the pictures! Because of its beauty, we decided that this would be a great place to picnic and have lunch. Another word to the wise: Be careful about what you plan to pack for lunch as there are many hungry yellow jackets just waiting to dine with you! Probably about 5-10 minutes into our romantic picnic, both Jeff and I were swarmed with too many bees to count. I was not a happy camper and had to stand up for the rest of my lunch...even though the bees were persistent and continued to follow my food. So much for an enjoyable picnic! Oh well.
At about the 5th vineyard we visited, we were a little tired of tasting wine. They began to taste the same. Our palates were tiring out, as were we. However, we stuck it through for 3 more wineries. Had it not been for all of the water and the wine dumping bowls (good for dumping or spitting out the wine you are tasting) I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. We ended up going back to the hotel and crashing until 7 or 8! 
The next day we headed down to Monterey, which I think was one of Jeff's favorite parts of the trip. So I will let him share! We had a wonderful time and I would highly encourage those of you who enjoy a glass of wine or two, to drive through the northern Sonoma Valleys.
