Wine Country Wrap Up

I have been dragging out the posts about our most recent trip to Sonoma and Napa for weeks. It was an amazing trip to one of my most favorite places, and it is a lot more interesting for me to write about than most other topics! Hopefully there will be another trip in my future, but until then, enjoy!

Following our visit to Ferrari-Carano, we headed down to St. Helena to meet a new friend for brunch at Gillwoods Cafe.  The drive was absolutely beautiful and made us want to stay forever. . .

 

 

Northern Napa Mustard

We met Nicole, who works at V. Sattui and Castello di amorosa for a delicious brunch. Even though it was our first time meeting, she felt like an old friend, especially because she is from the Boston area!

I had incredible Huevos Rancheros topped with avocado, beans, sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, and cheese. Can I just say holy yum? 🙂 I also had a mimosa. 

Huevos Rancheros at Gillwoods Cafe, St. Helena

After we said our goodbyes, we headed down to Southern Sonoma Valley to check out a few more wineries before we had to head to San Francisco airport. We didn’t do a tasting, but we stopped by Imagery Estate Winery which was super crowded due to a barrel tasting event that was going on that weekend. We couldn’t get near the tasting bar! But I did get a good photo of this  massive paella that was cooking up at Imagery. It was a lovely winery, and it is definitely on my list for our next trip.

Giant paella at Imagery Winery

We decided to head a little further out to visit Gundlach Bundschu, one of the first wineries we ever visited in Sonoma and a winery whose wine club we belong to.

We started with a cool, refreshing 2008 Tempranillo Rose which tasted of strawberries and a bit of citrus. I love this wine, and I hope there is a bottle in our next wine club box 😉

Gundlach Bundschu Rose Wine

Gundlach Bundschu offers a variety of really great wines. I especially enjoy their Syrah and Tempranillo.

We tasted through all of the available wines and took our last taste outside to sit by the lake on Gundlach Bundschu’s property.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

It was an overcast afternoon, but it was warm and still and perfect for kicking back by the lake with a sip or two of wine.

Happy in the Valley at Gundlach Bundschu

After leaving Gundlach Bundschu, we headed into the town of Sonoma to get some food. Somehow we missed a lot of the lunch/brunch times, so we opted for Maya, a Mexican restaurant on Sonoma plaza. The hot chips and salsa provided when we arrived were delicious.

Chips and Salsa at Maya on Sonoma Plaza

But the chile relleno was a little TOO cheesy and oily for my taste.

chile rellenos at Maya Sonoma

The “really good nachos” were really good, and our server brought me some of their homemade habanero hot sauce which was fantastically spicy.

Nachos at Maya Sonoma

We spent some time wandering around Sonoma, wondering what it might be like to live there, and taking notes on restaurants and wine tasting rooms we wanted to try on our next visit.

We concluded our time in Sonoma as we have on all of our trips, on the patio at Gloria Ferrer with a glass of Va de vi, a spectacular sparkling wine with a yeasty nose and a flavor of apples and figs  overlooking the vineyards below.

The view from Gloria Ferrer winery

On the way back to San Francisco, we made a quick stop in Sausalito to walk along the water. I had never been to Sausalito, and I loved it. Next time I would definitely consider spending a night or two there. It is beautiful and quiet and check out those views across the bay!

Sausalito

We said our final goodbyes to a place we really love, and hopped on Virgin America for a short snooze on an overnight flight back to Boston.

San Francisco Bay Bridge

See you again soon California!

 

In other news, Boston is positively BUZZING with Boston Marathon fever! The finish line is being constructed as are the stands, and Copley Square is a flurry of activity as Boston prepares for 25,000 runners and who knows how many spectators. I am still accepting donations for my marathon charity, The ALLY Foundation. If you would like to donate (and anything counts, even $1!) you can do so at http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally.

AND don’t forget to enter my Equal Exchange gift card giveaway!

Tags: California, Food, rose, San Francisco, Sonoma, Travel, wine, wine country, wine tasting

  1. Jenna @ Healthy. Happy. Well’s avatar

    Gorgeous pictures! The winery is so beautiful and looks like a fantastic time!

    Reply

  2. Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat)’s avatar

    This is such a gorgeous part of the country and your pictures and words are really making me want to go. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  3. brandi’s avatar

    all these recap posts are so beautiful! makes me want to travel soon!

    Reply

  4. Daisy’s avatar

    i get so excited everytime there is another wine country post. is this really the last one?! two of my favorite foods huervos rancheros and paella! yumm

    Reply

    1. traveleatlove’s avatar

      I could probably write a few more 😉 I do have lots of photos! I was just wondering if I was boring people by going on and on about wine and wine country as opposed to more practical things like daily recipes!

      Reply

    2. Jessie’s avatar

      Kicking back by a lake with a glass of wine has got to be Heaven on Earth 🙂

      Boston Marathon fever!! Are you excited??

      Reply

      1. traveleatlove’s avatar

        I am between excited and nervous! But I keep thinking, there is really no point in being nervous, it won’t make the run any shorter! 🙂

        Reply

      2. Heather’s avatar

        I have been dying to go to wine country – your pictures are gorgeous and make me want to go even more!

        Great post!

        Reply

      3. La_Bella_Luna’s avatar

        I love reading you blog! It’s like I am actually just sitting here having a conversation with you. You have the ability to tell what you don’t like about something without being unkind, this is rare.

        Reply

        1. traveleatlove’s avatar

          Thank you!

          Reply

        2. Kathy Gori’s avatar

          lovely seeing my home town in your blog..next time you swing by Sonoma..let me know!

          Reply

          1. traveleatlove’s avatar

            We can’t get enough of Sonoma, so I am sure we will be back soon! I will definitely let you know. 🙂

            Reply

          2. bunkycooks’s avatar

            Thank you for sharing your trip to wine country. It is a really beautiful place to visit. Of course, Boston would still be on the top of my list of places to go to after living there! It’s always a fun time during the Marathon!

            Reply

            1. traveleatlove’s avatar

              I feel so bad for the out of towners right now. It is COLD and rainy! Chances of snow!

              Reply

            2. Sasha’s avatar

              Beautiful pictures – I absolutely love wine country too!

              Reply

              1. traveleatlove’s avatar

                If you ever want to write a guest post on your favorite aspect of your last trip, let me know!

                Reply

              2. Liz Marr, MS, RD’s avatar

                What a fun trip. I’m headed to St Helena for a meeting in June so this really whet my appetite.

                Reply

                1. traveleatlove’s avatar

                  Oooh I am jealous! If you need any recommendations let me know. I’m no expert, but we have been a few times and definitely have favorites!

                  Reply

                2. bellini valli’s avatar

                  San Francisco has become my new favourite city since Blogher and Foodbuzz last fall. We were able to travel to Sausalito as well as to Napa and did visit the Sattui Winery as well. So glad you had such an eventful stay.

                  Reply

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