Favorite Wineries

One of my favorite places in the world (or at least the parts of the world that I've seen so far), is wine country in California--Napa and Sonoma.  I love the culture, the people, but I dislike how much it costs to visit (BOO).  If I'm ever rich and famous, I will absolutely have a house and a vineyard up in the area somewhere.

Mayo Family Winery - One of my absolute favorites.  They have a tasting room like no other--the Reserve Room.  They employ a chef (Hi, Clayton!), who makes food that compliments wines of the Mayo Family Winery.  It is such a great idea, I'm not sure why more wineries don't take this approach.  Every time I go to Sonoma/Glen Ellen, this is on my list of stops, and I usually like to try new wineries when I go there.  Totally unique and totally worth every penny.

Ferrari-Carano - I love this winery, too.  The tasting room is really nice and I don't think I've ever had a bad wine from this place.  It's also very affordable and the wines compliment all types of food.  You've probably seen their Siena, which is exceptional for such an inexpensive wine.

Benziger Family Winery - I've actually got a vine at this winery!  I probably will never reap the benefits of that vine, but that's ok.  This is one of the first wineries I ever visited when I first started enjoying wine.  I learned about their biodynamic methods when I was in college (and yes, I took a wine-tasting class in college and actually got credit for it!), and it was so interesting that I had to come visit.  I encourage you to go to their site and learn about biodynamic wines, it's a pretty cool idea.

Cakebread Cellars - I think lots of people enjoy this wine.  Each of the wines that I've tasted has such depth and character, they're truly an experience in each bottle.  I tend to hoard these wines because they're just that good and I always want to have some on hand, just in case!  If you ever go to this one, pay the extra money for the reserve tasting.  Absolutely worth it.

I hope you get to visit these wineries and love them as much as I do!  They're very special to me and are part of the reason I was inspired to make my own wine.  I can't wait to go back for a visit.