Hi all! Welcome to Throwback Thursday Link-Up! I hope you will join me today in linking up an old post that you think deserves a second look! The Link-Up is at the bottom and don’t forget to show a little blogger love!
For me, today’s post is timely because I’m landing back in the good ol’ U-S of A today! Napa to be exact. Friends of ours are getting married in Napa and I am so looking forward to a long weekend filled with fun and wine, of course. So I thought I would throwback to 2013 when I visited Sonoma with my in-laws. It was a beautiful October and the wineries were so picturesque. I highly recommend all of these places if you are in the area!
Hey guys! We’ve reached the fourth and final stop on my California road trip! It only took me about a month to post all the stops! Hahaha! Oh well, I didn’t want to bombard you with too many travel posts all at once. Our fourth and final stop on this whirlwind trip was to Sonoma Valley! We had actually planned to head to Yosemite for hiking but because of the government shutdown, the park was not open! So instead of fresh air and fitness we chose lots of eating and drinking, naturally. In case you missed any of my previous recaps, you can catch up on Big Sur, Laguna Beach and Palm Springs!
We stayed at the Sheraton in Petaluma. It was a nice, standard Sheraton. The view of the marina from our room was pretty cool!
I selected a few wineries in Sonoma I had read about in Food and Wine Magazine. I was looking for wineries that were a little less commercial and allowed us some time to relax and enjoy the scenery. I think we succeeded! The first stop was to Iron Horse where we indulged in their sparkling wine tasting.
They had the cutest pumpkin display on the way in to the outdoor tasting area!
But you really could not beat the amazing views at this place! Iron Horse is situated on a hill so you have these beautiful panoramic views!
After our champagne breakfast, we headed off to Lynmar Estates. Food and Wine has described a lovely garden at this winery but I don’t think it did it justice!
The patio overlooking the garden was amazing!
Gorgeous!
The garden had real vegetables in it like this kale and some beautiful red chard! I’ll spare you the thousands of photos I took of the flowers! 😉
I think we could have stayed under our yellow umbrella gazing at the garden all afternoon!
The grapes even grew above our heads!
But alas, we had a reservation at our next winery and we had to pry ourselves out of our sun-soaked chairs to make it to the next winery!
You need a reservation to visit Copain for a tasting but it’s well worth the effort. Each tasting is accompanied by this yummy cheese plate, which perfectly match their delicious pinot noirs! You get very personal attention and a table is set for you when you arrive. VIP treatment for sure! Of course the views weren’t bad here either!
Another spot where we could have stayed all afternoon.
Yeah, it was tough to leave!
Our last winery of the day was Valley of the Moon.
The trees at Valley of the Moon were so gorgeous and the whites there were quite delicious!
Of course we had to indulge in some more cheese. When in Sonoma . . .
Ahhhh nothing like relaxing at the vineyards!
After a long day of wine tasting, we headed out to dinner, which you can read all about here!
Before heading off to San Fran airport, the Hubs and I just had to go for a ride through the vineyards. The views were outstanding! Plus, we needed to work off some cheese!
And that my friends concludes our whirlwind trip through California. I love Cali so much! It never fails to provide the most amazing vacations. The views, the food and the people are all fantastic. I can’t wait to go again soon! I’m thinking San Diego next time and definitely Yosemite (as long as there are no more shutdowns!).
Readers, have you ever been to Sonoma? Do you enjoy wine tasting? What’s your favorite place in California?
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Christen
June 4, 2015Neat idea for a Throwback Thursday! I usually do a Throwback post on my Facebook page on Thursdays too 🙂
Jamie
June 4, 2015Love this idea! Can’t wait to join in next week : ) Happy Thursday!!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
June 4, 2015Ahh, how I love California wine country!! I’m with you, I definitely prefer the less commercial places that give you a more personal touch. Hope that you have a blast in Napa this weekend! I think you should visit San Diego soon too so I can see you!!! 🙂
Carly @ Fine Fit Day
June 4, 2015Welcome back to the states!! Have SO much mum in Napa, I am super jealous. 🙂
Nellie
June 4, 2015This was so much fun to reread! This is definitely in my bucket list. The pictures are just too great to resist.
Lisa @ Lulus Big Adventure
June 6, 2015I hope you’re having a lovely trip back to the States!! We’re in the same country now! 😛
Jessica @ Absurd, She Wrote
June 9, 2015I love, love Napa. My mother’s family is from that area so I have many childhood memories of doing winery tours with my parents, haha.