Ken, our lead guide, and the three of us greeted two more Kens from Arizona and 10 of their closest friends at the Alexander Valley Campground nestled along the Russian River in Northern Sonoma County. It was a bright sunny day with just a hint of a north breeze.

After our meet and greet with our new friends we sized helmets, fit and tested our bikes, and had our safety talk. Even though we would be on lonely back roads most of the day it is always important to know the rules of the road. We exited the campground and headed off across the river bridge eastward into the spectacular Alexander Valley, home of some of Sonoma’s best vineyards and winemakers.

Read more…

A youthful group of motivated wine tasters awaited me on Saturday the 11^th, and a really beautiful day appeared to be on tap for our Calistoga Sip & Cycle. After getting our bikes and gear in order we headed south on a rolling ride south on the Silverado Trail.

My guests became old friends after a very short time, and enjoyed all of their tastings as one happy group. Lingering in each tasting room and over lunch, our day proceeded at a relaxing pace and finished with a casual roll back to town along a quiet bike path.

It was shaping up to be a beautiful spring day when I met Greg and Kay in Healdsburg for our Sip & Cycle. We took the van up to Dry Creek vineyards, and then set off on bikes for the north end of the valley.

First stop was Zichichi Family Vineyards for a barrel tasting of their zinfandel, Cabernet and petite syrah. Then on to Bella for some more zinfandel (and one lovely little syrah too) in the cool, dark of their wine cave. We continued our journey south stopping at Raymond Burr and Quivira before settling in for our lunch at Dry Creek Vineyards.

After lunch we packed up the bikes and headed by van to our last tasting of the day at Lambert Bridge.

We met Jess, Susan and Suzanne on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. It was obvious, spring had sprung! All day long, our guests who were from Florida, remarked on the beauty of blossoming trees and plants surrounding them and the scents that assailed them as they cruised along the back roads of Sonoma.

Randy took the lead making our first stop for a brief history lesson of Sonoma and the Bear Flag Revolt at ‘Lachryma Montis,’ the home of General Mariano Vallejo.

Read more…

The day started off wet and drizzly as I loaded bikes and gear in Santa Rosa, so I was a bit nervous about the upcoming tour. However, by the time I got to Healdsburg to meet my guests the drizzle had disappeared and the streets were beginning to dry.

We started the day off in front of Dry Creek Vineyards and proceeded north, up West Dry Creek Road, heading for Bella. The sky was very dramatic, but the rain failed to appear so we were able to fully appreciate the beauty of the storm hovering over our heads and the play of light and dark upon the mustard-filled vineyards that lay before us.

Read more…

February 20, 2009

Today I had two wonderful guests that toured Calistoga with me. Kat and Kristin, both from Texas, decided to make a quick getaway to the Napa Valley. It was a smart choice because we had a great time drinking wine and enjoying the amazing February weather! First we cycled through the back streets of Calistoga—a rather charming town, I must say. We talked about the origin of Calistoga’s name and the heavy Russian influence and then checked out the hot water as it percolated to the surface near the Old Faithful Geyser.

Our first winery was Château Montelena, the star of the new movie “Bottle Shock”, now available on DVD. We toured Jade Lake and then walked up to the actual chateau, poked our heads inside the barrel room and took a whiff of the “angels share” (the wine smell that every barrel room has due to the evaporation of wine from the porous barrels.) We then went into their tasting room and saw a bottle of the famous Chardonnay that won the 1976 Paris Tasting, which effectively put the Napa Valley on the wine map.

From there we cycled over to the barrel factory for a quick look at the process of taking air dried oak and creating a wine barrel. It’s a Getaway Adventures exclusive and it is truly authentic, loud, dusty and smoky, but what a scene!

From there we rambled along the very northern end of the Valley, stopped to do a “grapes 101” talk about how grapes become wine, and eventually made our way to Bennett Lane Winery, where Meredith poured some of their finest wines. The girls loved the wine there; in particular the dessert wines. I loaded up their 6 bottles and we cycled on.

Our next stop was Summers Winery for a taste of Charbono and other excellent wines. After a taste I showed them a quick lesson on Bocce Ball.

Our lunch was a homemade Penne Pasta salad, spinach salad with dried cranberries and blue cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette, a couple of local cheeses, Rosemary Ciabatta , a fruit plate, turkey breast and a dark chocolate dessert.

After the delicious meal we decided to go to Calistoga’s newest winery, and my current favorite, Lava Vines. Joe and Mike are the nicest guys and we tasted an incredible Viognier, along with Syrahs and my favorite, their Cab.

It was nearing 3:30 so we decided to pedal back to the start point, with the ladies well stocked up with the area’s best wines.

PS– They passed my mini quiz on grape and wine production terms.

March 21st, 2009

I met Jason and Liz at the Lodge at Sonoma. Rain was predicted so we didn’t know what to expect that day. We had planned a nice tasting route in and around Sonoma and were at the mercy of the rain Gods. Morning was bright but large clouds were all around. When I got to the lodge Jason was watching the NCAA basketball tourney. He is an assistant coach at Santa Clara University and had coached the year before at UCLA. Before we got started cycling he wanted to catch the start of the UCLA game. It didn’t take long for the Bruins to get blown out so our ride wasn’t delayed much. Liz also works at Santa Clara as the sports department fundraiser. We had a great time discussing actions and I volunteered to be the auctioneer at one of her upcoming events. The tour was great, the rain held off until the late afternoon and we got in some nice riding mixed with great wine. Lunch was a bit windy on the hill at Bartholomew Park, but the spectacular scenery and setting under a 300 year old oak made up for the chill in the air. Raindrops gently kissed our faces on the ride back to town and a good time was had by all.

Wow, what a day! The weather was perfect, the wind was nearly non-existent and my guests were awesome. Frank and Uma drove from Sonoma to Healdsburg for our meet at 9:30, after which we jumped in the van and headed off to our cycling starting point at Dry Creek Vineyards.

We took a slow, casual journey up West Dry Creek Road with the ultimate goal of a Zinfandel tasting in the wine caves at Bella Winery. Along the way we took the time to observe newly budding vines, as well as vines whose buds are just about ready to leaf out. As we rolled along we engaged in a bit of “Wine 101” as we soaked in the gorgeous views.

The tastings for the day were Bella Vineyards and their collection of fine, fruit-forward Zinfandels (and let’s not forget their one Syrah!), then on to Zichichi Family Wines for more American-style fruity goodness. Here we enjoyed both the finished product as well as 3 wines still aging in the barrel.

For a contrast this year I have added Raymond Burr Winery to my list of tasting stops. Their quaint tasting room with its stunning views afforded us the opportunity to compare their leaner European-style wine making with the more bold American-style that predominates here in California.

After a fine lunch break at Dry Creek Winery, we made our final stop at Lambert Bridge Winery where we were treated to their fine Cabernets and Merlots.

I met up with Paul and Nancy at Auberge du Soleil to escort them on a hiking tour of Bothe-Napa Valley State Park just outside of Calistoga.  It was a crystal clear morning with the temperature at just about 45 degrees as we set out.  We hiked through maple, redwood, bay laurel, and Douglas fir trees with Richey Creek serenading us along the way.  After a mile the trail began to ascend and we began the 800 foot climb up to Coyote Peak.  As we gained altitude and increased our distance from the creek the terrain became more dry and the forest became more sparse.  Upon reaching the ridgeline, we found ourselves among madrone, manzanita, scrub oak, and coyote brush.  California fuschia, blue dick, and other beautiful flowers lent further color to the landscape.  After enjoying the views of the Napa Valley we descended back into the lush redwoods.  Following our hike we enjoyed a sparkling wine and still wine tasting at Frank Family Vineyards.  We finished up the day with a great Wine Country picnic lunch on the winery grounds.

There was an awesome mid-winter day brewing on Sunday when I met up with my guests, John and Kenya, in Healdsburg. We were excited at the prospect of riding through the Dry Creek appellation in 70-degree weather. After a short van ride to our starting point we set off on a scenic, rolling tour up the valley to our first tasting destination, Bella Winery. After taking in the grounds and enjoying some stellar zinfandels, we took a short roll over to Preston Vineyards and Farm to enjoy their eclectic assortment of organic wines, olive products, produce and bread. Next up was my personal favorite, Zichichi. In the barrel room, we were treated to a tasting of their currently aging vintages of zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and petite syrah – straight from the barrel!

After this we enjoyed a relaxing ride back down the valley to Dry Creek Vineyards where we enjoyed yet another tasting, followed by our picnic lunch on the winery grounds. A fine selection of cheeses, fresh bread, hummus, salads, fruits and sliced meats were in the offing, accompanied by some fine jug wine courtesy of Preston.

We finished our afternoon together with a tasting at Quivira Vineyards.
-Fred