From Hollywood to Vine with Vineyard {511}
Adventures in Wine, Food, Film and Travel
Wine Tasting in Mendocino
Last weekend, Ed and I took off for Mendocino, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive northwest of Calistoga. The drive there was beautiful, through the redwoods of Alexander Valley. The next day we returned to Alexander Valley for a day-long wine tasting exursion. Our driver took us to wineries of whose wines we'd heard, but never tasted. The first winery on our journey was Husch, which was also the most scenic.
Then we stopped at Navarro and Roderer Estate (known for its sparkling wines, although we ended up buying its Chardonnay). Our favorite winery was Toulouse (yes, as in Lautrec). We really liked its Pinot Noirs and its shopping opportunities: I bought a sweatshirt hoodie with the cute Toulouse duck logo on it, and Ed bought some great silver wine pourers in the shape of different animals.
We returned to our hotel, the historic MacCallum House Inn (est. 1882), for a rest before heading to Little River for a terrific dinner at Wildfish. To burn off the great food and wine, the next day we took a marvelous hike through the redwoods along an estuary.
Later, we checked out the town of Mendocino. One of the interesting features there was the water towers next to mostly every home, erected because the town never had a central water supply, only water wells. The water would be stored up in the top of the towers to create water pressure. There weren't many homes in Mendocino either, as the homes were all built out of wood; many of the original homes burned as there wasn't much water to put out the fires, and then (as now) only with a volunteer fire department. Another interesting feature was that, apart from the historic homes dating back to the late 1800s, the people there were a throwback to the 1960s. I expected to see Joan Baez and Bob Dylan strumming their songs there.
May 25, 2017 at 12:48 PM
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San Francisco Food and Wine Society Luncheon
Ed and I recently spent a lovely Sunday afternoon on the Great Lawn in front of the historic carriage house of the Charles Krug winery. We were attending a luncheon hosted by the San Francisco Food and Wine Society, of which Ed is a member. Most of its events are only available to its male members, but I attended this one and others to which female guests are invited.
The Charles Krug Winery is the oldest winery in Napa Valley and was established in 1861 by Charles Krug. Its current owners and managers are Marc and Peter Mondavi, Jr., third generation, with five fourth generation children also involved in the business. Marc's daughter Alycia sat at our table, along with John Kehriotis, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings, and his family. Surprisingly, John knows our good friend Chris Kelly, also a co-owner of the Kings. Six degrees of separation!
During the reception, while sipping Krug Chardonnay and chatting with Katie Mondavi (Peter's wife), we witnessed a train (Napa Valley Wine Train) coming to a stop not very far from where we were standing, letting out folks heading to the Krug tasting room. And I thought only a river runs through it!
The delicious meal was paired with Krug wines. My favorite pairings were the steak main course with Charles Krug 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon. (See the photo of Ed and me holding the 3 liter bottle, signed by Peter, Sr., that we happily emptied out.) My second favorite pairing was the rich chocolate dessert paired with Lot XX Zinfandel Port. We just had to bring two bottles of that home with us.
May 1, 2017 at 4:43 PM
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