A different side of Napa Valley awaits those who venture off the beaten path. Indeed, many of the region’s most intimate experiences unfold from the front seat of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ridding the rugged terrain that molds some of Napa’s finest wines. In an unpretentious setting, these small-scale, family-owned wineries offer a chance to […]

Living in Napa, I naturally explore this wine region more frequently than Sonoma County. But when I was invited to attend the Alexander Valley Winegrowers’ inaugural Experience Alexander Valley event, I figured there was no time like the present to be become more familiar with one of Napa’s quiet but extraordinary neighbors. Experience Alexander Valley […]

Keeping an eye out for Bucher Farms, I drove along Westside Road in Healdsburg, California. In honor of their new tasting room at Grand Cru Custom Crush, John and Diane Bucher had invited an intimate group of wine and travel bloggers to an afternoon at their vineyard estate. I was among the lucky few to […]

As a proud East Coaster, I’m always so elated when I get to explore an amazing wine region in my neck of the woods. Having worked in wineries in Rhode Island and Connecticut and having tasted my way through the Finger Lakes, getting a chance to mosey on over to the flourishing wine region of […]

Last Winter, while studying at the International Wine Institute of Bordeaux, I attended a class on the wine region of Burgundy (Bourgogne in French). Discussing the nuances of Burgundian terroirs from the grapes and soil to the climate and vineyard placement, inspired a spontaneous trip to this fabled region. Within weeks I had found myself traipsing […]

About 120 miles north of San Francisco, dispersed between the towering Redwoods and rugged Pacific coastline, are scores of vineyards belonging to Mendocino Wine Country. This region may be lesser-known than it’s southern grape growing neighbors, but the wines Mendocino puts forth can certainly rival Napa and Sonoma. Vineyards span across several narrow valleys, including […]