Leaving Wine Country. . . For Real This Time

Leaving wine country to return to the real world is difficult, and so we dragged out our time there a bit longer by stopping once again at Gloria Ferrer. You may remember this winery from our last trip to California. For me, Gloria Ferrer is to Sonoma what Mumm is to Napa, extraordinarily relaxing and scenic with outstanding sparkling wines at reasonable prices, friendly staff, and a real sense of welcome. Gloria Ferrer is another one of those wineries on a hill, affording those lucky enough to visit a spectacular view of the vineyards below.

Having visited before, we knew exactly what we wanted, two flutes of Va de Vi and two bubbly filled chocolates. Taken in one bite, they explode with flavor both from the enclosed wine and the rich milk chocolate. In addition to my birth year wine, I hope a tray of Gloria Ferrer chocolates will find their way into the celebrations next year 😉

Once you order at Gloria Ferrer, you can take a seat on the expansive patio, and your wine is brought out with a bowl of spicy almonds which pairs very well with the crispness of the Va de Vi. We both breathed a nice long sigh, looking at the valley below and wanting to stay. Our drive back to San Francisco was quick, so we still had some time before we needed to go to the airport. We stopped in North Beach and wandered around a bit, finally deciding on The Sushi Hunter for dinner.  We ordered a green salad with house dressing, steamed shrimp shu mai, a spicy tuna roll, a Philadelphia roll, and a devil roll which was a spicy fried tuna roll with 3 spicy sauces.

The salad was nothing special in that it was just iceberg lettuce, carrots, and a tiny bit of red cabbage. However, the dressing was gingery and delicious. The shu mai were possibly the best I have ever had, and the sushi was very fresh. I especially enjoyed the devil roll which combined an excellent crunch with a kick of spice. North Beach had so many restaurants, and I really want to try them all, but I was happy with our choice. We dropped the Zipcar off, got on the BART, and made our way to the airport. . . already looking forward to returning!