San Francisco, pt.II: Napa valley

If Napa valley rings a vague bell, but you're not quite sure where you know it from, then this is probably it:

Last Sunday, Ellen & I rented a car (right there on the Stanford campus - they have everything you could possibly need down there), picked up two of Ellen's friends, Moran and Vanessa, programmed the GPS, folded out the roadmap, and headed for Napa valley. First song we hear when we turn on the radio? The lazy song by Bruno Mars. (click the link and watch the video - it features guys in ape masks. You will not be disappointed.)

Ellen had compiled a list of wineries where we could do wine tastings. Intense discussion followed on the optimal number of wineries to visit, which ones and in what order.

A statue of a wine maker amidst the fields of Napa valley.

The landscape is amazing. Sorry if include a zillion photos of fields followed by rolling green hills. It just doesn't get old.

Being the responsible people that we are, Ellen was our designated driver for the day. Thank you, Ellen!

The wineries we visited are surrounded by beautiful gardens. This is the entrance to winery #1, the Chandon winery that makes sparkling wine in the tradition of France's Moët-Chandon.


The garden featured some amazing contraptions that move with the wind.

The basic tasting includes 4 different sparkling wines for $18. The classic brut and the extra-dry wine were my favorites.

Winery #2 is called Castello di Amorosa, and is built to resemble a medieval Tuscan castle. The driveway is lined with cipres trees - one would almost believe this is Tuscany instead of northern California.













Again, excellent, excellent wine... You tell the wine guy what types of wine you like, and he selects 5 different white/rosé/red wines for you to taste. As I like full-bodied, spicy, fragrant wines, he served me a Cabernet Sauvignon and a bold, sweet white wine. I wish I could remember the names... too bad I couldn't load a couple of crates in the trunk and drive back to Atlanta (now that would be a cool road trip...)

We skipped the castle tour because it took 2 hours... and after all, it is a fake castle. We Europeans can go to Tuscany and see real medieval castles. With that in mind, the building is still pretty impressive and all the details had been though of.

The place even has its own fresco-decorated banquet room, complete with a long wooden table and a fireplace. But if you look closely, you see that the fresco artist has signed his name in the corner, complete with date (2006) and website.

Like I said, it just doesn't get old...

On our way back we passed by Muir woods, a park that my brother had warmly recommended. As the sun was setting, we only made a short walk in the park. But what is the first thing we see? A deer and her young hiding in the foliage.

Muir woods has some enormous redwood trees. Probably not as large as the ones in Yosemite, but nevertheless impressive. Some are hundreds of years old.

If all the pictures seem a bit blueish, that's because dusk was falling. Rather that photoshopping the blue out I chose to leave it in because it gives a good impression of the dim light on the forest floor as the thick foliage blocks out the last rays of sunlight. Also, it meant that we had to power walk our way back to the entrance of the park to avoid having to drive on the winding roads through the woods back to town in the dark.











Our last stop of the day was Sausalito, a little town on the opposite side of Golden Gate near the Golden Gate bridge. We had some amazing seafood in a restaurant overlooking the bay as the night set in.

All in all, an amazing Sunday. Beautiful weather, great company, tasty wine and a gorgeous landscape. I could get used to Sundays like this.